ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Afrin IDPs and the residents of villages in northern Aleppo countryside who suffer from diseases such as discs, migraine, clogged arteries and convulsions resort to alternative medicine for treatment, in light of the region's lack of specialized doctors and the lack of medical centers that provide health services, in addition to the closure of roads and crossings between the city of Aleppo and villages in its northern countryside by the Syrian government forces.
Shukri Rasho, an IDP from Afrin who resides in Ahdath village has been suffering from muscle atrophy for 11 years.
"After bitter suffering from the unavailability of specialized doctors, we resorted to alternative medicine," he said.
A month ago Rasho resorted to alternative medicine treatment, "since the beginning of the displacement to northern Aleppo countryside, I have not consulted any doctors because I could not find one, and now I am following Chinese medicine, and I feel a slight improvement in my hands, and my shoulders are at the same level somewhat."
Afarin Hospital in the village of Fafin is the only hospital in northern Aleppo countryside, in addition to seven medical centers for the Kurdish Red Crescent deployed in the neighboring villages and towns, where these medical points lack equipment, medicines and trained health personnel.
Hanan Rasho, father of a sick young man said that before Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition groups taking over Afrin region, "I took my son to several doctors until I reached Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs, all of whom were neurologists, but they did not give me much hope for his recovery."
"Now, I bring him to take sessions, and he has benefited somewhat in moving his hands, and the curvature has disappeared from the top of his spine," he said.
The Turkish military operation against Afrin region in 2018 caused the displacement of about 300,000 people, according to statistics by the human rights organization in Afrin.
Regarding the mechanism of alternative medicine treatment, Muhammad Ahmad Haftaro, an IDP from Afrin region, who has been working in alternative medicine for more than ten years, said he diagnoses the disease via his naked eye, examining the spine, asking the patient about the symptoms and identifying the places of pain. "I do not ask the patient for analysis or x-rays," he said.
Haftaro said he obtained a certificate from Tawaf Center for Alternative Medicine Therapy in 2018. "l use a mixture of seven natural oils, such as olive, palm, clove, ginger, almond, and aloe vera oil, to massage the patient, and l use hot water compresses and Chinese sticks to open the arteries and massage the spine," he added.
According to Haftaro, alternative medicine has been successful in treating many diseases related to the spine, such as disc, migraine, clogged arteries and convulsions.
"Doctors are unable to heal spinal diseases without relying on surgeries. I do leveling the curvature of the back and Spondylolisthesis through massaging, and I teach the patient to do specific types of exercises to help him recover."
Haftaro believes that relying on chemical medications such as pain killers and Cortisone injections prescribed by doctors leads to negative effects such as osteoporosis, "it is necessary to rely on natural foods and herbs such as garlic, lemon and drinking warm water in the morning," he said.
While doctor Muhammad Adl said alternative medicine has many benefits, the most important of which are the fewer side effects, but the therapist must have a degree from specialized educational institutes, in order not to damage the spine."
"Therefore, care should be taken before visiting any therapist who provides alternative medicine services," Adl said.
(Reporting by Dejla Khalil)