Concepts and treatment for diabetes among traditional and faith healers in the northern province, South Africa.

K Peltzer,VI Cherian,L Cherian,SN Madu,LB Khoza,ME Lekhuleni

doi:10.4102/curationis.v24i2.824

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the concepts and treatment modalities for diabetes among traditional and faith healers in the Northern Province in South Africa. The sample consisted of 50 traditional healers (13 females and 37 males) and 50 faith healers (12 females and 38 males). They were interviewed on local terminology, clinical manifestations, causes, curability, and treatment for diabetes, help-seeking behaviour of diabetes patients, and the healers' sources of information about diabetes. Results indicate that all healers were familiar with "diabetes", however, not all of them had seen patients suffering from diabetes. The perceived causes of diabetes by both traditional and faith healers could be divided into (1) diet (especially too much of sugar), (2) heredity, (3) supernatural, and (4) psychological causes. Most traditional healers (92%) and faith healers (90%) indicated that diabetes is curable. Treatments used by the healers in this study included the use of prayer, diet, and herbs. The authors conclude that the concepts and treatment modalities for diabetes among traditional and faith healers should be taken note of by health workers while developing health education programmes in the Province.

Highlights

Modem medicine does not cure diabetes, but provides symp tomatic relief without restoration of glucose homeostasis at hepatocellular levels
Most traditional healers (36) belonged to traditional or African religion, and most faith healers belonged to the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) (19) and the Apostolic church (16), followed by the Bom Again Christian Movement (7), the International Pen tecostal Holiness (4), and others (4)
Interesting is that most traditional healers (86%) and faith healers (94%) indicated that diabetes is curable

Summary

Introduction

Modem medicine does not cure diabetes, but provides symp tomatic relief without restoration of glucose homeostasis at hepatocellular levels. Clinical experiences and some research findings indicate that traditional and faith healers play a role in the management of diabetes in Africa. Ziqubu-Page, Dangor, Makubalo and Chetty (1999: 57) found that among diabetic patients in South Africa 28.7% had been using traditional medicine only, 49.7% conventional medicine and 21.5% had used both. The major ity of the traditional medicine users (93%) believed that the herbal preparations they used were effective. Peltzer (1999: 390) found that from 80 faith healers interviewed in the North ern Province five reported that they commonly treat ‘bolwetsi bja swikiri’ (diabetes). Among British Bangladeshis, diabetes was generally attrib uted to events or agents outside the body rather than to pri mary failure of an organ within the body. Other etiological factors by the Bangladeshi informants included heredity (the notion of an agent transmitted through “shared blood”, rather than an inherited predisposition) and germs

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