How Do Local Medical Systems Work? An Overview of the Evidence

Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino; Cantalice, Aníbal Silva; Oliveira, Danilo Vicente Batista; Oliveira, Edwine Soares; Santos, Francisco Igor Ribeiro; Abreu, Marina Barros; Brito Júnior, Valdir de Moura; Ferreira Júnior, Washington Soares

doi:10.1007/s12231-023-09587-6

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Taking into consideration the significant role that local medical systems play in disease management across various human groups, a crucial question arises regarding their ability to cope with disturbances that threaten their functions and processes over time [ 31 , 32 , 49 ]. Numerous studies have employed the concept of resilience to explore the capacity of these systems to endure adversity [ 33 ], investigating how they maintain their integrity when facing disturbances over time [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Theoretical Advances In Hybridization Research and Their Imp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases, the combination of traditional and biomedical treatments can be attributed to the influence of frequency, severity, and chronic diseases together, rather than individual factors alone [ 7 ]. In a recent article, we emphasized the importance of comprehending the functionality of medical systems through the interaction of various factors, providing insights into the functional aspects of these systems, compared to the isolated analysis of these factors [ 49 ]. Such evidence highlights the importance of investigating various factors that may influence health-seeking behavior within a hybridization scenario in future studies.…”

Section: Future Research To Identify Hybridization Subprocesses In In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Local Medical Systems (LMSs) are biocultural constructions encompassing a body of knowledge and practices embedded within local strategies for addressing illnesses [ 49 ]. These strategies encompass the perception of symptoms and causes, utilization of various therapeutic approaches, and assessment of treatments [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These strategies encompass the perception of symptoms and causes, utilization of various therapeutic approaches, and assessment of treatments [ 1 , 2 ]. Due to being open systems, LMS do not exist in isolation and interact with other systems [ 49 ], such as the biomedical system [ 3 ]. Biomedicine, referred to as Western medicine or cosmopolitan medicine [ 4 ], represents a globally standardized and scientifically validated approach to managing diseases [ 5 – 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactions between local medical systems and the biomedical system: a conceptual and methodological review in light of hybridization subprocesses

Abreu,

Ferraz,

Albuquerque

et al. 2023

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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Local medical systems (LMSs) are complex and dynamic, encompassing local perceptions of diseases, prevention and treatment strategies, and evaluations of therapeutic responses. These systems are not isolated and interact with other medical systems, such as the biomedical system. The interaction between these systems creates a "contact zone", which some authors refer to as intermedicality, involving both competitive and complementary interactions. However, there is limited discussion in the literature regarding the complexity of these interactions. Some studies seek to understand this interaction through the lens of hybridization, a concept introduced to ethnobiology by Ana Ladio and Ulysses Albuquerque. The authors conceptualize hybridization as "discrete structures and practices coming together to form a new practice not necessarily implying homogenization." They discuss hybridization in the context of medicinal plants used in urban settings and propose seven hybridization subprocesses to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. In this study, we update these hybridization subprocesses, expanding the concepts to comprehend the specific interaction of resources from LMS and biomedical systems known and used by different human groups. In this context, we propose a new subprocess and have made adjustments to the existing subprocesses to encompass the diversity of possible interactions between medicinal plants and pharmaceuticals, providing evidence from the literature demonstrating interactions that can be classified within the proposed subprocesses. Furthermore, we discuss, from a theoretical standpoint, how these subprocesses may have implications for the resilience of medical systems. Moreover, we propose a flowchart that can be utilized to identify these hybridization subprocesses in intermedicality contexts in future studies. These classifications are crucial because they enable us to comprehend the complexity of interactions between medicinal plants and pharmaceuticals, as well as the impacts that these different interactions can have on the resilience of LMSs.

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Section: Theoretical Advances In Hybridization Research and Their Imp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Research To Identify Hybridization Subprocesses In In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactions between local medical systems and the biomedical system: a conceptual and methodological review in light of hybridization subprocesses

Abreu,

Ferraz,

Albuquerque

et al. 2023

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…Local medical systems are characterized by the set of knowledge and practices regarding health and disease management developed by human groups (Bizon 1973). Evidence indicates that social, cultural, biological, and ecological factors can influence the construction of these systems (Molares & Ladio 2014, Johns & Sibeko 2023, Albuquerque et al 2023. Within local medical systems, various resources, including plants utilized for medicinal purposes, prevail in treating diseases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the dynamics of cultural mutations in local medicinal plant use in NE Brazil

Melo Dantas,

Borba do Nascimiento,

Cristina da Silva

et al. 2024

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Background: According to cultural evolution theory (CE), the transmission of cultural information can be subjected to "cultural mutations" (random alteration of information). Cultural mutations can have implications for human culture. However, the contributing factors to the increased/decreased establishment of these processes in local medical systems remain unclear. Thus, we tested the following hypotheses: H1: more conservative transmission modes (vertical transmission) are less prone to cultural mutation; H2: knowledge sharing about a medicinal plant influences the occurrence of cultural mutations in local medical systems; and H3: information on versatile medicinal plants (plants used to treat various ailments) is more likely to undergo cultural mutation in local medical systems.Methods: To test our hypotheses, we conducted a case study in the Lagoa do Junco community, Santana do Ipanema municipality, Alagoas. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with 120 individuals older than 18 years. Analyses utilized a generalized linear model (GLM) with the binomial and Poisson families.Results: We found a lower cultural mutation rate for more conservative transmission modes (p<0.01). Information about more widely shared medicinal plants was more prone to cultural mutations (p<0.001). Versatile medicinal plants are more susceptible to cultural mutations. Conclusions: Less conservative cultural transmission modes promote greater variation in plant-based medicinal systems. Factors such as information sharing and plant versatility, though important in local medical systems, may have implications for human culture, as exemplified by maladaptive cultural traits, and need assessment in future studies.

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