Traditional Healing (2014-2024)

The word medicine is derived from the Latin ars medicina, meaning the art of healing. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.

Medicine has existed for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an ancient philosopher and physician would apply bloodletting according to the theories of humorism.

Prescientific forms of medicine are now known as traditional medicine and folk medicine. They remain commonly used with or instead of scientific medicine and are thus called alternative medicine or simply "healings".

These photographs reflect a sum of knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.

The fact is that a large portion of humanity has no access to modern medicine and has to appeal to any remedy they can afford.

In Africa, Latin America and Asia, 80 percent of the population uses traditional remedies and not modern medicine for primary health care. And in developed nations, the traditional medicine is increasingly attracting more followers. Estimates suggest that up to 80 percent of the population tested therapies such as acupuncture or homeopathy.

Sometimes Naturopathic medicine is the best approach to prevention, because it involves a wellness-oriented diet, lifestyle change and supplements that support the body.

The goal of this project is to illustrate and explore the diverse range of “alternative medicine” types as they are practiced throughout the world.

So far I have taken photographs in Spain, Cuba, China, Colombia, Israel, India, Benin, Togo, Thailand, Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Kenya, Oman, Turkey, Hook Islands, Vietnam, Italy and Peru.