Code of Conduct for 'Natural Healers'

By formally recognising and following this code of conduct, traditional healers can totally change their work, and practise now  as "Natural Healers". In this way they can avoid the negative reputation of their profession, and they are able to collaborate now with "modern medicine", in the way that the WHO has promoted, in vain, since the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978.

1. "Natural Healers" will never;

  • give injections
  • make tattoos
  • perform any form of surgery
  • make deep cuttings (i.e. cuts in the body in the hope of releasing pain or bad spirits. For example, in the case of rheumatism, to "let out the pain", or in the case of cancer, to "release the bad spirits".)
  • make shallow cuts in which to place medicine
  • remove the so-called false teeth from children. (The new teeth of young children who suffer malnutrition shine through the gum. Some believe that the old tooth must be removed.)
  • remove the tonsils
  • remove or cut the uvula
  • make abortions
  • use any form of witchcraft
  • use excrement
  • use human flesh
  • use animals in any way
  • give enemas – they can be dangerous – except with water for treating constipation
  • pretend to heal HIV / AIDS.

2. "Natural Healers" will rather seek to keep individuals and the community in good health by;

  • providing preventive care for one village or district
  • educating people in preventive health care, including the avoidance of soaps containing mercury
  • playing an active part in a local, community based, anamed group
  • protecting medicinal plants
  • learning the scientific names of the plants used
  • establishing a production and a demonstration garden of medicinal and nutritious plants
  • using medicinal teas in a proper way (see for example our book “Natural Medicine in the Tropics I” p 56)
  • using other safe recipes to produce medicines like ointments, medicinal oils etc. (see our book “Natural Medicine in the Tropics I” p 56 to 65)
  • specialising in one diseasegiving accurate dosages
  • using a fever thermometer
  • collaborating with the hospital, and referring people that they cannot treat to the hospital. (If a patient has a high temperature, or is in any other critical condition, they must refer them to hospital.)
  • accepting fair payments from patients, according to their means
  • training others in Natural Medicine
  • caring kindly for AIDS patients, treating their symptoms and AIDS related diseases, so that they have a longer and more pleasant life
  • sharing openly with other practitioners of Natural Medicine and with patients the knowledge of how to identify and cultivate herbs, how to prepare medicines and how to treat patients

3. By following this code of conduct each Natural Healer can become a Primary Health Care Worker.  Similarly, by following the procedures listed under 2 above, each Primary Health Care Worker can become a Natural Healer.