Great Contributions to The Recognition of Traditional Complementary Medicine

Op. Dr. Hasan Karaağaç made a statement to our newspaper about Traditional Complementary Medicine. Karaağaç stated that “Traditional Complementary Medicine is a method that is based on customs and traditions that has been applied for centuries, but it is also proven by scientific studies today that it has been found to treat with its application. In fact, these are the first basic methods that form scientific medicine. In our country, a department called Traditional and Complementary Medicine was established under the Ministry of Health on October 24, 2014. And the regulation is out.”

He said that “There are many alternative treatments such as Acupuncture, Api therapy (Therapy with bees and bee products), Phytotherapy (therapy with plants), Ozone therapy, Homoiopathy, Manual Therapy, Prulotereapy, Hypnosis, musicotherapy. It is not a movement against modern medicine, on the contrary, these treatment methods appear as complementary medicine in the phases when it is not enough. With the department (Functional Medicine Practices) established within the Ministry of Health and its regulation, these 15 different methods, the scientific applicability of which are explained, are now among the treatments in Turkey.”

Karaağaç also stated that “Doctors who can perform these applications undergo an intensive training process. With the emergence of the directive in 2014, certification trainings and standards were determined in the training process on how to apply these 15 methods. Approximately 25 thousand doctors were given these certificates. We also serve as instructors in the training of these doctors in this field.

Born in Anatolia

Stating that these have been taught as a course in medical faculties in the USA for the last 50 years, Op.Dr. Hasan Karaagaç uttered that “There is an interesting situation here, Anatolia is the place where Traditional Medicine started, but its education and practice is much more common in the world than we do. The works of İbn-i Sina and Lokman Hekim are the biggest examples of this. When we look at Modern Medicine, we see that all its foundations and bases are taken from this Traditional Complementary Medicine. For example, the basis of drug therapy is plants, and phytotherapy existed centuries before modern medicine, even in the first ages. Today, modern medicine is over and the medicines used in chronic diseases are not enough.”