Palau Primary Health Care Manual

The Republic of Palau in the Caroline Islands has a traditional medical system developed over many generations. The Palau Primary Health Care Manual compiles traditional ethnomedical information about plants and presents it within the context of Western Medicine. Many common health conditions are discussed in this book, including those specific to Palauan culture. The book is divided into chapters that discuss plant therapies used in traditional medical care including preventive medicine, chronic disease, bites and stings, diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders, skin disorders, cuts, wounds, and broken bones, stress, pain, women's health, men's health, colds and flu, and ear, nose, and throat. Also provided is scientific information about each species including efficacy, pharmacology, and potential toxicity, where known. It is intended as an educational manual for Palau and the Pacific region, an area where traditional medicine and some of the plants used in its practice, are endangered resources. Based on extensive on-island research and a comprehensive review of the literature, the book has been produced by a group of Palauan and international experts, specialists in ethnomedicine, clinical care, public health, biology, conservation, and Pacific Island culture.

A comprehensive practical reference guide for medical, nursing, and para-medical personnel that sets out guidelines for the diagnosis and management of primary clinical conditions.

Is it possible that plants have shaped the very trajectory of human cultures? Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, two of the world’s leading ethnobotanists argue that our past and our future are deeply intertwined with plants. Creating massive sea craft from plants, indigenous shipwrights spurred the navigation of the world’s oceans. Today, indigenous agricultural innovations continue to feed, clothe, and heal the world’s population. One out of four prescription drugs, for example, were discovered from plants used by traditional healers. Objects as common as baskets for winnowing or wooden boxes to store feathers were ornamented with traditional designs demonstrating the human ability to understand our environment and to perceive the cosmos. Throughout the world, the human body has been used as the ultimate canvas for plant-based adornment as well as indelible design using tattoo inks. Plants also garnered religious significance, both as offerings to the gods and as a doorway into the other world. Indigenous claims that plants themselves are sacred is leading to a startling reformulation of conservation. The authors argue that conservation goals can best be achieved by learning from, rather than opposing, indigenous peoples and their beliefs. KEY FEATURES • An engrossing narrative that invites the reader to personally engage with the relationship between plants, people, and culture • Full-color illustrations throughout—including many original photographs captured by the authors during fieldwork • New to this edition—"Plants That Harm," a chapter that examines the dangers of poisonous plants and the promise that their study holds for novel treatments for some of our most serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s and substance addiction • Additional readings at the end of each chapter to encourage further exploration • Boxed features on selected topics that offer further insight • Provocative questions to facilitate group discussion Designed for the college classroom as well as for lay readers, this update of Plants, People, and Culture entices the reader with firsthand stories of fieldwork, spectacular illustrations, and a deep respect for both indigenous peoples and the earth’s natural heritage.

Provides clear and concise clinical care guidelines and health management protocols especially for endorsed registered nurses and authorised Indigenous health workers, particularly those in rural hospitals, isolated practice areas and Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs.

Medical manual used in rural and remote facilities in Queensland