In Africa, disease state is not all believed to be due to an ultimate spiritual cause. Some are understood to be natural causes. In western society, levels of perception of illness vary from use of home remedies at first symptom of an illness, to ignoring the symptom for a considerable period before administering treatment when such symptom do not abate. This is a method of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects different from those of the disease treated. He also believed that if western medicine could be collaborated with traditional medicine, the world of medicine would be more effective.
Traditional healers are especially interested in learning more about western health care.
To the present day, educated people still seek traditional healers. Africans living in the West still practice traditional medicine, but not much is understood about why this occurs. The purpose of this study is to describe the different perceptions of Africans about Traditional African medicine compared to Western medicine. The sample population will consist of 150 African descendants living in the Washington Metropolitan area. The sample will include both males and females of ages 25 and older.