What is Traditional Medicine? A Typology for Operationalizing the World Health Organization Definition

Protocol for a Scoping Review of Traditional Medicine Research Methods, Methodologies, Frameworks and Strategies

“…Grounded in the work of research methodologists, who have extensively explored the concept of a 'research paradigm' in recent decades, this Scoping Review defines paradigms to encompass three central elements: ontology (understandings about how reality is constituted); epistemology (how knowledge is acquired and constructed), and terms will be combined with terms for research approaches (e.g., "methodology", "methodological approach", "research standard", "effectiveness guidance document", "framework", "consensus statement"), terms for methodological approaches for evaluating complex phenomena (e.g., "program theory", "logic theory", "model validity", "mixed method", "realist", "complexity science", "implementation science") and other relevant concepts (e.g., "epistemology", "paradigm", "Two-Eyed Seeing"). The English-language TM terms will be informed by an operational definition of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine that was established for literature searching (16) and a TM typology proposed by Ijaz (17). Search terms will be adjusted according to the database syntax.…”

“…Any form of TM that aligns with the WHO's definition of traditional m e d i c i n e i s i n c l u d e d ( 1 ) . T h e d e fi n i t i o n encompasses both codified and non-codified traditional and Indigenous medicine as well as complementary and integrative medicine modalities and approaches (17). To address the review's conceptual framework of paradigmatic alignment, when determining data saturation an emphasis will be placed on TM whole systems (e.g., Anthroposophy, Ayurveda, Chiropractic, Homeopathy, Indigenous TM, Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Siddha, Traditional East Asian Medicine, Unani, Yoga etc.)…”

“…and their concomitant practices (e.g., acupuncture, apitherapy, balneotherapy, cupping, herbal medicine, massage, shamanism, tai chi etc.) (17). Lesser emphasis will be placed on therapeutic practices historically rooted in TM but now removed from their paradigmatic frameworks of origin (e.g., medical acupuncture, some herbs and dietary supplements).…”