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From: carter@gatech.CSNET (Carter Bullard)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.africa,net.med
Subject: Re: Is there any benefit in African Medicine
Message-ID: <492@gatech.CSNET>
Date: Mon, 6-May-85 11:16:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: gatech.492
Posted: Mon May  6 11:16:15 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 7-May-85 21:09:48 EDT
References: <315@link.UUCP> <954@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Reply-To: carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard)
Distribution: net
Organization: School of ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Lines: 56
Xref: linus net.nlang.africa:16 net.med:1327
Summary: 

In article <954@cbdkc1.UUCP> tjs@dkc1.UUCP ( Tom Stanions) writes:
>
>       As for trying to pass this information to the USA good luck.
>       There are many people in America who have a wealth of
>       information that few want.  When I advise people to see
>       a naturalpathic doctor they usually make jokes.  We would
>       love to pass our information on to the general public but
>       most don't want it, and most doctors are usually unwilling
>       to give the information to their patients so that they can
>       decide for themselves.  There are some of us on the net, and
>       I would be very pleased to hear anything, from any culture,
>       on natural healing.  The best way to pass on this
>       information seems to be "one person at a time".  The Natural
>       Foods Association has been doing a very good, but painfully
>       slow job.  And natural doctors must be very careful because
>       they are watched closely by the AMA and other groups.
>
>       Anybody with information please contribute to this very
>       important discussion.
>

	Actually, modern medicine is extremely interested in African traditionalist
	medical techniques.  The NSF(  the national science foundation ) has made
	research money available to investigating African medical techniques in the
	form of direct and indirect grants to African medical schools.  Also
	most if not all of the large pharmaceutical firms have ongoing investigations
	into African and South American herbal therapies.

	The reason is very simple.  Less than 15% of the plants on this planet have been
	characterized for their pharmaceutical properties.  Everybody knows that there
	are going to be new drugs to come out of traditionalist's therapy,  and its just 
	a matter of time before the compounds are researched and made available.

	The problem that I have with  the statement of Mr. Stanions above, is that
	he thinks that traditionalist African medicine is "natural healing" whereas
	western medical practice is some sort of black magic.  

	There really isn't any difference between the two.


Carter Bullard
	School of Information and Computer Science
	Georgia Institute of Technology
	Atlanta, Georgia 30332
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	Please reply with facts, not opinions.
-- 
Carter Bullard
School of Information and Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332
CSNet:Carter @ Gatech	ARPA:Carter.Gatech @ CSNet-relay.arpa
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