Traditional Medicine in Health Care of the Thai in Son La Hydroelectric Area

Abstract

Traditional healing practitioners serve an important role as healers in the Thai community and are now beginning to adopt modern medicine into their practices. Among ethnic minorities, including the Thai ethnic group, traditional medicine is essential in disease prevention and treatment. Like other ethnic groups, the Thai traditional herbalists and healers have their own concepts of health, disease, causes of disease, and the use of particular treatments depending on the disease. Today, healers continue to practice traditional treatment methods such as, magic, fortune telling and herbal medicines. In addition to traditional medicine use, the Thai have gradually increased their access to and use of modem medicine in health care as a result of the development of communal medical centers in the market economy.