One of the things that came up in a recent meeting we had with members of the Ogun State Alternative Medicine Board was a very simple question: What exactly do you practise?
It sounds like a straightforward question, but when different people were asked to introduce themselves and explain what they practise, we started to see where some of the confusion in complementary and alternative healthcare actually comes from.
Somebody would say, “I am a herbal practitioner.” Another person would say, “I am a naturopath.” Another would say, “I am a natural medicine practitioner.” Another person would say, “I am a herbal and spiritual practitioner.” And when they were asked to explain further what that actually meant, the answers started going in different directions.
And this is where we think we need to start asking ourselves some serious questions.
Because what exactly does it mean when somebody says, “I am a natural medicine practitioner”?
Natural medicine is such a big umbrella. What exactly is the person trained to do? Are they a herbal practitioner? Are they a nutritionist? Are they a homeopath? Are they an acupuncturist? Are they a manual therapist? Are they a lifestyle medicine practitioner?
If you are a herbal practitioner, say you are a herbal practitioner. Even within herbal practice, there are different approaches. You may be practising from a traditional perspective, where culture, traditional knowledge and remedies passed down through generations are part of the practice. Or you may be practising modern herbal therapy, where you are looking at the constituents of herbs, the condition you are managing, dosage, preparation and other factors.
If you are an acupuncturist, identify as an acupuncturist. If you are a nutritionist, identify as a nutritionist. If you are a chiropractor, identify as a chiropractor. If you are a massage therapist, identify as a massage therapist. If you are a homeopathic practitioner, identify as a homeopathic practitioner.
The point is that we should be able to tell what you actually do.
Even naturopathy can become confusing because it is a system that can include different modalities. So when somebody says, “I am a naturopath,” the next question should be, what exactly are you trained in and what exactly are you practising?
This is where we think the use of these very broad terms can become a slippery slope. You cannot just keep moving from one identity to another depending on what sounds better at the time. In a traditional setting, some of these things may have their own cultural meaning. But when we are talking about modern healthcare, we need to be much clearer.
And this is not just about names.
The Board also discussed the importance of documentation and evidence-based practice. If you are treating patients, what exactly are you giving them? What are you documenting? What is the dosage? What was the patient’s condition? What happened after the treatment?
Because right now, in some cases, the only person who knows exactly what is being given to the patient is the practitioner.
That is a problem.
If practitioners document what they are doing properly, it also creates an opportunity for that knowledge to be studied. Maybe something that has been used by practitioners for years can eventually be documented, researched and published. And the practitioner who has been doing that work can actually be recognised for it.
The Board also raised the importance of proper consent, particularly where patient information may be used for research. If we want to build a modern healthcare system, these things have to become part of the way we practise.
And then there is training.
If you want to identify yourself as a specialist in a particular modality, you should have proper training in that modality. At the meeting, the importance of formal training through a recognised institution was discussed, as well as serious practical training through apprenticeship or internship under a registered facility and practitioner.
Because knowing that one herb makes somebody feel better does not automatically make you a herbal practitioner.
Knowing how to treat one condition does not automatically make you a doctor.
And knowing something that your mother or father taught you does not mean there is nothing more for you to learn.
There is nothing wrong with traditional knowledge. There is nothing wrong with learning from those who came before us. But if we are going to practise in a modern healthcare environment, we have to be willing to bring that knowledge into a system where people can understand what we do, what we are trained to do, what we are qualified to do and where our limits are.
Maybe this is where the conversation about integrative healthcare needs to start.
Not with everybody trying to be everything.
But with practitioners knowing exactly what they practise, becoming properly trained in it, documenting what they do, and being willing to let the practice grow beyond just what one individual says they know.
Because if we want people to take complementary and integrative healthcare seriously, then we have to become serious about defining what it is that we actually practise.
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