Communication is essential in consultations with patients as good

communication is a prerequisite for making correct diagnoses. Kringlen and

Finset [26] claim that patient consultations follow a certain three step pattern. The
first step is (i) to build trust and map the patient´s problem. The second is (ii) to
maintain the therapist–patient relationship. The third is (iii) to inform and initiate
treatment. They connect (i) and (iii) to task-oriented aspects and (ii) to emotional
aspects. Patient-oriented medicine is used to describe a communication style
that ensures the maintenance of task-oriented, as well as emotional aspects
during the consultation. This in contrast to an illness-oriented style, where the
therapist is concerned with the disease as a purely biological phenomenon [27].
Kringlen and Finseth [26] argue, based on research, that patient-oriented
medicine should maintain both task-oriented, as well as emotional aspects. This
may be related to the difference between “healing” and “curing”. Healing refers to
the whole person, or the whole body understood as an integrated system,
including both physical and spiritual components. Curing, on the other hand,
refers to an act of successfully treating a specific condition. Curing and healing
may also be connected to the two concepts of “disease” and “illness”. Disease is
concerned with the doctor´s understanding of disease, whereas illness includes
the patient´s experience of the disease. Strathern and Steward [28] claim that
biomedicine is primarily concerned with curing, whereas CAM modalities belong
to the treatment philosophy of healing, in which some incorporate curing, and
others do not. According to Helman [29], curing and healing are both included in
practical clinical work. CAM therapists, as opposed to doctors, often spend more
time with their patients [30]. This enables them to maintain the emotional aspects
to a greater extent, which makes the patients feel like whole persons rather than
purely biological phenomena. However, the essence of all CAM and conventional
medical healing techniques lies in the ability to arouse the patients’ hope,
increase their self-esteem, encourage the patients emotionally and strengthen
their relationships to social groups. The knowledge of traditional healers from
previous studies is based on data from few participants [13,14Myrvoll M. Bare
gudsordet duger. Om kontinuitet og brudd i samisk virkelighetsforståelse.
English: Only the word of god suffices. Continuity and change in Sámi world
view. Tromsø: Universitetet i Tromsø; 2010. [Google Scholar],17,19,20,31]. We
therefore wanted to include a larger number of traditional healers in our study to
examine possible diversities in the field. In this study, we will investigate healer
profiles and healing practices seen from the perspective of the healer. What is
traditional healing, how is it practised and which abilities are required for
traditional healers? The study was conducted in the coastal areas of Northern
Norway as sparse previous research from those areas exist.
In patients with COVID-19 infection, traditional medicines with an
immunomodulatory effect could have the potential as a preventive measure and
even as a therapeutic agent [11, 12]. However, the beneficial effects of these
traditional medicines and their clinical trials have remained unclear [13]. Several
reports have also been reported on the use of complementary and alternative
medicines in the treatment and management of COVID-19 in South Africa [14, 15].
Equally, there is no information available on the prevalence of traditional medicines
use amongst the population in a rural higher education institution.

Traditional healing systems of medical

treatment have
assumed a unique position in the
healthcare of people liv-
ing in remote areas of the country [5].
Traditional healing
practices include not only medicinal
substances of natural
origin but also items like magic
(sorcery), charms, incanta-
tions, religious verses, spiritual
methods, amulets, sacri-
fices, rituals, and even invasive physical
and mental torture
[6]. As this system of treatment has
been in use for genera-
tions both for various physical and
psychological diseases,
it is called ‘traditional’ [6]
According to Chaudury & Rafei (2016) traditional healing systems of medical
treatment have assumed a unique position in the healthcare of people living in
remote areas of the country. Traditional healing practices include not only medicinal
substances of natural origin but also items like magic (sorcery), charms, incantations,
religious verses, spiritual methods, amulets, sacrifices, rituals, and even invasive
physical and mental torture. As this system of treatment has been in use for
generations both for various physical and psychological diseases, it is called
‘traditional’ Traditional Medicine, Banglapedia: National encyclopedia of Bangladesh
(2016).

WHO on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (2020) states that folk
medicine refers to the treatment of illness through traditional medicine — rather
than Western or modern medicine — wherein herbs and other natural substances
are the primary means for medication. The credibility of folk medicine revolves
around the fact that it was established even before the era of modern medicine –
dating back to ancient Sumerians 5,000 years ago, rooted in the primary knowledge
of our great ancestors regarding the use of plants as medicine Petrovska (2012).
Healing refers to the whole person, or the whole body understood as an
integrated system, including both physical and spiritual components. Curing, on
the other hand, refers to an act of successfully treating a specific condition.
Curing and healing may also be connected to the two concepts of “disease” and
“illness”. Disease is concerned with the doctor´s understanding of disease,
whereas illness includes the patient´s experience of the disease. Strathern and
Steward (2010) claim that biomedicine is primarily concerned with curing,
whereas CAM modalities belong to the treatment philosophy of healing, in which
some incorporate curing, and others do not. According to Helman (2017), curing
and healing are both included in practical clinical work. CAM therapists, as
opposed to doctors, often spend more time with their patients. This enables them
to maintain the emotional aspects to a greater extent, which makes the patients
feel like whole persons rather than purely biological phenomena. However, the
essence of all CAM and conventional medical healing techniques lies in the
ability to arouse the patients’ hope, increase their self-esteem, encourage the
patients emotionally and strengthen their relationships to social groups. The
knowledge of traditional healers from previous studies is based on data from few
participants Hætta A. (2015) and Bare M. (2010). We therefore wanted to include
a larger number of traditional healers in our study to examine possible diversities
in the field. In this study, we will investigate healer profiles and healing practices
seen from the perspective of the healer.

A study of Rebuya, Lasarte, and Amador (2020) stated that in the Philippines, folk
medicine practices such as orasyon or bulong (mystical prayers), himulso (pulse
checking), pagtatawas (diagnostic ritual using candle wax dropped in a basin
of water), pasubay (determining the cause of sickness and possible treatment),
pangalap (searching of medicinal plants), tayhop (gentle blowing), tutho (saliva
blowing), hilot (traditional massage), tapal (applying folk medicine on the affected
area), pangontra or kontra-usog (carrying an amulet to prevent diseases),
anting-anting or pampaswerte (lucky charm), and barang (sorcery), remain to be
rampant. Studies show that the most evident factor that comes into play is
religion, which is heavily influenced by the strong religious beliefs of Filipinos.
Prior to the colonization of Spain, Filipinos had already established their religious
beliefs and practices Joven .28 Despite disapproval by medical practitioners,
some individuals nowadays still seek help from folk medicine healers prior to
consulting conventional physicians when it comes to treating their ailments. Some
of them believe that diseases were traditionally theorized to come from either
natural or supernatural origins. Natural forces that are deemed to influence the
well-being of Filipinos include stress due to overworking, sleep deprivation,
emotional stresses, unsanitary living or work environment, overeating,
insufficient nutrition or malnutrition, overexposure to natural elements, and
imbalance of hot and cold elements.19

Rondilla, N.A., et al. (2021). Folk Medicine in the Philippines: A Phenomenological

Study of Health-Seeking Individuals.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
351245108_Folk_Medicine_in_the_Philippines_A_Phenomenological_Study_of_H
ealth-Seeking_Individuals