Belize is hosting the 2nd International Conference on Traditional Medicine in San Ignacio Santa Elena, through the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, under NICH. The two day event scheduled to run from September 26th to 28th, is being led by Numasa Wellness Centre in collaboration with the Belize Medical and Dental Association. The attendees include traditional Belizean healers and their counterparts from Mexico and Guatemala.

Rolando Cocom, Director ISCR
"Today we are engaged in day 2 of the second international conference of traditional and complementary medicine which is being organized jointly with NICH and other partners including the Belize medical and dental association like the NuMasa Wellness center and with the support of many other crucial partners from the government of Belize including private sectors like the BTB, print Belize the department of environment and the UN office for human rights among many others. The purpose of day two of the conference is to continue a dialogue between traditional practitioners of medicine and the formally trained doctors within the healthcare system to have conversations about what the uses and purpose of traditional medicines are in Belize and to identify shared challenges that can be resolved overtime through policy work. This conference is rooted in the national institute of culture and history's agenda and the Belize culture policy which outlines that Belize needs to be engaged in a conversation to identify how we can incorporate traditional medicine within the formal system for the benefit and improvement of all Belizeans' well being."

But in order to improve the health of their patients, these practitioners must first identify the most common health threats within their countries. For Belize Dr Karen Witty says that there are a number of diseases.

Dr Karen Witty (Nuani), Holistic Health Practitioner
"One of the biggest problems that we have facing here in Belize is Diabetes, high blood pressure, hormonal disorders, weight issues and the root cause of these things are sugar. Sugar feeds every single pathology and it's the root cause of many diseases that has not been addressed. Sugar is one of the root causes of diabetes, high blood pressure, Cancer, Glaucoma, weight and menstrual problems and the list goes on. Here in Belize one of the big problems is our diet. We have to totally and completely change our diet. We eat corn, we eat a lot of the starchy foods and we are not consuming enough vegetables, mostly greens. We need to eat a lot of greens. If your intention is to lose weight and get rid of diabetes and get rid off high blood pressure and even high cholesterol the root cause of high cholesterol is sugar."

It is a great networking opportunity for the holistic healing community , highlighting the importance of traditional medicine and the various practices in Belize and other neighboring countries. Dr Marc Nadreau told us what those practices are.

Dr Marc Nadreau, Holistic Health care
"The purpose of this conference is to bring the doctors to know some of the healers because we also do herbal and some of that we call it traditional medicine because we encompass both body massage yoga and acupuncture, chiropractic Ayurvedic medicine and healing art, Reikis and all of these are part of healing. Some of us know bentosa which is cupping, needling that we also do and some of the Mayan healing does different aspects of art, blend herbs into it spiritual because spirituality is part of healing and so people tend to not understand the way that medicine is. Medicine is not one pill that cures all, it's one pill that cures the whole body and we need the whole system to be a part of the whole. We want everybody to be a whole instead of just part of you. We tend to divide medicine but medicine should be the total body even if it's mental, physical and spiritual and that gives you a whole healing process of patience so this is what most of us in traditional medicine look at to help patients to be feeling holy as they come out."