环球英语 — 139：Traditional Healers Help With HIV

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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight 1. I’m Liz Waid.

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And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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If you were sick, where would you go for help?

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Many people in the world would go to the hospital. They would seek help from a doctor.

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Other people would go to a local health clinic. At the clinic they would talk to a health worker.

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But still other people would go to see a traditional healer 2 in their community. They would ask the healer how to get better.

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On today’s Spotlight we will describe how doctors, health workers and traditional healers are all working together. They are working together to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.

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Philip is a traditional healer in South Africa. He has been working as a healer for more than thirty [30] years. For many years Philip did not trust Western medicine. He believed his methods were best. He said,

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“I did not trust western drugs or their testing.”

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But AIDS is a rising problem in South Africa. The BBC 3 says that AIDS kills almost one thousand [1000] people each day in that country. Because of this, Philip and other traditional healers agreed to attend a six-week training at a local hospital. The training was to teach the healers more about HIV and AIDS. Now Philip understands why it is important that he works 4 with doctors when treating patients with HIV.

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You see, in the past many traditional healers did not know much about HIV. They did not know how HIV spreads through blood, through body fluids 5 during sex and breastfeeding, and through drug injections 8.

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In fact, some traditional healers were spreading HIV with their traditional methods. There are reports of healers trying to remove blood diseases 10 with their mouths. They will place their mouths on a person’s wound 11. They will suck 12 the person’s blood into their mouths. This is called “blood-letting.” For some diseases this method may work. But, if the disease 9 is HIV, this method will not work. It will only cause the healer to have HIV. Then, the healer may pass the virus 13 on to someone else.

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Other healers would use sharp instruments and try to cut their patients. This too could spread HIV to the healer. Some healers use herbal medicine. This treatment may actually make things worse. These treatments can speed up the progress of HIV in the body. And many healers believed they could cure HIV on their own. But there is no cure for HIV.

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That is why educating traditional healers about HIV is so important. It is important for their own health and the health of the people they treat. Now many traditional healers, like Philip, send some of their patients to a doctor if they recognize signs of HIV.

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For example, Philip once had a patient named David. Philip saw signs of HIV. So he told David that he should see a doctor. Now David takes anti-retroviral drugs, medicine for HIV. These drugs will not cure David. But they will help him live a longer, happier life. David felt good about seeing a doctor.

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“In the past, I have had very little faith in Western medicine. I chose to depend on natural herbal treatments for my sickness. If I had not been told to go see a doctor I would have never gone.”

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Thanks to Philip, the traditional healer, David is receiving good treatment for HIV.

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Programs educating traditional healers about HIV are very important. These programs help to stop the spread of this deadly virus. And these programs have become more and more popular with traditional healers. Traditional healers who receive HIV training believe they have an important role. They know that they can help control the spread of HIV in their communities. That is because most community members see the healer before going to a clinic or a hospital. In South Africa four out of five people see a traditional healer. So, traditional healers are important in encouraging people to see a doctor.

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But, why would people need to be encouraged to see a doctor? One doctor in South Africa explains.

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“The stigma 14 around HIV is very large. Most people still resist 15 being tested. It is very frightening for them.”

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You see, many people are afraid to know that they have HIV. They are afraid their families, friends, and communities may reject them. And sometimes this may happen. But, it is still important for infected people to receive treatment from a doctor. If they do not, they may die very quickly. Traditional healers can help people get over their fear. They can tell people they must see a doctor. And they can help people in their community understand the disease. Hopefully, community members will stop rejecting people who have HIV.

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But many people still do not want to be tested by a western-trained doctor. They do not trust Western medicine even if the healer tells them the method is safe. So now hospitals and traditional healers are working together in another way. Traditional healers are learning 16 how to give HIV tests. People are more willing 17 to trust their traditional healers.

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More and more traditional healers around the world are working with doctors and health workers. This relationship helps protect traditional healers. With knowledge about HIV healers can protect themselves against the virus. And this relationship is important for HIV prevention 18 and control in communities.

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This is just one important way of stopping the spread of HIV. But there are other ways. Save sex until you are married. Or, if you do have sex, protect yourself with a condom. Do not inject 7 drugs into your body. Do not touch other peoples’ blood. Women, if you have HIV, you should not breastfeed your babies. Breast 6 milk can pass the virus to your baby. If you believe you have HIV talk to a doctor, a health worker, or a traditional healer who has HIV training. Educate yourself about HIV and then educate other people around you. The more we work together, the better chance we have to fight the spread of HIV.