Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine - a set of people, transmitted from generation to generation (orally and in writing) of empirical knowledge and practical methods used to detect, treat and prevent diseases.
Originating in primitive society as the initial stage of development of medicine, NM maintained as an area of traditional consumer culture in various ethnographic groups, mainly in low level to ensure a highly modern medical care, and many tools and techniques Nm widely used by modern scientific medicine. The literature commonly uses the term "traditional medicine", often with the same meaning as Nm However, traditional medicine more appropriately viewed as a phenomenon that emerged later, traditional medicine, due to the formation of separate centers of civilization and the characteristic of the centers of religious and philosophical doctrines.
The process of production, stockpiling and transfer of information that harms human health and that he keeps on measures of self-help and mutual aid in sickness and injuries continues for millions of years. The origin of sound health and hygiene activities, involving the conversion of mutual aid in sickness and injuries in the means of preserving life, health and disability staff, belongs to the late Stone Age (about 40,000 years ago - a relatively high level of primitive society). Accidentally discovered resources or techniques eliminate pain, stop bleeding, to facilitate the state by vomiting, etc. were fixed in the customs of primitive man, and gradually made traditional medicine. Its arsenal includes drugs of plant, animal and mineral origin, natural factors (water, air, sun, mineral water, mud), some surgical techniques (extraction of foreign bodies, bleeding).
Farmers, ranchers, hunters have introduced the use of flax and moss for dressings, fish oil, onions and fruit against scurvy, castoreum, antlers as tonics. Healing tool for many diseases since ancient times was considered the honey. When fevers used wormwood and cinchona bark for the treatment of purulent wounds - plantain, raw and cooked onions, birch sap and tar. Experience gained in distilling, soaking bast, coloring hair, whitening fabrics, leather tanning, was the source used in Nm tannins as a binder. In the folk pharmacopoeia appeared galls, the bark of willow, aspen, oak, used for treating weeping wounds, ulcers, stomach disorders, etc.
Means Nm cured the vast majority of ancient Russia. From ancient customs related to Nm, the most popular custom to collect used medicinal herbs and flowers in the summer night before the national holiday - the Day of Ivan Kupala, associated with preserved today with faith in the healing power of the high grass, was collected that night. Gathering herbs accompanied by rituals of bathing in the river, jumping over the fire, and dances. Cleaning swimming and jumping over bonfires on the beliefs of the Slavs, protects against disease. In Russia, is widely used diaphoretic for colds honey, broth or tea from the berries and leaves of raspberry, herbs thyme, oregano, lime blossom, chamomile flowers, leaves his mother and the stepmother. In addition to the sudorific medicines used complex formulations that include opium (cough), decoction of liquorice root and alteynogo or elecampane (expectorant), mountain mint, hawthorn fruit, and other breast rubbed with mustard or horseradish, put mustard, banks. In the gastro-intestinal disorders have used St. John's wort herb, the root of elecampane. A large role was played by diet. In some diseases, recommended fasting for several days. The pain in his stomach had used opium, henbane. If poor appetite infusion of wormwood used, the loss of strength - chilibuhi infusion, with worms - a decoction of wormwood, male fern, sulfur in the form of powder, etc. Dropsy treated with decoction of juniper, St. John's wort, a bear's eye, horsetail.
Along with witchcraft (nymphs, and zeleyniki - representatives of the empirical NM - used traditional medicines and methods of treatment) in Nm Ancient Russia was the second area - volhovanie (magic, shamanism), based on medical pagan demonology, the faith in the power of spells, charms and amulets. Wise men and sorcerers ancient Slavs were called persons having, in the opinion of the people, the ability to predict the future, treat and send disease and other disasters on people. From medical devices used by the wise men, known to "nauzy" (amulets) - navyazi magic, pendants, which are usually worn around the neck for protection against disease. They included conspiracy, herbs, roots and other drugs, supposedly having healing powers in relation to a particular disease.
With the adoption of Christianity began, and for centuries waged a stubborn, but little effective control of the clergy and secular authorities of the wise men who continued to treat disease, despite the prohibitions and threats. In the 16-17 centuries. to replace the Magi came wizards, witches and shamans. Later, there was sorcery, which persists to this day. Its essence is all kinds of magical action - whispers, conspiracy, nagovornoy spraying with water, fumigation, fencing, amulets, often accompany the introduction of a sick body powders and tinctures of herbs and animal products, as well as the application of the "sympathetic funds' impact on the part of the whole, similar to such , the transfer of "the influence of life forces one person to another," etc.
Empirical direction Nm in Russia, followed by folk healers (lechtsy, znattsy). Among them were Rudometov or Krovopuskov, midwives, bone setters, full-time, kilnye, chepuchinnye, kamchuzhnye masters, etc. Knowledge Nm eventually became written and distributed in the form of special books - herbals, zeleynikov, medical manual, Vertogradov.
The development of scientific medicine was accompanied by a study of people's experience. In Russia, the means and methods Nm studied in the second half of the 18th century. St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, universities and scientific societies in order to make medicinal botanical dictionary, collection of medicinal plants, consumed the people, and ensuring the country's medicinal raw materials. Domestic doctors are widely used in medical practice folk remedies. Thus, in the laboratory of SP Botkin was studied used in Nm adonis herb and introduced into medical practice as a means of heart.
One of the most ancient healing tools in Nm is koumiss - a fermented milk drink made from mare's milk (less cow and camel). Folk healers used it for the treatment of tuberculosis, scurvy, anemia, diseases of the stomach, as a diuretic, sudorific and tonic. Messages about the medicinal properties of koumiss made PS Pallas (1770), PI Skvortsov (1841), VI Dahl (1841), NV Postnikov, organized in 1858 near Samara kumysolechebnitsu first for tuberculosis, initiating kumiss organized in Russia. Modern studies have established that the biological and therapeutic value of koumiss are determined by the content of almost all full of protein, easily digestible fat, high carbohydrate content, the presence of complex B vitamins, lactic acid, vitamin C, calcium, trace elements, etc.
Throughout human history, Nm accumulated valuable experience in treating diseases of the musculoskeletal system by means of thermal treatments, mineral and mud baths, massage and gym. Faced with open and closed fractures, dislocations of joints, bone setters, traditional practitioners have developed several methods of treatment. Domestic Physician, E. Mukhin summarized the experience of traditional medicine for the treatment of fractures and dislocations of the first Russian manual on trauma, which appeared under the title "first began kostopravnoy science" (1806).
Great practical value are the knowledge and skills of the people that make up the culture and hygiene related to personal hygiene, nutrition, methods of processing and storage of food, housing characteristics of the structure, routine life, work and rest, they can be called traditional hygiene. The study of customs, habits and traditions of the people, enabling productive, stay healthy in the heat and the cold in the desert, taiga, tundra, the sea gives a lot of value to justify the mode of labor, food or drinking water treatment in severe climatic conditions.
Of great importance for the maintenance and promotion of health has been in many nations of the world using the steam room. Russian Bath, based on the use of hot steam and water and used as a hygienic purposes and for the administration of religious rites, came from the ancient steam bath and spread among the Eastern Slavs in the period of 3.1 cc. BC Foreigners are surprised to Russian custom observed often and long in the steam bath. Conducted in the late 19th century. clinics in the Military Medical Academy, with the participation of SP Botkin and VA Manasseina studies have shown that the value of bath extends far beyond the maintenance of cleanliness of the body as a physiological "shake" caused by the alternate use of a hot water, then steam, then cold water and even snow, as well as a kind of massage with a broom, affects the metabolism and changes the number of objective indicators of the body (see Baths).
In many cases, the correct and appropriate customs of the people related to the behavior of pregnant women, care for her. MV Lomonosov was recommended in the preparation of guidance "about midwife art" enclose "the good practices of skilled traditional birth attendants Russian." Russian obstetrician, AP Gubarev highly of Nm, indicating that village midwives are often provided substantial assistance to mothers using transmitted from one generation to experience based on common sense, respect for and confidence in the purity of the forces of nature
In countries with limited resources and under-developed health systems, where two thirds of the world, NM enjoys official recognition. But even in those parts of the world where the population is provided with modern medical care. Nm finds a certain application.
In 1976, WHO headquarters was organized by the Working Group Nm, which is mandated to coordinate all the activities in this area. It was proposed to encourage multidisciplinary research in Nm with an emphasis on laboratory and clinical studies of effective drugs of plant, animal and mineral origin. In 1977 took place in XXX World Health Assembly adopted a resolution calling on governments to give "due consideration to the use of existing systems in these countries, traditional medicine in compliance with the rules of the facilities of national health systems."
Traditional medicine is not free from superstition and prejudice, in some cases it is used unhealthy means of techniques that should be studied in order to successfully fight against quackery and conduct health education of the population.
Our country is occupied by medical practice as a profession by persons without proper identification of medical education is considered a criminal offense.
Obligatory condition of use of Nm in health care is their thorough review (pharmacological, toxicological, clinical, experimental, etc.). The Soviet medical science takes from the arsenal of Nm everything of value, rational view of modern scientific criteria, discarding erroneous, as well as religious and mystical accretions and errors, that is, everything that could be harmful to human health.
The study of medicinal plant resources from the arsenal of Nm conducted the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal Plants and its affiliates at the Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Scientific Center, USSR Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch of the Institute of Pharmacology, Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Indo-Tibetan Medicine Buryat Branch, Siberian Branch of USSR Academy of Sciences, Central Botanical Garden of the national Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Laboratory medicinal plants of Tbilisi Botanical Garden, the research department of the Museum of the History of Georgian Medicine and Medical Ethnography, Tbilisi, and other aspects of the study of ethnic folk medicine deals Institute of Ethnography. N. Maclay.
