What is traditional medicine?

Traditional medicine refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being.  Traditional Medicine is the oldest form of structured medicine, that is, a medicine that has an underlying philosophy and set of principles by which it is practiced. It is the medicine from which all later forms of medicine developed, including Chinese medicine, Graeco-Arabic medicine, and of course also modern Western medicine. Traditional Healing was originally an integral part of semi-nomadic and agricultural tribal societies, and although archeological evidence for its existence dates back to only around 6000 B.C., its origins probably date back from well before the end of the last Ice-age. There were and of course still are some regional differences between the principles and philosophy of Traditional Medicine although there are also many fundamental similarities that arise from the profound knowledge of natural laws and the understanding of how these influence living things, which is shared by all Traditional Healers.
Traditional Healers practice in a different way than practitioners from other types of medicine.

Principles of Traditional Healing.

There are "four pillars" of Traditional Healing which according to the Roman historian Piny the Elder (23-79 AD.) were: "Eruditio, Perspicacitas, Beneficentia et Caritas". Roughly translated these mean: "learning, insight, goodwill and empathy". These are the basic principles that should guide the Traditional Healer in all his or her actions. It is because of these principles that Traditional Healing was and still is, often referred to as "Wisdom Medicine" or "Wizard Medicine" (the word wizard means 'wise man', not 'sorcerer').
The principles and philosophy of Traditional Healing always deal with natural laws, because all life is subject to these natural laws and ill-health is usually due to an abnormal imbalance, either within an organism, or of the organism with its environment. Therefore Traditional Healers do not only work at correcting the internal imbalances through which disease can manifest, but also work at re-establishing an individual's harmony.
Traditional Healing sees the universe as operating according to natural laws that manifest according to specific rules and correspondences. They believe that the purpose of life and the nature of disease cannot be understood without a knowledge of these laws and their correspondences.

Energetic Medicine.

Traditional Medicine is an energetic medicine. It considers that an all-pervading energy is present in all matter, that embodies the natural laws and universal creative force. This energy has different names in different cultures; for example the ancient Greeks called it Pneuma and also Aether, in China it is called Qi, in Japan Ki, in India Prana, while in the Pacific cultures it is know as Mana. Traditional Healers believe that this energy can become disturbed due to adverse thoughts and emotions, an inappropriate lifestyle, an unwholesome diet, unhealthy air, tainted water, an unnatural environment and a disharmony with natural cycles. As these are the ultimate causes of disease, the Traditional Healer may initially set out to improve overall health, but will always recognize the need to correct the cause in order to provide a full and final recovery.

This energy manifests itself in the physical world in the form of concrete entities called elements. These elements are not the same as the elements used in modern chemistry, but rather represents specific attributes. For example, Fire is energetic and consuming, Air is active and enlivening, Water is formless and controlling, while Earth is solid and nurturing. These attributes represent different levels of activity of energy, and determine not only the appearance of material objects, but also the inherent nature of living things. In man this translates into a system of individual constitutions and temperaments, which represent inherent and acquired characteristics, and which must be taken into account to ensure the correct treatment approach is used for a given person. The Oriental Schools of Traditional Healing also have an additional system of elements that represent the cycles of life rather than states of matter; this system that consists of five elements, namely: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood.

Ethics.

Traditional Healers that are Chartered members of the Traditional Healers Fellowship have a Code of Ethics, which they have pledged to abide to at all times. It protects the public by making members and their patients aware of what constitutes proper ethical practice, and it protects the reputation of Traditional Healers.

Traditional Healers' Code of Ethics.