Traditional Health Care Practices in Africa Essay -- cure and prevent

Traditional healing refers to a set of works passed down through generations which intend to cure and prevent disease. In short, traditional medicine is the practice of health care based on traditional philosophy and the use of traditional medicine. In Africa, it presents as a holistic health care dodge which relies on an accumulation of knowledge of herbs and remedies which include plants, insects, and parts of animals. Traditional African healing is intertwined with traditional religions and spirituality. In Africa, traditional healing is administered by two contrastive types of practitioners sangoma (also called ngoma)spiritual healers and diviners and inyangaherbalists. Although Africa is a continent of diverse cultures and tribes, traditional healers such as these exist across continent, providing 80% of the care for the population. From this information, it is evident that traditional healing is a important practice in the experience of a modern African. Inyanga and sangoma p erform different functions, treating different types of ailments. Inyanga are usually consulted for problems that are a result of a natural misfortune, such as routine illness or injury. They will treat the ailment with a traditional remedy made from medicinal herbs or mixtures of animal parts. Although anyone who wishes to, may become and inyanga, approximately 90% are male. Generally, a man wishing to become an inyanga will apprentice himself to a practicing inyanga before first step his own shop. An inyanga may also provide preventative medicines as well as remedies meant to bring about good luck.Sangoma, on the other hand, treat the spiritual. When an chartless problem occurs, a sangoma is consulted to divine the source. Unlike inyanga, in or... ...journal 74, no. 8, 2007.Kale, Rajendra. Traditional healers in South Africa A parallel healthcare system, British Medical Journal, world(prenominal) edition. 310, no. 6988, 1995.Nelms, Linda W and Gorski, June. The Role of the Afr ican Traditional Healer in Womens Health, Journal of Transcultural Nursing Official Journal of the Transcultural Nursing party / Transcultural Nursing Society. 17, 2006.Hall, James. Sangoma my odyssey into the spirit world of Africa New York Putnam, 1994. Berends, Willem. African Traditional Healing Practices and the Christian Community, Missiology 21, no. 3, 1993.Janzen, John M. Self-Presentation and Common Cultural Structures in Ngoma Rituals of southerly Africa, Journal of Religion in Africa. 25, 1995.McCord, Margaret. The Calling of Katie Makanya a memoir of South Africa. Cape Town David Philip Publishers, 1995.