Lamine Gueye
University of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal – África.
Full professor Neurophysiology.
LECTURE: The Epilepsies: Dialogues between Traditional Healers and Contemporary Neurologists in Africa.
The prevalence of epilepsy in Africa is the highest in the world, 10 to 30‰ in many countries.
The care of patients is still difficult because of the lack of qualified staff and infrastructures, the unavailability of certain drugs, but also the influence of socio-cultural factors.
Societal beliefs evoke inorganic and mystical causes of the disease, hence the frequent use of traditional methods for the treatment of patients. Some treatments are herbal but also is frequently based on mystical approaches (incantation, wearing amulets, bathing).
Such treatments are not good for patients and for solving this problem, it is necessary to establish a dialogue between neurologists and traditional healers. We will describe the experience made in Senegal.