When the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were defined in 2012, an agenda for 2030 certainly seemed achievable. And indeed, the world has made some progress in this regard.
However, we still see many challenges ahead and a strong indication that we will reach 2030 with many other difficulties, such as the increase in the number of refugees around the world due to wars and the climate crisis.
Among these challenges that are accumulating for a humanity that seems increasingly paralyzed in the face of the facts, is the guarantee of Universal Health Coverage (UCH).
Just to give you an idea, the maternal mortality rate is three times higher than the target set in the SDGs. By 2030, it is estimated that 35 million children will not reach the age of 5.
In 2023, more than half of the world’s population did not have access to essential health services, with rural, indigenous and poorer populations being the most affected.
Not only that, healthcare spending pushed 344 million people into extreme poverty in 2019 alone.
These are just some data that reveal that we underestimate not only the world’s capacity to react to these problems, but also the commitment of global leaders to the most vulnerable populations.
Right now, the race is arduous. And Traditional Medicines have an important role to play in this scenario. Keep reading to understand better!
What are Traditional Medicines?
Traditional Medicine is any healing system that takes into account the wholeness of the being, considering physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social aspects and their interaction with the Universe.
For these systems of medicine, disease is the result of a disruption of the balance with Nature, the community, oneself and/or the Cosmos.
In this sense, healing consists of restoring this balance through practices that involve both physical and spiritual aspects. Therefore, it requires in-depth knowledge not only of medicinal plants and their healing properties, but also a connection with other realities and the spirits that inhabit them.
Furthermore, Traditional Medicines consider that illness is also related to the environment of the person affected by the symptoms. Thus, the healer’s work takes place within the collective, family, and environmental context.
Traditional Medicines and the modern context
Healing practices have always been present in human history. Although it is difficult to pinpoint a date, archaeological evidence shows us that humans have been using medicinal plants for at least 50,000 years.
Over time and with a deeper understanding of Nature, various systems of Traditional Medicine have developed, such as Ayurveda, Andean Traditional Medicine, and Unani Medicine, for example.
In this sense, Hippocratic Medicine, which is considered the basis for the development of Modern Medicine, was never knew to the Ancient World. Rather, it was a compilation of other, much older and well-established systems of medicine.
From Hippocrates onwards, especially in the last 200 years, Modern Medicine has based much of its “discoveries” on indigenous knowledge, traditionally transmitted orally.
And as history shows us, one of the great objectives of writing throughout the centuries has been precisely to retell the facts in order to erase the central role of these peoples in the development of humanity — as well as the role of women in this context — and to construct a Eurocentric and phallocentric idea of the world.
But the truth is, as Ailton Krenak says, the future is ancestral. We continue to depend on Traditional Medicines to offer not only Universal Health Coverage, but a possible future for most people.
What is Universal Health Coverage?
Universal Health Coverage is goal 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals and consists of guaranteeing universal health care for all people, without exception, wherever they are.
This involves offering quality health services to anyone, anywhere in the world, without financial barriers. In addition, Universal Health Coverage must guarantee health promotion through prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) itself, the most effective way to achieve this goal is through a robust Primary Health Care (PHC) system.
In other words, preventing and treating diseases before they become serious. And this is precisely where Traditional Medicines can make all the difference.
Why are Traditional Medicines the path to Universal Health Coverage?
Have you ever imagined a Primary Health Care system capable of truly connecting with each person and inspiring them to make small changes in their habits to maintain their own health?
Have you ever imagined a patient leaving the health center with a small paper cartridge containing a selection of herbs extracted from a living pharmacy, instead of a box of synthetic pills?
Have you considered that knowing and valuing popular wisdom, such as the preparation of tinctures and herbal remedies, can engage a person much more in their own treatment than trying to convince them that they should take X medications daily?
This world is perfectly possible. And it can bring unique benefits to a public health system like the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System). Here are some of them:
Low cost
As a rule, Traditional Medicines work with local resources and those derived from Nature. In this sense, treatments become more accessible to patients.
A simple example: a box with 20 omeprazole tablets costs around 20 reais. Having a turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) at home costs virtually nothing. Furthermore, the resource is renewable, meaning you can have turmeric every year from a single plant.
Effectively proven efficacy
Although there are many questions from the scientific community regarding the effectiveness of Traditional Medicines, the truth is one: they continue to be tested and used for millennia. If they weren’t effective, they would have been abandoned long ago.
Two classic examples are Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. These two ancient medical systems continue to be widely used not only in their places of origin but throughout the world.
Indigenous Medicines also fall into this category. Were it not for the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, modern medicine would not have discovered the cure for malaria using quinine (Cinchona calisaya), nor would it have developed analgesics without coca (Erythroxylum coca) — which is now demonized for having its use subverted by white people.
Easy Access
Traditional medicines are deeply connected to the region in which they develop. In this sense, they prioritize therapeutic resources that are more accessible to the local population.
In a country of continental dimensions like Brazil or United States, having this type of knowledge can make all the difference in the development of Universal Health Coverage.
In addition, many herbs can be planted and maintained at home or in living pharmacies, eliminating the need for large industries and logistical processes that negatively impact the environment — not to mention predatory extraction, which leads to the extinction of many species.
Low Environmental Impact
Since we’ve touched on the subject, it’s worth highlighting that Traditional Medicines use healing systems with low environmental impact. Medicinal plants are an example of this.
As long as there is a balanced consumption of resources, they allow for the renewal of the local flora, contributing to the maintenance of the ecosystem while ensuring treatments for a wide variety of health imbalances.
Spiritual Dimension
In addition to all this, Traditional Medicines also bring a dimension that is practically forgotten in Modern Medicine: spirituality.
Since the beginning of time, human beings have sought to connect with divinity, no matter what it is called: Pachamama, God, Allah, Mother Earth, Nature…
Understanding that spirituality is part of each person’s life in a unique way and can be a path to physical, mental, emotional, and metaphysical healing is fundamental for more humanized care. And Traditional Medicines do this splendidly.
How to promote Universal Health Coverage?
The pursuit of Universal Health Coverage is much more than providing treatments for diseases.
It is the pursuit of equal rights in the enjoyment of life and the guarantee that each human being has the resources they need to achieve their dreams and goals, with their individuality respected.
Given this, the best way to promote Universal Health Coverage is by integrating available medical systems and giving each person the opportunity to choose the healing path that best resonates with their beliefs, values, and traditions.
To do so, we need a shift in consciousness, both on the part of governments and society as a whole, so that we can expand our understanding of Traditional Medicines and develop the humility necessary to deconstruct scientific dogmas and build bridges of wisdom.
My intention with the Wisdom of the Earth is precisely to show possible paths so that we can reconnect with our essence and rediscover how to inhabit the world in a more harmonious way. And I strongly believe that Traditional Medicines are the true path to healing for this.
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Every seed planted in consciousness has the potential to transform into great actions.
Thank you for getting this far and we’ll talk in the next article.
Eve.
