African Traditional Medical Health Practices: Beliefs And Concepts
Abstract
Medical health practice is one of religious practice in African Tradition. It’s a means of securing the lives of the individualities. Among all communities in Africa, life is regarded as sacred. Each existent’s life is seen as a gift from God to the community and to the family.
Ihiala Local Government Area which is located in Anambra State is a community of people who hare and believe in African traditional World view and Institutions.
This work is to know African Traditional way of medical health practices, and its operation and conception in IhialaL.G.A of Anambra State. There are numerous ways of medical health practices now in Africa more than ever ahead. We need to study African Traditional Medical health practices and its belief and conception in Ihiala as a community. This will help to correct the false print people have about African traditional way of medical health practices.
Chapter Onegeneral
Preface
1.1 Background Of The Study
African is a large mainland with numerous countries that have different lines and societies. Nigeria is one of the countries in Western part of Africa. In Nigeria, there are thirty- six countries among which Anambra is one of them, and IhialaL.G.A is one of its original government area in Anambra South Senatorial Zone. It’s made up of nine( 9) independent municipalities.
Practice of drug is an important part of indigenous persuasions in Africa. Disease in this part of the world is typically regarded as having some spiritual cause. African traditional drug is a drug known and rehearsed by Africans from time old for the health need of her people. It has an important place in health care delivery among Africans.
In IhialaL.G.A, according to Obiaofo, it was believed that African traditional way of exercising drug have power to sustain the lives of every individualities in the community, it’s used to offset the powers of destruction and evil spirit. It’s salutary to man and important to the religious and social life of the people.
Practice of drug is important to any religion especially in the case of African traditional religion. In IhialaL.G.A, numerous people seek out forecasters on a regular base. There are generally no proscriptions against the practice. Those who tell fortunes for a living are also sought out for their wisdom as counsellor and for their knowledge of herbal drug. Practice of African traditional drug is an important part of their religion. Healers are reputed to have professional knowledge of illness( pathology), surgery and pharmacology( roots, dinghies, leaves, and sauces). Some of them are also reputed to diagnose and treat internal and cerebral problems. The healer advises in all aspects of life including physical, cerebral, spiritual, moral and legal matters. They also understand the significance of ancestral spirits and the generalities of witches( hence the social term witch- croaker ). Ihiala people believed that traditional African drug is a holistic discipline involving indigenous herbalism and African church, generally involving forecasters, midwives and herbalists. interpreters of traditional African drug claim to be suitable to cure colorful and different conditions similar as cancer, psychiatric diseases, high blood pressure, cholera, utmost venereal conditions, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, fever, depression and mending of injuries and becks .
Traditional African drug with its belief that illness isn’t deduced from chance circumstances, but through spiritual or social imbalance, differs greatly from western drug which is technically and analystically grounded. opinion is reached through spiritual means and a treatment is specified generally conforming of an herbal remedy that has not only healing capacities, but emblematic and spiritual significance.
Statement Of Problems
Despite the significance and strong points of African Traditional Medicine, there are some problems associated with it especially as it’s rehearsed these days. These problems have nearly discredited the veritably important heritage.
First among these problems affecting African Traditional medical practices moment is, there are misconceptions about the conception of African traditional drug in African countries, indeed among the people in IhialaL.G.A. An average Ihiala youth especially people who live outside the community or outside Africa, develop their idea of African traditional medical health practices from flicks or stories. These flicks or stories frequently portray the African traditional medical health practices as wrong, devilish and in mortal acts that should be done down as rehearsed by wrong and primitive people.
Another problem associated with African traditional medical health practices according to Omonzejele( 2003) is when it resort to spiritual explanation for the occasion of ill- health which is attributed to numerous mystical forces. This factor limits African traditional drug to the extent that it’s extremely delicate to give explanation and substantiation in agreement to introductory epistemology for the cure of nourishment indeed when the remedy is effective. For case in Nigeria, everyone knows that orthopaedic cases are best handled by traditional interpreters, but the connection between the broken leg of hen and the treatment of a case with a broken leg is quiet delicate to explain. In Western drug, scientific explanations are generally handed on how a particular medicine works with body chemistry, in that wise, one can not anticipate the west andnon-Africans to accept any kind of cure or advances in drug by Africans without acceptable explanation.
Again the fallout of Africa’s profitable straits has also contributed to the problems facing African traditional medical practices. There are numerous traditional medical interpreters, utmost of them are bare charlants who like the sophists of the ancient times make huge totalities of plutocrat from the trade. In the history, traditional health interpreters only saw what they did in terms of services to their communities where one can not really go to be dubious. The African traditional interpreters of this present day move from the pastoral to civic areas with the sole purpose to enrich themselves. They’re patronised by unknowing cases. These mobile interpreters of African traditional drug occasionally don’t know anything about African traditional drug. They’re just simply people who were unfit to manage with present profitable situation thereby having no other option than to resort to this type of trade. They’re in the business maybe because utmost Africans ever have confidence and believe in African traditional drug.
likewise, the styles and procedures of using or the trial of new medicine before its operation on humans in African traditional drug is weak. That by using the dinghy of a particular tree which was effective in creatures doesn’t show good and enough reason that the same dinghy will be effective in treating mortal beings that has a analogous disease. The African traditional interpreters hardly have knowledge of botanical parcels of the medicines they use. They’re unfit to anticipate the effect the medicine would have on humans at the trial stage, which he ought to partake with the subject as to enable them make informed concurrence or turndown. They only hopes that the medicine “ works ” without adverse goods. This kind of act is quiet inadequate because the medicine may not only “ work ” but may be dangerous to the subject( case).
still, in other to correct these problems, misconceptions, the African Traditional Medical Health practices should be studied as it’s an important religious liturgical act, and also of great value and significant to every existent and the society as a whole in nearly all sphere of life.
AIM OF THE STUDYThe end of this study is to explore African tradition, with specific interest in her traditional medical health practices. Accordingly to delineate the social station of IhialaL.G.A in the African Traditional Medical Health Practices.
Limitations Of The Study
This study has numerous limitations which include
The limitation assessed by lack of finance In this case the experimenter didn’t have enough plutocrat with which to accomplish the study, and so she has to adopt utmost of the time.
Limitation assessed by lack of time This case the experimenter didn’t have enough time to carry out a exploration of this nature. Lack of time thus confined the development of this exploration work.
Lack of enough accoutrements in the area of study In this study, the experimenter didn’t get enough accoutrements with which to carry out a study of this type. This is because, the content is a fairly new bone and the literatures on it are veritably skimp.
Problem of distance In this case, the experimenter had to travel from Benin to Ihiala to see her canvassers .
Unco-operative station of some of the repliers In this case, some of the people canvassed didn’t give the required response to the experimenter during the course of the exploration work.
Compass Of Study
This study concentrated on the conception and belief of African Traditional Medical Health practices in IhialaL.G.A. Ihiala is one of theL.G.A in Anambra South Senatorial Zone, and it’s made up of nine( 9) independent municipalities viz Uli, Ihiala, Okija, Azia, Mbosi, Isekke, Orsumoghu, Uburuisiuzo and Lilu.
Exploration Methodology
A qualitative exploration designs were espoused in this study using descriptive approach in the analysis. Literary works, field studies like observation, interview, media report and oral literature, were used as exploration tools.
The data collected from using different exploration system was analysed and precisely organised to present a clear detailed intellectual conception of African traditional medical health practices, its belief in IhialaL.G.A. The data handed by this work listed observation and interview as primary instrument, erudite material and internet sources copiously used as secondary source of data collection. The wordbook is used for description and explanation of terms.
Explanation Of Terms.
Considering the fact that certain terms and generalities used in this write may have further than one meaning, the experimenter hereby offers the meanings of similar words as they’re used then in
Traditional This stage as being part of the beliefs, customs or way of life of a particular group of people that haven’t changed for a long time. Aged styles and ideas rather than ultramodernists or different one.
Medical This is connected with ways of treating illness that don’t involve cutting the body.
Health This is the state of being physically and mentally healthy.
Practice A way of doing commodity that’s the usual or anticipated way in a particular association; habit or a custom.
Belief commodity that you believe, especially as part of your religion.
Significance Of The Study
This study is significant for a number of reasons which include
This study is important because it can impact other experimenters in this regard.
Through this study, African traditional medical health practices will be revealed to the entire world and not Africans alone.
Through this study, the belief and conception of African traditional medical health practices in IhialaL.G.A is also developed.
Through this study also, conditioning of colorful African traditional medical health interpreters will be revealed and direct their patronisers more to use their discretion.
END NOTESOmonzejele.F. Peter Current Ethnical and other problems in the practice of African Traditional Medicine. Benin Department of Philosophy, University of Benin, 2003.
Ihiala Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia( recaptured 4th June, 2013, at 1258). http//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ihiala
Hornby.A.S Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary of Current English.( Oxford University Press, 6th Edition) pg 1271, 733, 511, 912, 93).
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