Merging cutting-edge scientific discoveries with age-old healing methods allows one to tap into the collective wisdom of generations, Dr Anastasia Yirenkyi, Director of Traditional and Alternative Medicine, has said.
She quoted Hippocrates, father of Medicine, “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food,” to back her point.
Dr Yirenkyi encouraged Ghanaians to take an active part in their well-being by adopting healthy lifestyles and practices, eat balanced diets and do regular exercise.
Dr Yirenkyi stated this on Thursday during the commemoration of the 21st African Traditional Medicine Day in the ECOWAS region and the 24th Traditional Medicine (TM) Week Celebration in Ghana themed: “The Contribution of Traditional Medicine to Holistic Health and Wellbeing for All.”
According to her, the purpose of the celebration was to sensitise Ghanaians on the rational use of quality and efficacious herbal medicines and medicinal plants.
Dr Anastasia disclosed that Ghana would organise the African Traditional Summit to address Africans’ unique challenges, gaps and aspirations in 2024.
A representative from the World Health Organisation, Dr Francis Kasolo, said one of the greatest strengths of traditional medicine lies in its holistic approach to health and the recognition that the well-being of an individual was not solely determined by the absence of disease but by a harmonious balance between physical, mental and spiritual aspects.
He said to fulfil the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and advance health and well-being for people of all ages, there was the need to implore the traditional medicine community and its stakeholders to step up their efforts and continue using evidence-based traditional medicine practices.
“We commit to creating a healthier, more holistic future through teamwork driven by knowledge, empathy and creativity, where the advancement of modernity is seamlessly integrated with our traditions for the benefit of all,” he added.