TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Domain: Knowledge and Practices concerning Nature and the Universe
Index Number: 04.03

As in other countries of the East, in Uzbekistan traditional medicine has ancient roots. This is testified by the works of great healer, Abu Ali ibn Sino (Avicenna), who was born not far from Bukhara (Afshona village). And it was him, who gathered some unique methods of treatment and curing, which, later on, formed the foundations of contemporary medicine.

Despite prevalence of contemporary medicine in Uzbekistan, it is possible to observe the existence of traditional (folk) healing practice as well.
As in the case of contemporary medicine, in traditional medicine main role is allocated to establishing diagnosis. Folk healers do this by applying various means and methods: by checking pulse and blood pressure, by visual and manual inspection of relevant body parts, by identifying "mijoz" (i.e. patient's propensity to certain type of food), etc.

Folk healers conditionally can be divided into the following types:
• Folk healers who heal their patients manually (who do manual therapy);
• Folk healers who heal their patients with a help of words and songs (psychotherapy);
• Folk healers who heal with a help of drugs (treatment by using natural drugs).

Along with famous healers (to whom patients usually resort to) there are amateur ones, who inherited knowledge related to healing of certain disease. For example, if there is a foreign body in the eye, then an amateur healer may extract it by using his tongue. Or if someone broke his arm or leg or there was a dislocation of limbs, then he might put the bone in its place and prescribe further treatment.

Also, among the people various methods of providing first aid to the injured exist, which were inherited from older generation. For example, when there is a burn, then goose grease is put on it, or if it is a small, insignificant burn, then a part of peeled potato is put. Also, when there is an insect in someone's ear and it cannot leave it, then breast milk is poured inside it, or when solid object gets stuck in someone's throat, then it is taken with a help of little finger.

Prescription of a diet for a patient is yet another very important thing in traditional medicine. In this regard, the food being consumed can be divided into three types, i.e. warm, cold and mixed ones. As such, food is usually prescribed depending on the type of disease and "mijoz" of patient.