Browsing by Subject "traditional medicine"

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    Reworking Efficacy: The Social Life of Medicine in Northern Togo
    (2013-04-23) Middleton, Alexandra
    When considering the local, indigenous, “traditional” healing practices of non-Western societies, Euro-Americans often ask whether or not they are efficacious – “do they work?” Posed from a biomedical paradigm, the concept of work adheres to a narrow definition. This thesis seeks to expand constrained prevailing views of medical efficacy, challenging conception of the “work” medical systems perform. Rooted in ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the village of Kuwdé, Northern Togo, I apply the question of work to the Kabre local medical system. I consider how the purposeful distribution of remedies among houses in Kuwdé orients the individual body to community, clan, and history through health and disease. I draw upon theories of embodiment, relationality, and power to show that a medical system does social, relational, and political work as well as physiological work. In doing so, I aim to move from a conception of health solely as biological-pathway-to-biological-impact, to situating health in its social and relational dimensions. I then engage with the field of global health, arguing that an expanded notion of efficacy and work may, in turn, improve the delivery of biomedical care. It is my hope that this project cultivates awareness of how definitions of efficacy frame the lived experience and practice of medicine.
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    The Role of Traditional Medicine in the Etiology and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease in Moshi, Tanzania
    (2015) Lunyera, Joseph

    Background: Traditional medicine use is increasingly recognized as a common and important component of healthcare globally. Our study aim was therefore to identify the commonly used traditional medicines in Moshi, Tanzania, the factors influencing their use and associations between traditional medicine use & prevalence of chronic diseases. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of a mixed methods study in Moshi, comprising 42 extended interviews and 5 focus group discussions with key informants, and cross-sectional household survey using interviewer-administered questionnaires and field-based diagnostic tests for CKD, diabetes, hypertension and HIV. Results: We identified 168 traditional medicines, of which 15 (8.9%) and 5 (3%) were used to treat chronic diseases and CKD, respectively. Participants reported seeking healthcare advice from medical doctors (97%), family members (52%), pharmacists (24%) and friends or neighbors (14%). In a fully adjusted model, CKD patients were more likely than the non-CKD population to report a history of traditional medicine use (AOR=1.99; p=0.04), and family tradition (OR=1.97), difficulty finding a medical doctor (OR=2.07) and fewer side effects with traditional medicines (OR=2.07) as their reasons for preferring traditional medicines to hospital medicines. Conclusions: Traditional medicine use is high in Moshi, and more so among the CKD population. A history of traditional medicine use is associated with the prevalence of CKD in Moshi. Most of these traditional medicines have biologically active substances that could potentially be developed into therapeutic and prophylactic therapies for CKD, and CKD-associated co-morbidities.