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Traditional
medicine
(TM)
is
the
sum
total
of
the
knowledge,
skills
and
practices
based
on
the
theories,
beliefs
and
experiences
indigenous
to
different
cultures,
whether
explicable
or
not,
used
in
the
maintenance
of
health
as
well
as
in
the
prevention,
diagnosis,
improvement
or
treatment
of
physical
and
mental
illness.
Traditional
medicine
is a
comprehensive
term
and
it
includes
various
traditional
treatment
and
healing
philosophies,
practices,
practitioners
and
products.
More
commonly
used
systems
of
treatment
are
traditional
Chinese
medicine,
Indian
ayurveda
and
Arabic
unani
medicine,
and
homeopathy.
TM
therapies
include
medication
therapies
– if
they
involve
use
of
herbal
medicines,
animal
parts
and/or
minerals
–
and
nonmedication
therapies
– if
they
are
carried
out
primarily
without
the
use
of
medication,
as
in
the
case
of
acupuncture,
manual
therapies
and
spiritual
therapies.
In
countries
where
the
dominant
health
care
system
is
based
on
allopathic
medicine,
or
where
TM
has
not
been
incorporated
into
the
national
health
care
system,
TM
is
often
termed
complementary,
alternative
or
non-conventional
medicine
(TC/CAM).
WHO’s
traditional
medicines
strategy
which
is
aimed
at
responding
to
country
needs
Policy:
Integration
of
TM/CAM
with
national
health
care
systems,
as
appropriate,
by
developing
and
implementing
national
TM/CAM
policies
and
programmes
Safety,
efficacy
and
quality:
Promotion
of
the
safety,
efficacy
and
quality
of
TM/CAM
by
expanding
the
knowledge
base
on
TM/CAM,
and
by
providing
guidance
on
regulatory
and
quality
assurance
standards
Access:
Increasing
the
availability
and
affordability
of
TM/CAM,
with
an
emphasis
on
access
for
poor
populations
Rational
use:
Promoting
therapeutically
sound
use
of
appropriate
TM/CAM
by
providers
and
consumers
Traditional
medicines
in
the
Eastern
Mediterranean
Region
 استراتيجية
منظمة
الصحة
العالمية
في
الطب
الشعبي
More
on
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medicines
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