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Indigenous health and wellness is holistic, relational and specific to each People and community. It can include spiritual, cultural, environmental, social, physical and mental dimensions, with well-being understood as both individual and collective. Traditional healing and biomedical care do not have to be separate: a person may coordinate them when that is their informed choice, practitioners communicate respectfully, risks and interactions are reviewed, and urgent or specialized care is not delayed.
This guide explains the rights, consent standards, safety questions and practical conversations that help make care respectful. It is general information, not individualized medical or legal advice. Rules for healers, medicines, documentation and referrals depend on the country, state or province, and Indigenous nation involved.
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What does Indigenous health and wellness mean?
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Indigenous concepts of health as broader than a purely biomedical model. Health can be an equilibrium involving spirituality, traditional medicine, biodiversity and “the interconnectedness of all that exists.” Its FAQ states that Indigenous Peoples’ concept of health and well-being is holistic, encompassing spiritual, environmental, cultural and social dimensions alongside physical and mental health.
That description is a framework, not a single definition for every community. Indigenous Peoples are not one culture. Languages, ceremonies, medicines, family structures, protocols, knowledge holders and views of illness differ among Peoples and nations. Land, water, animals, community relationships and responsibilities may be part of a person’s understanding of health, while the relevant decision-maker may be the individual, family, Elder, healer, community or a combination of them.
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A service that treats culture as an optional add-on can therefore miss clinically important information. Asking what health means to the person, who should be involved and which practices must remain private is part of safe, respectful care.
What rights protect traditional medicine and health practices?
Article 24 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007, recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices. It also recognizes Indigenous individuals’ right to access social and health services without discrimination and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
These rights do not require a patient to choose traditional care instead of clinical treatment, or clinical treatment instead of traditional care. They support self-determination, equal treatment and the ability to maintain culture while seeking whatever care the person chooses. National and regional laws may implement these principles differently. UNDRIP text reproduced in Canadian legislation, for example, is not a complete statement of the law in every jurisdiction.
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Can traditional healing and Western medicine be used together?
Yes, if the person wants coordinated care and the clinicians and healers can communicate safely. “Western medicine” is a broad label for biomedical services such as diagnosis, surgery, prescription drugs and rehabilitation; traditional healing also includes many distinct systems rather than one standardized method. The question is not which system always wins. It is whether a particular combination fits the person’s goals, condition, preferences and safety needs.
What coordination requires
- Voluntary choice: The patient decides whether to involve a healer, clinician, family member or Elder, subject to applicable law and emergency limitations.
- Specific disclosure: Everyone involved needs accurate information about the exact preparation, dose, timing, procedure, ceremony or other practice.
- Interaction review: Medicines, supplements, fasting, dietary restrictions, heat, pressure, skin applications and other practices can affect anesthesia, blood clotting, blood sugar, blood pressure or prescribed drugs. A pharmacist or clinician should review possible interactions rather than assuming compatibility.
- Clear roles: Agree who is monitoring symptoms, ordering tests, changing a medicine and arranging follow-up.
- Confidentiality: Information is shared only with the patient’s permission, except where a legal safety duty applies. Sacred or restricted knowledge should not be recorded or circulated without authorization.
- Timely referral: Traditional support should not postpone emergency treatment, cancer evaluation, surgery, treatment for severe infection or other specialized care when those are indicated.
Coordination is not automatically safe merely because both providers are well intentioned. It is a communication and risk-management process shaped by the person’s informed choice.
Traditional healing and biomedical care compared
No system is universally superior. The useful comparison is practical: what each approach is trying to do, who holds authority and how uncertainty and risk are handled.
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| Question | Traditional healing | Biomedical care |
|---|---|---|
| Goal and view of health | May address spiritual, relational, cultural, environmental and physical balance; goals and protocols differ by People and healer. | Usually focuses on diagnosing and treating biological disease, preventing complications and restoring function through clinical methods. |
| Knowledge and authority | May be held by Elders, recognized healers, families or community knowledge holders under specific protocols. | Authority is generally assigned through professional education, licensing, clinical guidelines and institutional accountability. |
| Evidence and uncertainty | Evidence may include generations of experience, observation, ceremony and community knowledge; published clinical evidence varies by practice. | Uses diagnostic studies, trials, professional consensus and monitoring, but uncertainty remains for every intervention. |
| Consent and privacy | May involve individual, family or community protocols; the person’s wishes and restrictions on knowledge must be respected. | Requires individual clinical informed consent and confidentiality under applicable law and professional standards. |
| Safety monitoring | Depends on the practice, preparation, healer, observation and referral arrangements. | Includes documented histories, contraindication checks, adverse-event reporting and clinical follow-up, although errors can still occur. |
| Regulation | Recognition and legal status vary widely by jurisdiction and Indigenous nation. | Licensing and facility rules are generally established by government or professional regulators, with significant local variation. |
| Access and fit | May provide cultural continuity, language support, community connection or spiritual meaning; availability and cost differ. | May offer emergency services, laboratories, imaging and specialized treatment; distance, cost, language and discrimination can limit access. |
Are traditional healing practices safe?
There is no responsible universal answer that all traditional practices are safe or that all are unsafe. Safety depends on the exact practice and preparation, the dose and route, the person’s condition, pregnancy or breastfeeding status, allergies, concurrent medicines, and the competence and accountability of the provider. The quality controls and legal status of a product can also differ from one jurisdiction to another.
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Questions to ask before starting or combining a practice
- What is the practice or product called in the community’s language and in plain language?
- What ingredients, plants, animal products, minerals, devices or procedures are involved, and how are they prepared?
- What amount, frequency and duration are intended?
- Who is providing it, what training or community recognition do they have, and what follow-up is offered?
- Could it interact with prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, anesthesia, supplements or another traditional medicine?
- What should be avoided, and which symptoms mean the practice must stop?
Bring the container, ingredient list or written instructions to a pharmacist or clinician when possible. Do not stop a prescribed medicine abruptly without medical advice. Seek urgent local emergency help for severe breathing trouble, chest pain, signs of stroke, uncontrolled bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe allergic reaction, sudden confusion or rapidly worsening symptoms.
Authoritative sources cited for this topic do not establish a universal testing, efficacy or adverse-event database for traditional medicines. A local health authority, poison-information service or Indigenous health organization can explain product rules and reporting options in the relevant jurisdiction.
What is informed consent in Indigenous health care?
Clinical informed consent is an individual patient’s authorization for a proposed intervention after receiving understandable information about its purpose, expected benefits, material risks, alternatives, uncertainties and the option to decline or withdraw, subject to local law and professional standards. Consent should be voluntary and ongoing; signing a form is not a substitute for a conversation.
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Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a collective rights principle. It concerns decisions that may affect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, knowledge, lands, territories, resources or self-determination. “Free” means without coercion; “prior” means sought before the activity; and “informed” means based on adequate, accessible information. The relevant Indigenous People or rights-holders determine how consent is considered under their own institutions and laws.
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FPIC does not replace an individual patient’s clinical consent. A hospital may need community-level permission for a program or the use of Indigenous knowledge, while each patient still decides whether to undergo an examination, medicine, procedure or data collection. Conversely, an individual’s consent does not authorize a researcher or service to publish collective sacred knowledge.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should a patient talk with a doctor about a traditional healer or medicine?
Raise the subject early, ideally before a new prescription, procedure or surgery. You can say:
“I am using [practice or product] with [practitioner]. Can we review possible interactions, timing, side effects and what symptoms should prompt urgent care?”
A respectful clinician listens without ridicule or stereotypes, asks only for information relevant to safety, protects confidentiality and documents the patient’s preferences accurately. With permission, the clinician can coordinate with the healer, arrange an interpreter, include family or an Elder, or make a referral to an Indigenous health service. The patient can ask who will see the record, whether culturally sensitive information is necessary to document, and how corrections can be made.
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If a clinician dismisses the practice without discussing its specific risks, ask for a second opinion, pharmacist review or an Indigenous patient navigator. If a healer tells you to conceal treatment, stop essential medication or avoid emergency care, explain that you need coordinated advice and seek an independent clinical assessment.
Who is allowed to provide traditional healing?
There is no single global rule. Licensing, title protection, recognition, privacy duties, record-keeping, product controls and referral obligations vary by country, state, province and Indigenous nation. Some healers may be regulated health professionals; others may be recognized through community protocols without a government license. A government license alone does not establish cultural authority, and community recognition alone may not authorize a person to perform a regulated medical procedure.
How to check a provider responsibly
- Ask the relevant Indigenous nation or health organization how healers are recognized and which protocols apply.
- Check the local regulator for any protected professional title, registration requirement or disciplinary process.
- Ask what the provider will do in an emergency, how referrals work and whether they coordinate with other care.
- Clarify fees, confidentiality, records and whether products are labeled with ingredients and directions.
- Be cautious of anyone claiming guaranteed cures, demanding secrecy, discouraging all other care or pressuring you to disclose restricted cultural knowledge.
Do not assume that a rule from one jurisdiction applies elsewhere. Confirm requirements with the local health authority and the Indigenous nation involved before making legal or professional claims.
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A culturally safe service asks the person what support they want rather than assigning a culture to them. Practical steps include:
- Offer the person’s preferred language and a qualified interpreter, not an unprepared child or relative.
- Ask whether they want family, an Elder, healer, advocate or community support present.
- Explain options, uncertainty, costs, alternatives and the right to decline in plain language.
- Build time for ceremony or traditional practices where clinically and legally feasible, and explain any limits honestly.
- Protect Indigenous knowledge and health data from unauthorized collection, secondary use or publication.
- Use shared governance, accountability and feedback mechanisms that include Indigenous representatives.
These steps are not favors. They support equitable access, meaningful participation and the patient’s dignity while preserving the boundaries around collective knowledge and self-determination.
When should care be escalated?
Traditional or biomedical care should be escalated when symptoms are severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or outside the provider’s training. Emergency departments and local emergency numbers are appropriate for life-threatening symptoms. For suspected poisoning or a dangerous product reaction, contact the local poison-information service or emergency service and keep the product packaging available. For non-urgent uncertainty, ask a pharmacist, primary-care clinician, Indigenous health organization or local health authority for a coordinated review.
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