Dear Colleagues,

Significant achievements in conventional medical science and public health have advanced our knowledge about preventing and treating disease. Nevertheless, allopathic medicine is still a young science. Globally, there is recognition that traditional medical practices (ethnomedicine) continue to be utilized in the culture of origin. There is also recognition that many of these practices are being adopted and adapted for use outside the culture of origin—for example, Yoga, a part of Ayurveda, India’s 5000-year-old medical system is increasingly being utilized and researched in the U.S. The importance of food as medicine, which has been an integral component of Ayurveda, has also garnered attention in the public health field. Mindfulness practices, which originate from the Zen Tradition, are used in numerous ways to address health and well-being. A key distinction between Western allopathic medicine and traditional forms of medicine is that most ethnomedical paradigms view the body as a whole, health as multidimensional, and the importance of lifestyle as medicine. Ethnomedicine also recognizes the importance of the subjective view of illness and patient experience. Western medicine is primarily concerned with the physical dimension of health, diagnosis, and treatment, which separates mind and body. We are at a critical juncture to increase our knowledge of how traditional medicine is utilized, either alone or integrated with conventional medicine for healing, disease prevention, and health promotion. This is especially the case given that non-biologic agents such as stress and trauma are pervasive worldwide.

This Special Issue seeks papers on ethnomedical approaches for healing, health, and well-being. Epidemiological studies of the utilization of ethnomedical practices will be considered, as well as rigorous mechanistic studies. High-quality case studies and systematic reviews will also be considered. We seek papers that examine the use of ethnomedicine for infectious diseases, mental illness, chronic diseases, pain, and other associated ailments. Papers that examine ethnomedical medical practices with conventional medicine will be considered.

Assoc. Prof. Shanta R. Dube
Guest Editor

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• Ethnomedicine
• Traditional medicine
• Complementary and Integrative Medicine
• Depression
• Mental illness
• Substance abuse
• Nutrition
• Obesity
• Life course
• Self-care
• Traumatic stress
• Prevention
• Health promotion