Abstract
Traditional medical practitioners far outnumber practitioners of
allopathic medicine in most parts of the South World. They are
thus, de facto, the world’s most popular form of primary care. This
chapter discusses the re-emergence of traditional/integrative1
healthcare around the world. Within ‘post’-colonial societies,
traditional health knowledge has re-emerged in the context of
nationalist struggles for independence and a growing interest in natural
health care, amongst other trends. As South World people2
become more self-reliant, interest in indigenous health practices
develops. Concomitantly, as critiques of allopathic medicine’s
side-effects develop, interest in natural and spiritual forms of
healthcare grows. However, those who can access allopathic care
almost always choose to blend it with traditional medicine. This chapter
critically explores the fundamental concept of and the
increasing popularity of integrative healthcare practices particularly
within South World societies. We touch on the re-integration
of traditional and modern health knowledge and how this trend is
simultaneously occurring all over the planet. While colonialism
negatively impacted the work of traditional medical practitioners Shroff
et al. [1], in contemporary times, youth as well as elderly
people are digging deep into their roots to find answers to modern
problems. It is challenging to piece together bits of verbal
knowledge handed from one generation to the next so gaps in knowledge
inevitably exist. Regardless, knowledge evolves, and
changes are made to virtually all practices as a result. As new diseases
and problems arise, wholistic health care is trying to adapt
to these challenges. Blending the evolved practices of integrated
healthcare with modern day conceptualizations of body and mind,
today’s wholistic health practitioners have a much better toolkit than
they ever had. This bodes well for health promotion, disease
prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation of societies around
the world.