Traditional Medicine

Professor Ewurammy Addy from the University of Ghana wrote the book Traditional Medicine in Ghana. She statedIn Ghana, traditional health care is a holistic one that integrates the people's ethics, religious, morals and cultural values. Many Ghanaians believe that an individual's health is linked to the metaphysical and supernatural world, with Odomakoma(the creator), abosum (the deities and divinities) and ancestral spirits. Naturally, with such beliefs, diseases have spiritual dimension among many Ghanaians. In Ghana, as in most African countries, it is estimated that more than 60% of the population uses Traditional medicine in many instances to help meet some of the primary health care needs. As a result many people use both orthodox and traditional medicine treatments depending on what is wrong with them at a point in time. In fact it would be accurate to say that more than 90% of the population in Ghana has used some form of traditional medicine at one point in their life. 

Some medicine in popular demand in the traditional medicine area have different names such as:

Living Bitters- Colon Cleansing

Madam Catherine- Blood purifier

Alafia Bitters, Karafi Bitters, Adutwumwaa Bitters- blood cleansers

Mighty Power- a blood cleanser

Swedish Bitters- A high blood pressure and Cholesterol controller

The article I read is supporting the use of traditional medicine compared to modern "westernized" medicine. The author explained that a lot of the western medicine have too many complications ranging from migraines to death. The traditional medicine is not harmful but is shown to be the most beneficial according to some Ghanaians. I am not siding with either story, mainly because I have never experienced the use of traditional medicine on myself or on others. I am excited to go to Ghana and be introduced to this new world. Understanding why traditional healers do what they do and why a mother would choose them is a huge part to my research. It seems to me that a lot of Ghanaian mothers chose to go to a traditional healer because they are sure that the healer will understand their belief systems and will not impose on that. I'm not trying to imply that a doctor would impose any treatments on a child that his or her parents wouldn't want but to some parents the suggestion of a treatment could be offensive. This is definitely one part of my research (if not all of it) that I won't be able to fully understand until I am face to face to the traditional healers and patients. 

23 days!!!

The article can be read here.