Bridging Worldviews: Integrating Indigenous Medicine in a Clinical Practice
Sandi Löytömäki, Yesenia Cortés
Volume 25, Number 2 (2026) 25 (2): 1-23
Keywords Indigenous medicine (IM), clinical integration, Indigenous research methodologies, multicultural identity, multifocal thinking, traditional medicine (TM), traditional knowledge (TK), Indigenous women, Sámi traditional medicine (STM)
Abstract
Within the context of the World Health Organization’s new Global Strategy on Traditional Medicine (2025–2034), this article employs Indigenous Research Methodologies to examine the integration of Indigenous medicine into contemporary clinical practice. Drawing on personal reflexive ethnography, the author proposes moving beyond a dualistic framework and the notion of “second sight” toward a multifocal perspective that weaves together narrative, Indigenous teachings, and scientific discourse. This approach emerges from a mixed Indigenous and multicultural identity that articulates Indigenous medical practices, integrative medicine, and Western biomedical science. The analysis includes a critical review of traditional, integrative, and complementary medicine, biomedicine,
gender disparities in healthcare, and the historical role of women, with particular emphasis on Sámi traditional medicine. Finally, the article discusses clinical experiences that engage with the four objectives of the WHO strategy: evidence, safety and efficacy, integration into health systems, and community empowerment.
Sandi Löytömäki
Yesenia Cortés
Published January 14, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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