What conditions are treated with ethno remedies?

•

Almost anything, apart from acute conditions which need surgical intervention such as appendicitis, victims of motor accidents etc.

•

All types of chronic conditions respond very well.

•

Skin  

problems  

such  

as  

eczema,  

psoriasis  

and  

acne,  

rheumatoid  

arthritis,  

osteoarthritis,  

other  

autoimmune  

diseases,  

hormonal  

imbalances,  

postmenopausal  

symptoms,  

various

allergies,  

digestive  

problems,  

colds,  

flu,  

asthma,  

bronchitis,  

and  

many  

viral  

infections  

such  

as  

glandular  

fever  

can  

improve  

dramatically  

with  

Ethnomedicines  

and  

holistic  

approach.

Today many viruses cause a lot of longstanding ill health to the body so it cannot protect itself adequately.

•

Ethno remedies can cleanse and gently rebalance the body’s systems and boost its immune defences.

How do Ethnomedicine Practitioners make a diagnosis?

Ethonomedicine  

practitioners  

are  

trained  

in  

the  

same  

skills  

as  

orthodox  

doctors  

but  

take  

a  

holistic  

approach  

to  

illness.  

They  

seek  

the  

underlying  

cause  

of  

the  

specific  

problems,  

treatment  

is  

focused  

on  

recovery  

of  

the  

organ  

or  

system  

thereby

establishing homeostasis rather than the “band aid” approach to treating the symptom.

•

Ethnomedic  

practitioner  

takes  

a  

comprehensive  

medical  

history  

of  

the  

patient.  

This  

includes  

broad  

questions  

about  

lifestyle,  

social  

conditions  

and  

work  

environment  

to  

a  

few.  

The

greatest  

single  

thing  

that  

this  

analysis  

does  

is  

to  

point  

out  

the  

inherent  

weaknesses.  

These  

weaknesses  

lower  

the  

resistance  

of  

the  

body  

and  

leave  

a  

person  

vulnerable  

to  

other

problems  

as  

well.  

By  

this  

holistic  

analysis  

and  

approach,  

the  

Ethnomedicine  

practitioner  

can  

get  

a  

graphic  

picture  

of  

the  

client’s  

circumstance  

and  

have  

a  

better  

understanding  

of

what needs attention in the body.

•

The Ethnomedicine practitioner regards the patient as a “family” member.

•

A  

diagnosis  

is  

made  

of  

illness  

or  

abnormal  

conditions.  

The  

practitioner  

achieves  

a  

diagnosis  

by  

reading  

and  

understanding  

iris  

signs  

and  

sclerology.  

These  

signs  

of  

the  

eye  

indicate

genetic propensity, chronic and acute conditions, a particular constitution and gives insight to the patient’s over-all systemic condition.

•

Facial signs and symptoms displayed by the patient are a crucial indicator of system dysfunction.

•

Pathological tests for blood and urine may also be used.

•

Important,  

the  

comprehensive  

patient  

history  

is  

taken  

after  

the  

diagnosis.  

The  

patient  

now  

feels  

comfortable  

in  

that  

the  

practitioner  

has  

not  

made  

a  

diagnosis  

from  

what  

they  

told  

the

Practitioner.

•

The Ethnomedicine practitioner has a referral network with other specialised modalities.

•

Lastly, the practitioner understands that trust and belief in the patient relationship is important for the total effect in the healing process.

What do we need to know about their lifestyle?

It all depends on the person but we might ask them what they are doing to help their body help itself.

Diet  

is  

of  

uttermost  

importance,  

are  

they  

eating  

of  

whole,  

unprocessed  

food  

with  

fresh  

vegetables  

and  

fruit.  

Do  

they  

drink  

enough  

pure  

water?  

Are  

they  

getting  

enough  

sleep?  

Do  

they  

do  

regular  

exercises?  

Do  

they  

make  

time  

to  

relax  

and

unwind?

Life  

style  

is  

also  

crucial;  

do  

they  

eat  

a  

lot  

of  

rich  

food  

and  

drink  

a  

lot  

of  

alcohol?  

Smoke  

cigarettes?  

Take  

drugs  

of  

one  

kind  

or  

the  

other?  

Once  

they  

see  

the  

correlation  

in  

the  

way  

they  

live  

and  

how  

their  

body  

has  

to  

adapt  

to  

survive,  

they  

are

usually ready to make changes to be healthier.

How Ethnomedicine remedies work (herbs)

They  

work  

physiologically  

with  

the  

body.  

Some  

remedies  

have  

a  

particular  

affinity  

for  

certain  

organ  

or  

systems  

and  

they  

are  

used  

to  

feed  

and  

restore  

health  

to  

those  

areas.  

These  

remedies  

may  

suppress  

or  

increase  

the  

appetite,  

act  

as

tranquilizers  

or  

mild  

stimulants.  

Some  

are  

diuretics,  

flushing  

toxins  

out  

of  

the  

body,  

others  

speed  

up  

the  

elimination  

process  

in  

the  

intestines,  

some  

are  

liver  

cleansers,  

others  

act  

as  

natural  

hormones  

working  

on  

the  

thyroid  

or  

other  

endocrine

glands.  

Some  

are  

anti-inflammatory  

and  

soothe  

peptic  

ulcers  

or  

colitis.  

Others  

help  

the  

heart  

and  

circulatory  

problems  

such  

as  

high  

blood  

pressure,  

(angina  

pectoris)

or varicose, etc.

Medicine  

presented  

by  

a  

trained  

Ethnomedicine  

practitioner  

is  

effective  

and  

safe  

and  

it  

works.  

These  

remedies  

do  

work,  

patients  

too  

say  

they  

wish  

they  

had  

come

years  

ago,  

they  

feel  

much  

better.

These  

patients  

are  

very  

satisfied,  

even  

those  

with  

established  

conditions,  

who  

have  

been  

on  

drug  

regimens  

for  

years,  

or  

those  

who

have sluggish systems say they feel better. It means the Ethno remedies are cleansing, detoxifying and helping the body to balance itself.

How do Ethnomedicines differ from synthetic drugs?

Many  

synthetic  

drugs  

are  

based  

on  

medicinal  

plant  

constituents  

but  

scientists  

isolate,  

extract  

and  

synthesize  

then  

on  

therapeutic  

constituent  

for  

large-scale

manufacturing.  

Ethnomendical  

believe  

that  

the  

active  

plant  

ingredients  

are  

balanced  

and  

work  

together,  

so  

they  

use  

extracts  

from  

the  

whole  

of  

the  

plant,  

which  

may

contain hundreds of different constituents.

The  

herb  

Ephedra  

Sinica  

is  

the  

source  

of  

Alkaloid  

Epherine,  

used  

to  

treat  

asthma  

and  

nasal  

congestion,  

but  

it  

has  

the  

side  

effect  

of  

raising  

blood  

pressure.  

The

manufacturers  

of  

Ethno  

remedies  

use  

the  

whole  

plant,  

which  

contains  

six  

other  

alkaloids,  

one  

of  

which  

prevents  

the  

rise  

in  

blood  

pressure.  

Synthetic  

diuretics  

(drugs

which  

increase  

the  

flow  

of  

urine),  

seriously  

reduce  

the  

body’s  

potassium  

levels.  

Ethnomedics  

use  

umganu,  

which  

is  

a  

potent  

diuretic  

but  

it  

is  

also  

a  

rich  

source  

of

potassium.

What is the basis of Ethnomedicine treatment?

Ethnomedicines  

work  

gradually  

and  

gently,  

helping  

the  

body  

to  

heal  

itself  

and  

they  

do  

not  

have  

harmful  

effects.  

Drugs  

can  

drastically  

affect  

the  

structure  

or  

function  

of  

the  

body  

and  

can  

have  

bad  

side  

effects.  

Meanwhile  

the  

natural  

remedies

do their work well without any side effects. There are very powerful drugs which are life saving, part of modern medicine but still with side effects.

Where do the remedies we prescribed come from?

They are supplied by pharmaceuticals specializing in the production of processed traditional herbs.

How long does it take to get better?

Children  

respond  

wonderfully  

well,  

often  

in  

a  

few  

days  

or  

two  

weeks,  

adults  

respond  

quickly,  

but  

others  

with  

hormonal  

problems  

may  

take  

three  

to  

four  

months,  

established  

chronic  

diseases  

take  

what  

seems  

to  

be  

a  

long  

time  

because  

the

remedies may have to undo years of drug therapy, accumulated stress and unhealthy living.

All  

entities  

like  

normal  

cellular  

structures,  

viruses,  

bacteria,  

fungi  

and  

parasites  

are  

a  

normal  

occurrence  

in  

living  

bodies.  

When  

our  

nutrition  

and  

lifestyle  

are  

not  

maintained  

in  

a  

proper  

manner,  

the  

ones  

symbiotic  

relationship  

turn  

on  

itself  

and

becomes  

hostile.  

Disease  

results  

and  

is  

addressed  

by  

herbal  

remedies,  

nutritional  

advice  

and  

life  

style  

coaching.  

Ethnomedicine  

practitioners  

have  

an  

understanding  

of  

these  

dynamics  

and  

are  

effective  

with  

treatments  

in  

rural  

as  

well  

as  

city

environments.  

© Dr Isaac Kekana