Health in the Andes.

• Author: Chelala, Cesar
• Position: INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM

Traditional practices involving both preventive and curative health care have existed for thousands of years, and today they are often used in conjunction with modern medicine. Of the more than 300 million indigenous people in the world today, an estimated 42 million live in the Americas. They represent thousands of different cultures and ethnic groups whose survival is due, in part, to the efficacy of their traditional health practices. Indigenous peoples in this region have, over several centuries, developed a complex series of practices and an understanding of the human body that has its own internal logic and structure.

Equilibrium and harmony with nature and with other beings are considered the basis for health, illness results when that equilibrium is altered, and healing is achieved when harmony is restored between the sick people and their environment. Health also depends on compliance with social norms and moral obligations.

In the South American Andean countries of Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, traditional medicine still plays a prominent role in the health care of indigenous communities, particularly those in remote rural settings beyond the reach of governmental health services. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 80 percent of the population of developing countries depends on traditional healing systems as a primary source of health care.

The Jambi Huasi clinic in Otavalo, a town located 70 miles north of Quito, Ecuador's capital city, has developed a highly effective approach to meet the health needs of the indigenous populations it serves. Jambi Huasi, which means "House of Health" in Quechua, the area's predominant language, provides a blend of both modern and traditional medicine. Among the traditional practitioners are a doctor (yachac), a midwife (mamahua), and a chiropractor (jacudor). Western medical services include internal medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, minor surgery, and dentistry. Each service also includes culturally appropriate counseling and health promotion activities.

According to Dr. Myriam Conejo, coordinator of Jambi Huasi, one of the center's primary objectives is to link traditional and Western medicine in providing health care to the surrounding indigenous community. A second goal is to revive and validate the role of traditional healers who are also considered community counselors. Traditional medicine incorporates diverse remedies and practices such as the use of herbs, amulets, guinea pigs (cuys), and incantations to eliminate disease or cleanse the body. In Ecuador, more than 900 different plants are used for medicinal purposes.

The Jambi Huasi center trains community volunteers and provides expertise to help local dwellers create medicinal plant gardens. In addition, a mobile clinic regularly visits the ten communities in the Otavalo canton (district). Treatments are based on the holistic indigenous concept of health, in which individuals are in harmony with themselves, nature, and the cosmos...