Dataset Information

The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the combined use of traditional medicine and biomedicine by local experts in Chapada do Araripe communities (Ceará State) and maroon communities (Santa Catarina State), Brazil. The objective was to understand the perception of local health specialists regarding the number of healers, demand for healers and use of medicinal plants, and the dependence of different environments to obtain such plants. We also aimed to understand the role of medicinal plants to treat different categories of diseases and if there is a complementary use of medicinal plants and allopathic biomedicine, according to the context of each group. The research was conducted with local health specialists that answered structured interviews, created free lists and participated in guided tours to collect cited plants. Sixty-six local health specialists were identified in the Araripe communities and 22 specialists in the maroon communities. In the maroon communities, a greater number of specialists thought there was a decrease in the number and demand for healers, as well as the use of medicinal plants, due to changes in traditional livelihoods, since they are located in a region where the effects of the modernization were more intense. In the Chapada do Araripe communities the specialists knew more plants extracted from native vegetation, whereas in the maroon communities cultivated plants were better known, which may reflect the environmental conditions and the history of each region. Medicinal plants are preferred to treat simpler health problems that do not require medical care, such as gastrointestinal problems, general pain, flues and colds. The biomedicine is used principally for problems with blood pressure, general pains and endocrine and nutritional diseases. Even with the particularities of each region, in general the use of medicinal plants and biomedicines occurred in a complementary form in both regions; however, this coexistence may result from these different contexts. This study also found that there was knowledge and appreciation for traditional health practices in both regions.

SUBMITTER: Zank S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5393556 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions.

Zank Sofia S Hanazaki Natalia N

PloS one 20170417 4

This study investigated the combined use of traditional medicine and biomedicine by local experts in Chapada do Araripe communities (Ceará State) and maroon communities (Santa Catarina State), Brazil. The objective was to understand the perception of local health specialists regarding the number of healers, demand for healers and use of medicinal plants, and the dependence of different environments to obtain such plants. We also aimed to understand the role of medicinal plants to treat different ...[more]

PMID: 28414735

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Project description:Background:Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) has attracted increasing attention in developed countries, but its mainstream status in China, the home of TCAM, is unclear. Over the period of 2004-2016, we analyze the health resources and health resource utilization of traditional medicine in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals in China. Methods:Over 2004-2016, we obtained data from all TCM hospitals in all Chinese provinces to create a hospital-based, longitudinal dataset. TCM health resources and their utilization were measured by two outcome variables: (1) primary outcome variables comprising the proportion of TCM physicians, TCM pharmacists, revenue from TCM drugs, and TCM prescriptions and (2) the secondary outcome variables, as proxies of westernization for TCM hospitals, comprising the number of medical equipment above RMB 10,000 and the proportion of surgery in inpatient visits. We used linear regression models with hospital-fixed effects to analyze time trends for the outcome variables. Results:The number of public TCM hospitals remained stable from 2004 to 2016, while the number of private TCM hospitals increased from 294 in 2004 to 1560 in 2016. There was a small percentage increase in the proportion of TCM physicians (0.280%), TCM pharmacists (0.298%), and revenue from Chinese medicines (0.331%) and TCM prescriptions (1.613%) per hospital per year. Chinese drugs accounted for less than a half of the total drug prescriptions, and accordingly, just one-third of the drug revenue was from Chinese medicines at TCM hospitals. The proportions of physicians, pharmacists, revenue from Chinese drug sales, and traditional medicine prescriptions never reach the 60% benchmark target for mainstream in TCM hospitals. As proxies for Western medicine practices in TCM hospitals, the number of medical equipment above RMB 10,000 rapidly rose by over 13 percent per hospital per year, but the proportion of inpatient surgeries declined by 0.830 percentage points per hospital per year, reflecting a mixed trend in the use of Western medicine practices. Conclusion:For the 2004-2016 period, traditional medicine, although making progress towards the mainstream benchmark of 60% TCM services, was still not mainstream at TCM hospitals.

Project description:BackgroundThe World Health Organization declared on March 11, 2020, that the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) has escalated from epidemic into pandemic. As the initial outbreak area, China has taken multiple active measures to deal with the epidemic. Updated versions of diagnosis and treatment guideline for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients have been issued, and traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been recommended as a treatment. The objective of this study will be to summarize the recommendations in current clinical practice guidelines about the use of traditional Chinese herbal medicine for COVID-19 patients. We will also evaluate and report on the methodological and reporting quality of these guidelines.MethodsIn this systematic review, we will search for guidelines, expert consensuses, and policy documents published since December 2019 in electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese databases) and on websites of governments or organizations (e.g., The National Guideline Clearinghouse [NGC], Guidelines International Network [GIN], National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network [SIGN], and WHO). Eligible documents will be independently selected, and relevant data will be independently extracted by two reviewers. We will also independently evaluate the methodological quality and reporting quality of the included guidelines, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation (AGREE) II tool and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) statement, respectively. Any discrepancies will be discussed and resolved through discussion among the reviewers. We will use the extracted information to summarize their recommendations for traditional Chinese herbal formulae and Chinese patent medicine for COVID-19 patients and to summarize the strength and quality of these recommendations with reference to the results of AGREE II and RIGHT tools.DiscussionThis review will summarize the recommendations in current clinical practice guidelines and provide insight into the implementation strategies for traditional Chinese herbal medicine in COVID-19 patients.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020179205.

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Project description:BackgroundVarious vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) affect dogs worldwide, with their diversity and force of infection being usually higher in the tropics. Cross-sectional studies have been conducted to investigate the prevalence of VBPs in dogs, but data from longitudinal studies are scarce. Herein, we assessed the prevalence and the year-crude incidence (YCI) of Leishmania spp. and other VBPs in privately-owned dogs from two geographical regions of Brazil.MethodsA total of 823 dogs were initially screened for Leishmania spp. by both serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From the negatives, 307 (103 from São Joaquim de Bicas, Minas Gerais, and 204 from Goiana, Pernambuco) were randomly selected for the longitudinal study. These dogs were tested for various VBPs at baseline, after 8 and 12 months.ResultsOut of 823 dogs initially screened, 131 (15.9%) were positive for Leishmania spp. Out of the 307 dogs enrolled in the longitudinal study, 120 (39.1%) were lost for different reasons (e.g. animal death, owner decision, and lost to follow-up). In São Joaquim de Bicas, the baseline prevalence and YCI were as follows: 16.5% and 7.1% for Anaplasma spp.; 81.6% and 100% for Babesia spp.; 0% and 1.3% (only one faint positive) for Dirofilaria immitis; 37.9% and 22.9% for Ehrlichia spp.; 19.5% and 43.8% for Leishmania spp. In Goiana, the baseline prevalence and YCI were as follows: 45.1% and 38.3% for Anaplasma spp.; 79.9% and 96.0% for Babesia spp.; 36.3% and 39.8% for D. immitis; 64.7% and 58.5% for Ehrlichia spp.; 14.7% and 19.6% for Leishmania spp. Anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies were not detected in any of the samples tested herein. The prevalence and YCI of Anaplasma spp., D. immitis and Ehrlichia spp. were significantly higher in Goiana. In contrast, the YCI of Leishmania spp. infection was significantly higher in São Joaquim de Bicas.ConclusionsWe confirmed a high prevalence and YCI of various VBPs among privately-owned dogs in two geographical regions of Brazil. Our data also indicate that the risk of infection varies significantly for individual VBPs and between the regions, which may be related to several factors that are still poorly understood.

Dataset Information

The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions.

Publications

The coexistence of traditional medicine and biomedicine: A study with local health experts in two Brazilian regions.

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