Title : Nutrition education as the missing link in leveraging advancements and navigating future of Traditional medicine, Ethnomedicine and Natural therapies to explore and enhance knowledge
Abstract:
Methodically, the presentation will consist of observations from reviews of my four speaking presentations in international congress, conferences, and foreign-based mission assignments. This presentation will also consist of a review of Traditional Medicine (TM), Ethnomedicine, Natural Therapies, and other areas of medicine and therapies associated with TM. Over the last twenty years, revolutionary changes in health services and consumer needs in the developing, underdeveloped, and developed countries have seen a major increase in the use of TM due to challenges such as population aging, changes in patterns of common diseases, socio-economic factors, and COVID-19 and its variants (notwithstanding climate and political changes, agriculture, and sustainability). Most importantly, hunger, poverty, undernutrition (a form of malnutrition — “mal” meaning bad, evil, and wicked), obesity (a form of overnutrition which is the other form of malnutrition) could lead to nutrient deficiencies. Obesity could also lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, other metabolic disorders, other related abnormalities, and eventual death in extreme cases. Lastly, food insecurity could eventually mask the situation, which is reversible, less life-threatening, and possibly avoided through a more humane strategy.
The quality and standards that are maintained by the dietitian’s heritage is what makes dietitians unique. As a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, and Nutrition Educator, I have a responsibility to perform this unique role to the best of my ability — it’s in my DNA, it’s the breath I take, and the fire burning inside me to inform, share and facilitate the provision of nutrition information in any learning environment.
The fields of Traditional medicine (TM), Ethnomedicine, Natural Therapies, and all their entities provide unique health services for clients of all ages with various physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual needs. Nutrition is a science and art of identifying how foods sustain and nourish the body — no one can ever separate food from nutrition! Nutrition starts in the mouth (whether it’s through the mouth via enteral feeding or combination) and food has to be consumed, digested, and metabolized — this is the reason why nutrition is such an intriguing scientific discipline touching on peoples’ psyche. Why do we eat and/or starve ourselves?
Through lecture, storytelling, case studies, metaphors, demonstrations, and role-playing, this author/presenter will provide insight into making connections between exploring and enhancing knowledge with the goal of leveraging advancements and navigating the future of TM, Ethnomedicine, and Natural Therapies for health and well-being/wellness. Moreover, we can emphatically and hopefully anticipate a positive return of investment (ROI) for the economic security of the aging population.
As a Consultant Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and teacher/nutrition educator with more than forty years of experience in areas of food (food service, management) and nutrition (nutrition education, dietetics) for all stages of life including pregnancy, lactating, pediatrics, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, I bring my experiences of compassionate care through empathy with sincere clients, and with a belief and respect for advocacy and cultural humility. Nutrition education is a journey, and we need to hop on the bandwagon to complete our mission for peace, health and happiness! If not us, who?
