Description

Refers to healing

Healing

Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue, organs and biological system to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area....

 practices and ideas of body physiology

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

 and health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.

All cultures and societies have knowledge best described as folk medicine. Folk medicine often coexists with formalized, education-based, and institutionalized systems of healing such as Western medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 or systems of traditional medicine

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...

 like Ayurvedic, Unani medicine, and Chinese medicine, but is distinguishable from formalized or institutionalized healing systems.

Use of folk medicine knowledge is not restricted within the society to those who have served an apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...

, undergone some sort of training or testing, or have achieved a specific social status. Theories and practices of folk medicine may influence, or be influenced by, the formalized medicine systems of the same culture. From a folkloristic point of view, folk medicine is characterized by a reliance on narrative patterns and folk statistics ("counting the hits and ignoring the failures") rather than rigorous empiricism

Empiricism

Empiricism is a theory of knowledge that asserts that knowledge comes only or primarily via sensory experience. One of several views of epistemology, the study of human knowledge, along with rationalism, idealism and historicism, empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and evidence,...

.

History

3000 BC - 18th century Folk medicine has been traced back as early as ancient Egypt in 3000 BC, though much of modern medicine stems from Greece. The Greek documents were later translated to Arabic and medicine had then continued to undergo further study in the Islamic world.

Use in Western Culture

At the turn of the century, folk medicine was viewed as a practice used by poverty stricken communities and quacks. However the rejection of synthetic or biomedical products has become a growing trend in Western society and allowed for a rise in the demand for natural medicines. When less developed countries are taken into account it is estimated that over 50% of the world’s population relies on folk medicine practices. The prevalence of folk medicine in certain areas of the world will vary based on cultural norms. Much of today's modern medicine though is previously based on plants that had been long used in folk medicine.

Ten most popular alternative medicine treatments

1. Acupuncture
   Acupuncture
   Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
   
   
2. Herbal Medicine
3. Spinal Manipulation
   Chiropractor
   A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
   
   
4. Meditation
   Meditation
   Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
   
   
5. Massage
   Massage
   Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
   
   
6. Ayurveda
   Ayurveda
   Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
   
   
7. Guided Imagery
8. Yoga
   Yoga
   Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
   
   
9. Hypnosis
   Hypnosis
   Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
   
   
10. Homeopathy
    Homeopathy
    Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
    
    

Safety Concerns

Although over 100 countries have regulations on folk medicines there are still some risks associated with the use of them, especially when they are used without supervision. It is often assumed that because the medicines are herbal or natural, that they are completely safe. One type of folk medicine commonly used along with Ayurvedic medicine is Rasa Shastra

Rasa Shastra

In Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medical lore of Hinduism, rasa shastra is a process by which various metals and other substances, including mercury, are purified and combined with herbs in an attempt to treat illnesses...

 and practice involves the use of heavy metals

Heavy metals

A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...

 in herbal remedies. When taken without supervision there is a risk of overdosing resulting in mineral toxicity in the body. Many of these herbal medicines are available through online resources and do not require a prescription and run the risk of overdosing. As well there is the possibility of the herbal medicines interfering with prescription medicines that patients make be taking under their doctors orders.

See also

• Traditional medicine
  Traditional medicine
  Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
  
  
• Home remedy
  Home remedy
  A home remedy is a treatment to cure a disease or ailment that employs certain spices, vegetables, or other common items. Home remedies may or may not have medicinal properties that treat or cure the disease or ailment in question, as they are typically passed along by laypersons...
  
  
• Alternative medicine
  Alternative medicine
  Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
  
  
• folk healer
  Folk healer
  A folk healer is an unlicensed person who practices the art of healing using traditional practices, herbal remedies and even the power of suggestion. A folk healer may be a highly trained person who pursues his specialties, learning by study, observation and imitation...
  
  

Further reading

• Logan, Patrick. Irish Country Cures. Belfast: The Appletree Press, 1981. ISBN 0904651819