The World Health Organization (WHO) is about to make a big move on that front. Along the way, they’ll discover the wonders of traditional medicine, practiced eons before the emergence of biomedicine as we know it. Dr. Shyama Kuruvilla, the Director of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, emphasizes the potential of traditional medicine to complement contemporary healthcare systems. Aligned with the WHO’s recently adopted global traditional medicines strategy, this initiative strengthens WHO’s promotion of evidence-based practice. killyoureating.com It centers on bringing traditional practices into health systems within 10 years.
Traditional medicine encompasses all global health and wellness systems. It includes the gamut from mysterious herbal concoctions to time-tested paradigms, like India’s Ayurvedic system. Dr. Kuruvilla notes that these approaches can “build a bridge” between traditional medicine and biomedicine, fostering collaboration and mutual enhancement of both fields.
We’re at a key tipping point between the establishment of traditional medicine. Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant director-general for health systems, access and data, said, “It represents our cultural legacy and national health mores.” In addition, it is increasingly being recognized as a key driver of primary health care strategies.
The WHO has introduced cutting-edge research into the realm of traditional medicine. To inform its efficacy and safety, they are using artificial intelligence and genomics. Dr. Kuruvilla asserts that many traditional practices have been validated through research and can be further investigated using contemporary scientific methods.
As Dr. Kuruvilla so aptly puts it, traditional medicine is a “treasure trove” of potential healthcare solutions that deserves more focus and exploration. She highlights the importance of rigorous evidence to support these practices, stating, “So I think that’s our bottom line: is this supported by robust reliable evidence, especially on safety and efficacy? And if it’s not, WHO is not supporting it.”
Based on ongoing WHO surveys, we find that in most countries, traditional, complementary and integrative medicine services usually operate largely outside of formalized health systems. It’s patients who largely pay for these services out of their own pockets. This gap is particularly dangerous given the inequitable access to these services.
Not engaging wasn’t an option, Dr. Kuruvilla added. Because otherwise you leave everything to continue on with no protections at all.
Countries such as Thailand and Cambodia provide examples of how countries can fold traditional medicine into more formalized healthcare structures. The Thai health ministry recently recommended that doctors consider traditional remedies for conditions such as muscle pain and constipation, illustrating a shift toward embracing these practices based on emerging evidence.
Dr. Kuruvilla shared her joyous enthusiasm for the age of neuroscience that has just started paving the way to prove practices once thought fringe worthy. “Meditation was all this ‘woo-woo stuff’ but now, seeing all these advances in neuroscience… I think this is really, really exciting,” she said.
Beyond simply validating what has been commonplace, the WHO focuses on making sure that patient safety is always the priority. Dr. Kuruvilla further highlights the need to support conventional medicine with robust scientific data. Yet doing so is absolutely essential for fostering public trust and maintaining crucial patient protections.
The risk of failing to invest, she cautioned, This perfect storm has created a perfect environment where individuals cannot seek their desired form of healthcare without risk. It equally inhibits the world from accessing our shared heritage to find new holistic solutions to health and well-being.
As he seeks to unlock the promise of these different systems, biomedicine and homeopathy, to name a few, Dr. Kuruvilla recognizes that open-mindedness about what constitutes evidence is paramount. “With all of these – with biomedicine, homeopathy, traditional medicine – if the evidence changes, I think it’s our responsibility to be open to that.”