Certificate in Global Healing Systems

Global healing traditions have a long and rich history that dates back thousands of years. Reflecting the specific and unique characteristics of the culture, history, philosophy, and availability of resources in different parts of the world, these traditional healing systems provide the primary form of health care for the majority of the world’s population.

Ayurvedic medicine is a highly sophisticated religion, philosophy, and system of medicine that has been practiced in India for over 2,500 years. As with other forms of complementary and alternative medicine, it focuses on the whole individual and one’s relationship to one’s environment. Health, vitality, and longevity are achieved through a balance within the body and between the body and the external environment.

With a long and complex history, curanderismo, or indigenous medicine, is the broad healing tradition found in Mexico and Mexican American communities throughout the United States. For many Hispanics, conventional medicine has not been effective or well received. As a result, folk medicine and curanderismo have experienced a revival during the past several decades as a legitimate part of an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach to health and healing. Comprehensive cultural competency must include knowledge and awareness of culturally based healing and wellness practices.

Millions of Native North Americans (indigenous peoples) utilize traditional healing traditions as a way of maintaining balance and wholeness. To the traditional Native American, all aspects of life are intimately connected to good health and well-being, and life is a sacred path. This ancient, holistic healthcare system is complex, utilizing medicine wheels, sacred plants, and a variety of healing techniques. Today, there are encouraging signs of acceptance and cooperation between conventional Western practitioners and American Indian healers.

Traditional healing has existed in South Africa for thousands of years and is utilized by the majority of individuals who live in the region. Drawing from a primarily oral tradition, traditional African healers come from many cultures, speak many diverse languages, and they specialize according to their talents and “calling.” To the individual who uses this form of healing and to the traditional South African healer, the body, mind, and spirit are intimately connected.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest continuously practiced professional medical systems in the world, with origins dating back more than 3,000 years. TCM emphasizes the holistic view of the human being and encompasses many different treatment modalities such as acupuncture, acupressure, herbal medicine, and Qigong.

Unani (or Yunani) medicine is an ancient medical system based on Greek origins. Officially recognized by the World Health Organization as one of several alternative traditional systems of medicine, it s a comprehensive medical system that provides preventive, curative, and rehabilitative healthcare to millions of patients throughout the world. Primarily practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean, Unani medicine is a sophisticated healing system that has profoundly influenced Western medicine.