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INVITATION

Africa First, LLC of Minnesota, USA, in association with the Center for World Indigenous Studies, BirthingTheFuture®, Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association, Traditional & Modern Health Care Providers Together Against AIDS (THETA) of Uganda, Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Associations (GHAFTRAM),  International Traditional Health Practitioners & Research Council of Malawi and Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia (THPAZ), is pleased to invite health policy makers, indigenous peoples, health institutions, researchers, conventional medical practitioners, medical schools, medical associations, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, nurses, medical students, traditional health practitioners, foundations, hospitals, pharmaceutical and bio-technological companies, as well as those individuals wanting to know other perspectives on healing, to a unique gathering of wisdom from and about indigenous approaches to healing some of the most troublesome medical issues of our times: Cancer, Diabetes, Auto-Immune Diseases, Cardiovascular Disorders and Mental Illnesses. This very special event will take place at Ted Mann Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, from July 12 through July 15, 2006. 

RATIONALE FOR CONFERENCE

Eight in ten of all health problems resulting in long-term health treatment needs or death are a product of chronic disease. Cardiovascular disease, mental health diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis account for the vast majority of chronic conditions in human populations. Conventional medicine treats the symptoms, but often faces complications when the need is to prevent the conditions producing chronic disease. Complementary, Traditional and Alternative healing systems have demonstrated the capacity to effectively prevent and treat many chronic conditions. The combination of conventional systems of medicine and the complementary, traditional and alternative healing systems may ensure wide spread relief from chronic disease.

According to the records of the World Health Organization, the following are current grim facts on chronic diseases worldwide:

Cardiovascular diseases: an estimated 16.7 million people die of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes, every year.

Mental diseases: 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems at any time. Mental illnesses are common to all countries and cause immense suffering. People with these disorders are often subjected to social isolation, poor quality of life and increased mortality. These disorders are the cause of staggering economic and social costs. Mental illnesses affect and are affected by chronic conditions such as cancer, heart and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Untreated, they bring about unhealthy behavior, non-compliance with prescribed medical regimens, diminished immune functioning, and poor prognosis.

Cancer related diseases: Cancer accounts for 7 million deaths every year—or 12.5% of deaths worldwide. There are approximately 20 million people living with cancer at the moment; by 2020 there will be an estimated 30 million. And the impact is far greater than the number of cases alone would suggest. It is estimated that there will be 16 million new cases every year by 2020. .

Diabetes Mellitus: The latest WHO estimate (for the number of people with diabetes, world-wide, in 2000) is 177 million. This will increase to at least 300 million by 2025. A more plausible figure is likely to be around 4 million deaths per year related to the presence of the disorder. Many of these diabetes related deaths are from cardiovascular complications. Most of them are premature deaths when the people concerned are economically contributing to society.

Despite the extraordinary progress made by scientific medicine and medical technology to advance modern medicine and the continuous expenditure of several billions of dollars for the discovery of new drugs, finding cheaper and effective therapies and methods for the cure and prevention of the chronic diseases remains elusive. Today, the medical community in the developed world is beginning to give serious consideration to the use of ancient wisdom, indigenous healers, traditional medicines or alternative and complementary therapies as potential adjuncts in the treatment and prevention of these diseases. Many European countries are already ahead of the U.S. in the use of these therapies. And, for perhaps the first time in history, indigenous approaches from around the world are being exported and are cross-pollinating and expanding our worldview of health and illness.