Wasm: a traditional method of healing by cauterisation

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Traditional and Complimentary Medicine in Oman

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding traditional medicine (TM) in Oman and examine the factors that necessitate its use.

Methods

This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among the general population from November 2019 and March 2020. All Omani nationals above the age of 18 were eligible to be enrolled. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the knowledge, attitudes and use regarding traditional medicine in Oman.

Results

A total of 598 responses to the questionnaire were received (response rate: 85.4%), of which 552 were deemed complete. Most responses were received from males (62.5%) and the sample had a mean age of 33.6 ± 7.7 years. A majority of the respondents (90%) were aware of the different types of TM in Oman; a high percentage (81.5%) felt that it was effective. Most (67.8%) had tried at least one method of TM use. Individuals who were older had tried TM compared to those who had not (34.5 ± 7.8 years versus 31.8 ± 7.2 years; P <0.001); in addition, more males than females (72.2% versus 27.8%; P <0.001) and those with full-time employment than those without had tried TM (84.2% versus 14.2%; P <0.001). Herbal medications (65.8%) and traditional massage (60.4%) were the most common forms of TM practice. Among females, herbal medications (69.2%) and massage (63.5%) are most often used; among males, cupping (65.2%) followed by herbal medications (64.4%) and massage (59.3%) were used more often. Notably, back pain (74.3%) was the most common condition for which TM was reportedly used, with only a small percentage (8.3%) reporting any concomitant side-effects.

Conclusion

There is widespread use of TM among Oman's urban population. An improved understanding of their benefits will facilitate their incorporation into modern health care services.

Cauterization's history in the Persian medicine school

BACKGROUND

Cauterization has been used in various medical schools to prevent and treat diseases. Its application dates back to shortly after the invention of fire. Despite its long history, different aspects and the importance of cauterization in various medical schools have remained elusive. The present study addressed the milestones and progress of cauterization from ancient times to the present, emphasizing the innovations of the Persian medicine school.

METHODS

The present study is based on searching in the library documents of famous Persian medicine scholars and data from databases such as Ovid, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar search engines.

RESULTS

Persian Medicine scholars used various cauterization methods such as hot metals and corrosive drugs to stop bleeding, prevent the development and spread of infection, and treat hydrocephalus and rabies. Cauterization has been associated with considerations to prevent irreversible tissue damage and whether or not it is internal or external.

CONCLUSION

Cauterization has been associated with different practical purposes. With evolutionary progress and the use of different techniques and tools throughout history, the tools such as Electrocautery or Galvanocautery are some manifestations of new applications of cauterization. Numerous studies have indicated the continuation of newer applications, indicating the inexhaustible human interest in this ancient technique.

Knowledge, attitude, practice and prevalence of traditional cauterization among patients in Massawa Hospital, Eritrea: a cross-sectional study

Introduction

use of traditional cautery for the treatment of varied ailments is one of the most ancient and harmful traditional medical practices that is still in use. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and to estimate the prevalence of traditional cautery among patients visiting Massawa hospital.

Methods

a hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Massawa hospital from February 20 to April 20, 2019. The study enrolled all patients aged >18 years, non-critical and willing to participate.

Results

a total of 900 participants were enrolled in the study. The study was dominated by Muslims (81.4%) with a median age of 42 years (IQR: 20). Self-reported prevalence of traditional cauterization was found to be 43.6% and 63% of them did their latest cautery between 2011 and 2019. Metal rods were used as cauterant in 92.3% and 47.9% reported that traditional practitioners used the same cauterant for different people. One-third of the respondents reported that it is a safe practice and 47% had the understanding that it cannot transmit communicable diseases. Moreover, 90.4% of the study participants reported that they knew someone who did cautery. Respondents with poor knowledge (AOR=6.45, 95% CI: 4.69-8.87) and attitude (AOR=8.68, 95% CI: 6.31-11.95) were more likely to practice cauterization compared to those with good knowledge and attitude.

Conclusion

the practice of cauterization in visitors of Massawa hospital was rampant which is mainly associated with poor knowledge and attitude of the respondents, limited access to health facilities and religious/cultural conviction.

Traditional knowledge about plant, animal, and mineral-based remedies to treat cattle, pigs, horses, and other domestic animals in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia

BACKGROUND

Mediterranean farmers traditionally utilized plants, animals, and minerals sourced locally to treat their animals. Research is needed to understand at what extent such knowledge of domestic animal care still survives and to document such traditions for further developments.

METHODS

We carried out our field study to recover ancient ethno-veterinary practices by means of questionnaires and interviews to farmers in rural areas of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy). Quantitative indices were used to evaluate the distribution and diversity of the acquired information.

RESULTS

We report here 98 sources (42 plant taxa, 14 animal-based substances, 15 minerals, and 27 other materials of various origin) emerged from the survey for the care of 41 ailments of cattle, pigs, and horses. Ethno-veterinary treatments, detailed in their formulations and applications, were used against ecto- and endo-parasites, gastrointestinal diseases, heart diseases, viral and bacterial diseases, wounds, sprains, and bruises.

CONCLUSION

Our survey can be useful to implement the use of phyto-therapeutics and other remedies of non-herbal origin for diseased animals, and, as elderly farmers held most of the knowledge, it can contribute to the conservation of Mediterranean ethno-veterinary knowledge.

Traditional Cautery for Medical Treatment Among the Bedouins of Southern Israel

Traditional cautery for the cure of disease is an ancient and widespread mode of treatment in various cultures and is a central modality among Israeli Bedouins. To date the use of this treatment has not been assessed systematically. A personal interview was conducted among Muslim Bedouin patients who came to clinics in the Negev region in southern Israel. There were 250 participants including 128 women (51.2 %). The mean age was 45.16 ± 16.2 (range 18-86). Eighty nine (35.7 %) of the participants declared that they had personally undergone curative cautery therapy in the past. Two hundred and five (82 %) were familiar with this mode of therapy. Two thirds of those who underwent the treatment in the past said that it helped them a great deal and another 19 % said that it helped them somewhat. More men underwent the therapy than women (P = 0.034), believed in its effectiveness (P = 0.013), and declared that they were prepared to use it again in the future (P < 0.0001). Elderly patients, over the age of 61, used this therapy more than younger ones (P = 0.001). The majority of the Bedouin population in the Negev is familiar with cautery and a significant part of the population has personally undergone this therapy and believes that it is effective.

Treating infants with frigg: linking disease aetiologies, medicinal plant use and care-seeking behaviour in southern Morocco

BACKGROUND

Although most Moroccans rely to some extent on traditional medicine, the practice of frigg to treat paediatric ailments by elderly women traditional healers known as ferraggat, has not yet been documented. We describe the role of these specialist healers, document the medicinal plants they use, and evaluate how and why their practice is changing.

METHODS

Ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observations of medical encounters. Information was collected from traditional healers, namely ferraggat, patients, herbalists and public health professionals. Patients' and healers' narratives about traditional medicine were analysed and medicinal plant lists were compiled from healers and herbalists. Plants used were collected, vouchered and deposited in herbaria.

RESULTS

Ferragat remain a key health resource to treat infant ailments in the rural High Atlas, because mothers believe only they can treat what are perceived to be illnesses with a supernatural cause. Ferragat possess baraka, or the gift of healing, and treat mainly three folk ailments, taqait, taumist and iqdi, which present symptoms similar to those of ear infections, tonsillitis and gastroenteritis. Seventy plant species were used to treat these ailments, but the emphasis on plants may be a recent substitute for treatments that used primarily wool and blood. This change in materia medica is a shift in the objects of cultural meaningfulness in response to the increasing influence of orthodox Islam and state-sponsored modernisation, including public healthcare and schooling.

CONCLUSIONS

Religious and other sociocultural changes are impacting the ways in which ferraggat practice. Treatments based on no-longer accepted symbolic elements have been readily abandoned and substituted by licit remedies, namely medicinal plants, which play a legitimisation role for the practice of frigg. However, beliefs in supernatural ailment aetiologies, as well as lack or difficult access to biomedical alternatives, still underlie the need for specialist traditional healers.

Traditional Arabic Palestinian ethnoveterinary practices in animal health care: A field survey in the West Bank (Palestine)

BACKGROUND

In Palestine, medicinal plants have continued to play a vital role in fulfilling animal healthcare needs of rural communities. However, these valuable resources are being depleted mainly due to over-harvesting, inappropriate agricultural practices (e.g., over use of herbicides), agricultural expansion, and over-grazing. Therefore, immediate action is required to conserve these resources and document the associated knowledge. The purpose of this study was, thus, to document and analyze information associated with medicinal plants that are used in managing animal health problems in the West Bank, Palestine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethnobotanical data were collected from Apr 2012 to Feb 2014 mainly using semi-structured interviews with informants sampled using purposive sampling technique and through field observations.

RESULTS

The study revealed the use of 138 medicinal plant species in the West Bank for the treatment of several livestock diseases, of these 75 species representing 70 genera and 33 families were reported by 3 independent informants or above. Classification of the ethnoveterinary plant species cited by three informants or above used in a rank-order priority (ROP) based on their claimed relative healing potential has demonstrated that the following are the plants with the highest efficacy: Camellia sinenses, Teucrium capitatum, and Salvia fruticosa with ROPs of 97.1, 93.2, and 91.4, respectively, are used primarily to relieve gastric disorders. Gastrointestinal disorders is the disease group in the study area that scored the highest Informant consensus factor (ICF) value (0.90), followed by urinary, and reproductive disorders (0.89).

CONCLUSION

Our study provided evidence that medicinal plants are still playing important role in the management of livestock diseases, and showed that ethnoveterinary plants used in animal health care in Palestine have been also recorded in human Traditional Arabic Palestinian Herbal Medicine (TAPHM), and demonstrated a strong link between human and veterinary medical practices. This survey has identified a number of important medicinal plants used by the Palestinian farmers of the West Bank area for the treatment of various animal ailments. It provides a baseline for future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations into the beneficial medicinal properties of such plants.

Types and sociodemographic correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among people with epilepsy in Oman

Nonpharmacological treatment strategies that originate from sociocultural teachings and are beyond the scope of allopathic medicine are commonly used among people with epilepsy (PWE) in many parts of the world. The present study explored the types and sociodemographic correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among PWE in Oman among attendees of a neurological unit at a tertiary care center. Data on the types of CAM were gathered from telephone interviews. The relevant demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants were obtained from electronic medical records. Of the total of 101 participants, 73.3% were CAM users. The majority of these participants have not disclosed their CAM use to their allopathic health-care providers. The most common types of CAM reported were those falling under the 'mind-body' type (incantations and fumigation) and biologically based (herbal concoctions) or a combination of them. Compared to non-CAM users, a significant and greater proportion of CAM users attributed the etiology of their illness to nonbiomedical factors such as 'evil eyes' (P=0.04). The multivariate logistic regression model indicated that the use of CAM was highly associated with age of <30years (OR=3.09; 95% CI: 1.10, 5.46), unemployment (OR=2.04; 95% CI: 1.15, 6.39), having basic school education (OR=2.21; 95% CI: 0.83, 5.18), low family income (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 0.91, 2.11), and the presence of hypersalivation (OR=2.20; 95% CI: 1.01, 4.39). Further studies are needed to harmonize these two healing practices. On the whole, this study indicates that among attendees of tertiary care utilization, CAM is common among PWE in Oman. The most utilized type of CAM falls under the umbrella of mind-body practice.

Traditional medicine in oman: its role in ophthalmology

Aim:

To present three patients with ocular disease who developed a range of complications following use of traditional medications.

Settings and Design:

Case series

Methods:

Three patients who were examined in the Ophthalmic department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in the Sultanate of Oman between 2003 and 2004, seeking care following use of traditional medicines and or healing practices for various ophthalmic problems described below.

Results:

The first patient was a computer professional with a chalazion; the patient used a plant extract from ‘Calotropis procera’ as a part of the treatment. He developed corneal edema with decrease in vision in his left eye following application of the plant extract. Treatment with topical steroids and antibiotics resulted in a complete clinical and visual recovery. The second patient developed a fungal corneal ulcer (dermatophyte - Trichophyton mentagrophyte) after sustaining injury with an animal tail to the right eye and used honey for pain relief prior to presentation. She responded poorly to anti-fungal treatment, underwent a penetrating keratoplasty with recurrence of infection in the graft that resulted in a vascularized corneal scar. The third patient was a five-year-old child who was treated with ‘wasam’ on the occiput for intraocular inflammation following bilateral uncomplicated cataract extraction. Following this treatment the topical steroid was discontinued. The ‘Wasam’ treatment indirectly resulted in exacerbation of the intraocular inflammation and secondary glaucoma and poor vision as well as ‘Wasam ulcers’ on the occiput. Despite treatment of the intraocular inflammation, the visual outcome was poor.

Conclusion:

Traditional medicine in Oman is sought by many for variable reasons. Lack of evidence-based scientific data on its safety or efficacy does not deter the Omanis from flocking the traditional healers. However, when applied in the treatment of ocular diseases, traditional medicine and healing practices seem to cause more harm than benefit for the patient.

Delivering culturally sensitive care: the perceptions of older Arabian gulf Arabs concerning religion, health, and disease

Health professionals need to be cognizant of the varying perceptions of health shared by people from different religious, sociocultural, and linguistic backgrounds to deliver culturally sensitive health care. In this qualitative study, the authors used semistructured interviews to provide insight into how 10 older Arabian Gulf Muslim persons understand and perceive health and illness with emphasis on the role of Islam in formulating health behaviors. Participants' views were strongly influenced by their religious convictions. Good health was equated with the absence of visible disease, with participants demonstrating limited understanding of silent or insidious disease. They attended doctors for treatment of visible disease rather than seeking preventive health care for diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Building on the results from this study could help inform both health service planners and providers to improve the appropriateness, relevancy, and effectiveness of aged care services for these individuals.

Acupuncture

With the increasing availability of acupuncture in the United States, it is possible that patients will increasingly seek and use acupuncture for diverse indications. Research into acupuncture is still in its infancy, and much of the scientific evidence surrounding it is fragmentary and often contradictory. As is the case even in well-researched therapies, physicians often have to make decisions about patient care based on a mixture of available scientific evidence, anecdote, and patient preference. As investigations into this therapy continue, and patients, practitioners, and the medical system become more familiar with its integration into mainstream medical treatment settings [108], the role of acupuncture in the treatment of disease will become clearer.

A case of bilateral ptosis with unsteady gait: suggestibility and culture in conversion disorder

We report a case of a 14-year-old girl who presented, following a sudden onset, with bilateral ptosis, gait disturbance, difficulty swallowing and loss of appetite, right hypochondriacal pain, and frontal headache. Protracted neurological and medical examinations were unremarkable; neither was precipitating psychological stresses evident. The condition, which manifest as typical conversion disorder, lasted for one year. "Treatment" involving electrical stimulation of both eyes muscles and legs with positive reassurance resolved the symptom. This case supports the view that conversion disorder, not only involves a strong element of suggestion, but also incorporates socio-cultural sanctioned prescription.