HAVANA UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

CALIXTO GARCIA MEDICINE SCHOOL

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

Title: Natural Traditional Medicine in Cuba an Covid-19.

Authors: 1Marcos Guerra González

2 Allamey Torres Herrera

Second Year Medical Students.

Brigade: 9

Objective:

 Explain the benefits of Natural Traditional Medicine

 Argue the care that should be taken in the treatment of the patient with
Covid-19.

Havana 2021

Introduction
Natural Traditional Medicine (NTM) encompasses the sum of knowledge, skills and
practices of different cultures transmitted from generation to generation; used in the
promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of multiple diseases 1. In Cuba, the
Ministry of Public Health has developed a group of tasks aimed at promoting the
National Development Program of the MNT, which also involves other bodies of the
Central State Administration, as well as other institutions and political organizations and
organizations masses. A priority element has been the production, commercialization
and rational use of natural products2.

This type of medicine mainly includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy

apitherapy, moxibustion and ozone therapy. Acupuncture consists of the insertion of
very fine needles into the skin at strategic points of the body and is used for the
treatment of diseases that in its clinical picture mainly present pain. Phytotherapy is the
use of medicinal plants for the preparation of a product to treat various diseases, which
can be: the plant as a whole, the stems, the leaves, the flowers, the seeds or the roots.
On the other hand, apitherapy consists of the use of honey and other apicultural
derivatives such as apitoxins, pollen, propolis and royal jelly due to their effects as
immunobiological, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, expectorant, analgesic, sedative,
and antimicrobial3.

Homeopathy is a therapeutic method that consists of giving the patient low or

infinitesimal doses of a substance that, when administered in high doses to healthy
subjects, causes symptoms similar to those of the patient, while moxibustion is a
treatment method that consists of in giving heat by burning a stick of moxa from a plant
(Artemisa vulgaris) bringing it closer to 1-2 cm away from the skin at the indicated
acupuncture point. In addition, ozone therapy is the therapy performed with ozone. Its
use improves the quality of life and normalizes the basic functions of our ecosystem and
it can be applied individually or in addition to other therapies, acting synergistically 4.

On the other hand, since 2019, a new type of coronavirus has emerged in Huhan,
People's Republic of China, called SARS-CoV-2 that produces an infectious disease
called COVID-19. The rapid spread of the disease caused the World Health
Organization (WHO), on January 30, 2020, to declare it a health emergency of
international concern, based on the impact that the virus could have in underdeveloped
countries with less health infrastructure. Sometime later, the disease was already in
more than 100 territories worldwide, for which it was recognized as a pandemic by the
WHO5.

Development
According to the principles of Traditional Natural Medicine (NTM), all conditions and
pains are due to the dysfunction of the meridians through which vital energy circulates
and the needles in acupuncture act on the meridian in which they are applied and
promote their good functioning, which is why they are useful for the neutralization of
fever, the regulation of the body's temperature and the stimulation of the endocrine
glands and the immune system. Phytotherapy is used as a diuretic, antioxidant,
regenerative, anti-inflammatory and relaxing. Apitherapy is used to relieve a sore throat
and cough, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and demulcent properties, and its intake
improves sexuality. Homeopathy is used to eliminate nausea and vomiting; also for the
treatment of headaches, migraines and cerebral circulatory disorders. Moxibustion's
function is to treat diseases caused by cold, positively influencing blood circulation and
energy, neutralizing the cooling of the blood and relieving pain. Ozone therapy is used
for use in wounds, ulcers, bedsores, ophthalmological maculopathies due to its
regenerative and healing action on cells and tissues. The authors of the project consider
that herbal medicine, apitherapy, homeopathy and ozone therapy are the most effective
types of NTM6.

The Primary Health Care linked to the MNT has the role of providing medical and
stomatological, specialized and nursing care to the population by carrying out
comprehensive health activities that include prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with
the modalities and techniques of Natural and Traditional Medicine. At this level of care,
it has been considered to integrate the modalities of NTM in all medical specialties,
applying it to more than 30% of the patients treated in Outpatient Consultations; use it in
20% of all medical emergencies and carry out actions of social communication and
education and health promotion with modalities of Traditional and Natural Medicine in
the health area7.

Given the current situation related to the spread of the COVID-19 disease, the
government of the country created the Temporary Working Group, chaired by the
President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz - Canel Bermudez and Prime Minister
Manuel Marrero Cruz. An epidemiological and sanitary strategy was also created, which
has three stages, each one with sanitary measures and medical protocols of procedures
for the detection and care of positive cases, as well as measures to be taken by the
population in the community8.

In patients infected by the Sars-cov-2 virus, health personnel have tried to maintain
principles of healthcare ethics. The principle of non-maleficence is put at risk since
covid-19 attacks health, compromising, in some cases, the life of the patient. The
principle of justice is presented through the fair allocation of resources so that equal
care is achieved in the entire population that required it and not only to a sector of it.
However, autonomy is affected because patients cannot choose the treatment as well
as the systematic performance of the PCR. The benefit was shown by the selection of
seriously ill patients who need intensive care9.

For patient care in the current context, the doctor must provide timely and beneficial
care to all patients and in turn provide psychological support during the recovery
process of patients with COVID-19 for both the patient himself and his family. Other
actions carried out by the doctor is to promote an effective communication relationship
with the patient based on trust, without forgetting that above all he is a person with the
same dignity and right as each of the members of the healthcare team10.

Diet is a critical factor in the health status of people around the world as unhealthy diets
that aggravate pre-existing conditions increase the risk of contracting COVID-19.
Malnutrition associated with the disease is a multi-causal process that has the
consequences of a decrease in the adaptive response capacity to the original disease,
altered immunity, increased mortality, prolonged hospital stay, and increased costs of
care medical. The elderly and those with chronic non-communicable diseases, such as
obesity, Diabetes Mellitus and arterial hypertension; Chronic organic conditions (such
as cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney and liver); and cancer are more likely to be
infected with the virus. In the event that a person becomes infected and presents as a
base disease any of the aforementioned diseases, they may present a serious state of
the disease, affecting their health even more11.

Conclusions
Natural and traditional medicine is part of contemporary medicine and has been
increasingly used due to the therapeutic uses of its different modalities such as
expectorants, antihypertensives, antifungals, anti-inflammatories, analgesics, immune
stimulants, among others. On the other hand, the SARS-CoV-2 disease has had a great
impact on the health system around the world and especially in Cuba, which has led to
the modification of the care protocols for patients with COVID-19 attending to the
comorbidities they present as well as the application of ethical principles and
management according to their psychological state

Bibliographic References
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2- Rodríguez de la Rosa, G; Pino García, A; Seoane Pérez, N. Camagüey Traditional

and Natural Medicine: achievements and deficiencies. Medical Archive of Camagüey
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