A public health agenda for traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine

Gerard Bodeker, Fredi Kronenberg, Gerard Bodeker, Fredi Kronenberg

Abstract

Traditional medicine (a term used here to denote the indigenous health traditions of the world) and complementary and alternative medicine (T/CAM) have, in the past 10 years, claimed an increasing share of the public's awareness and the agenda of medical researchers. Studies have documented that about half the population of many industrialized countries now use T/CAM, and the proportion is as high as 80% in many developing countries. Most research has focused on clinical and experimental medicine (safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action) and regulatory issues, to the general neglect of public health dimensions. Public health research must consider social, cultural, political, and economic contexts to maximize the contribution of T/CAM to health care systems globally.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 1
A pharmacist stands in front of medicine cabinets displaying herbal extracts.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Right: An herbal medicine stall in the market of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Below: Artemisia annua drying before being processed into a new antimalarial derived by the Chinese method of preparation. The plant is known in Chinese as qing hao su and is used traditionally as a febrifuge.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Right: An herbal medicine stall in the market of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Below: Artemisia annua drying before being processed into a new antimalarial derived by the Chinese method of preparation. The plant is known in Chinese as qing hao su and is used traditionally as a febrifuge.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Left to Right: Man undergoing cupping, a traditional Chinese remedy; sports massage; insertion of acupuncture needles into a patient’s back.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Left to Right: Man undergoing cupping, a traditional Chinese remedy; sports massage; insertion of acupuncture needles into a patient’s back.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Left to Right: Man undergoing cupping, a traditional Chinese remedy; sports massage; insertion of acupuncture needles into a patient’s back.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Row of eyedroppers in an herbal tonic cafe.

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Source: PubMed

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