RA 8423

community intellectual rights

A sui generis or unique set of rights which provides the legal basis for the indigenous and local communities to control, protect, and regulate access to their knowledge systems concerning plants and biological resources used in traditional and alternative health care practices and includes the right to receive benefits from its sustainable utilization as well as the commercialization of products that may be derived from it.

homeopathy

Also known as Homeopathic Medicine, it is a philosophy of health and a formal system of diagnosis and of drug therapeutics that aims to stimulate the body's own natural healing capacity, developed by Samuel Christian Friedrich Hahnemann in 1797. Homeopathy comes from the Greek homios ("similar") and pathos ("suffering" or "sickness"). The fundamental law upon which homeopathy is based is the law of similars, or "Like is cured by like" - in Latin, similia similibuscurentur. The law of similars states that a remedy can cure a disease when a substance produces in a healthy person, symptoms similar to those of the disease. The law of similars enables the physician to select the one medicine (the simillimum) that the remedy induces.

osteopathy

Alsocalledosteopathicmedicine,reliesonmanualcontactfordiagnosis and treatment. It respects the relationship of body, mind and spirit in health and disease; it lays emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body and the body's intrinsic tendency for self-healing. Osteopathic practitioners use a wide variety of therapeutic manual techniques to improve physiological function and/or support homeostasis that has been altered by somatic (body framework) dysfunction, i.e. impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system; skeletal, arthrodial and myofascial structures; and related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.2

biological medicine

Involves methods of healing for which, in all procedures and therapy, the highest guiding principle maybe formulated as follows: maintenance and furtherance of the human biosystem. It employs substances, which are produced in vital processes, as much as therapeutic technique, which are closely oriented to the functions of life. The goal of which is the support or the restoration of development and self- healing. Biological Medicine employs, as required, the possibilities of natural substances, physical forces and psychological methods, in effectively coordinated manner.

unani

It encompasses a wide range of practices. Unani regimental therapy includes venesection, cupping, the promotion of diaphoresis and diuresis, Turkish baths, massage, cauterization, purging, emesis, exercise and leeching. Unani diet therapy deals with certain ailments by treating them with specific diets or by regulating the quantity and quality of food. Unani pharmacotherapy uses naturally occurring medicines, mostly herbal medicines and those of animal and mineral origin. Single medicines or their combination in raw form are preferred over compound formulations. Unani physiotherapy uses specific exercise techniques to help balance the homeostasis of the body.

alternative medicine

It means the same as, and used interchangeably with, the terms complementary medicine and integrative medicine.

facilities

Refers to a clinic, wellness center, or other health center facility offering traditional, complementary, and/or integrative medicine. It includes traditional and alternative health care centers in public and private hospitals.

acupuncture

Refers to a comprehensive system of health care using traditional Chinese medical theory and its unique methods of diagnosis and treatments, for the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health and the prevention of disease. Its treatment techniques include, but are not limited to, the insertion of acupuncture needles through the skin and the use of other biophysical methods, e.g. the use of heat, oriental massage techniques, electrical stimulation, herbal supplemental therapies, dietary guidelines, breathing techniques, exercise, cupping, dermal friction, and acupressure based on traditional Chinese medical principles.

anthroposophic medicine

Refers to a form of complementary medicine. It is rooted in the science-based medicine of the present, but takes into account the whole human being in its method, diagnosis and therapy. It pays equal attention to the body, soul and spirit of the patient, recognizing the person's unique biography. The concept considers that the human organism is not only formed by physical (cellular, molecular) forces but by a total of four levels of formative forces: (1) formative physical forces; (2) formative growth forces that interact with physical forces and bring about and maintain the living form, as in plants; (3) a further class of formative forces (anima, soul) that interact with the growth forces and physical forces, creating the duality of internal external and the sensory, motor, nervous and circulatory systems as seen in animals; (4) an additional class of formative forces (Geist, spirit) that interacts with the three others and supports the expression of the individual mind and the capacity for reflective thinking, which is unique for humans.

albularyo

Refers to a general practitioner of all indigenous modalities of healing (e.g. hilot, herbalist, people who drive/cast away spirit possession)

indigenous cultural communities / indigenous peoples

Refers to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as an organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall likewise include people who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own, social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains.

spiritista

Refers to a healer who claims to be a medium to other spirit entities.

pranic healing

Refers to a holistic approach of healing which follows the principle of balancing energy.

acupressure

Refers to a method of healing and health promotion that uses the application of pressure on acupuncture points without puncturing the skin.

massage

Refers to a method wherein the superficial soft parts of the body are rubbed or stroked or kneaded or tapped for remedial or aesthetic or hygienic or even limited therapeutic purposes. It also includes the practice of reflexology, synchrotherapy, myotherapy, physical therapy and other similar techniques that use instruments and/or other parts of the body.

T&CM practitioner

Refers to a person who practices TM, CM, or T&CM in the Philippines. Shall include but shall not be limited to practitioners of chiropractic, naturopathy, acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, homeopathy, homotoxicology, Tuina massage, Hilot practitioners, and other T&CM discipline/modality.

philippine traditional healer

Refers to a person with knowledge in indigenous and/or Philippine belief systems, oral traditions and health practices, who uses the traditional medicine of the ICCs/IPs and/or other ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines, including but not limited to, the Ilocanos, Davaoeños, Cagayanons, Cebuanos, Tagalog, Bicolanos, Boholanos, Ilonggos, Kapampangan, Batangenos, Cavitenos, Negrenses, et cetera. The term Philippine traditional healer shall also include the mumbaki, baylan, babaylan, mananambal, mangngagas, katalonan, manghihilot, albularyo, magtayhop, and folk healers of ICCs/IPs and/or other ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines.

chiropractic

Refers to a primary portal of entry health care profession which focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the neuro- musculoskeletal system with special emphasis on the spine and its effect on General Health. It is hypothesized that the general health of an individual is affected by these disorders via the nervous system. Chiropractors also known as chiropractic physicians are individuals who specialize in the treatment of patients with health problems that involve the musculoskeletal system.

homotoxicology

Refers to a scientific therapeutic system in which complex homeopathic medications are used to treat conventionally diagnosed conditions. It is a bridge between classical and conventional pharmacology. It is a method of detoxification on the physical level in an organism, which is loaded with toxins. Dr. Hans Heinrich Reckeweg, a German, developed the theory of homotoxicology in the 1950's. Homotoxins may be: 1. Internal (free radicals, lactic acid, etc.) 2. External (viruses, bacteriam environmental pollutants, etc.). Reckeweg formulated a six-phase table of diseases consisting of 3 humoral phases: excretory, inflammatory, and deposition phases; while the cellular phases include the impregnation, degeneration, and dedifferentiation phases.

mind therapy

Refers to an alternative form of medicine that explores the principles, methods, means and interventions related to the mind-body spiritual aspects of wellness and the healing process. This includes studies with emphasis on exploring spiritual perspectives and practices that will put the body in a state of homeostasis which will induce healing. Some of these approaches include Light and Sound (Cymantics) therapy, Color therapy, Medical Astrology, Aromatherapy, Bach therapy, Shape and Design Structures, Meditation, Imagery Healing, Hypnotherapy etc.

tuina massage

Refers to an ancient TCM therapeutic technique for treating and preventing diseases. It is a manipulative massage technique that employs the use of hands or any other part of the limb and applied to an acupuncture point or part of the body to maintain or restore yin and yang balance. It includes techniques such as pushing (Tui) and grasping (Na) of soft tissue, that are specific to the practice of TCM and are guided by its principles.

manufacture

Refers to any and all operations involved in the production, including preparation, propagation, processing, formulating, filling, packing, repacking, altering, ornamenting, finishing or otherwise changing the container, wrapper, or labeling of a consumer product in the furtherance of the distribution of the same from the original place of manufacture to the person who makes the final delivery or sale to the ultimate consumer.

nutra / nutriceuticals

Refers to any natural product, usually of plant origin, that is packaged as a dietary supplement for therapeutic use.

nutritional therapy

Refers to any natural product, usually of plant origin, that is packaged as a dietary supplement for therapeutic use.

herbal medicine / phyto medicine

Refers to finished, labeled, medicinal products that contain as active ingredients aerial or underground part/s of plant or other materials or combination thereof, whether in the crude state or as plant preparations. Plant materials include juices, gums, fatty oils, essential oils and other substances of this nature. Herbal medicines, however, may contain excipients in addition to the active ingredient(s). Medicines containing plant material(s) combined with chemically defined active substances, including chemically defined isolated constituents of plants, is not considered to be herbal medicines.

functional foods

Refers to foods derived from naturally recurring substances containing significant levels of biologically active compounds that impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects beyond basic nutrition. It can and should be part of the daily diet. Functional foods have a particular function when ingested, serving to regulate a particular body process such as enhancing the body's immune system, or help prevent or control disease in cancer and diabetes or aid recovery from, such as cholesterol lowering foods or regulate body metabolic rhythms for digestion or suppress aging.

oracion

Refers to modalities of traditional healing used by our ancestors to induce changes in the body through prayers, chanting, mantras and breathing.

reflexology

Refers to the application of therapeutic pressure on the body's reflex points to enhance the body's natural healing mechanisms and balance body functions. It is based on the principle that internal glands and organs can be influenced by properly applying pressure to the corresponding reflex area on the body.

naturopathy

Refers to the general practice of natural health therapies. Naturopathy emphasizes prevention, treatment and the promotion of optimal health through the use of therapeutic methods and modalities which encourage the self-healing process - the vis medicatrix naturae. The philosophical approaches of naturopathy include prevention of disease, encouragement of the body's inherent healing abilities, natural treatment of the whole person, personal responsibility for one's health, and education of patients in health-promoting lifestyles. Naturopathy blends centuries-old knowledge of natural therapies with current advances in the understanding of health and human systems.

hilot

Refers to the science and art of the ancient Filipino healing grounded on the principle of balance of the physical elements, together with the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the person, with the use of manipulations, "bulong" or "oracion", and medicinal plants for the prevention of disease and for the restoration and maintenance of health and well-being.

traditional medicine

Refers to the sum total of knowledge, skills and practice on health care, not necessarily explicable in the context of modern, scientific, philosophical framework, but recognized by the people to help maintain and improve their health towards the wholeness of their being, the community and society, and their interrelations based on culture, history, heritage and consciousness.

ayurveda

Refers to the traditional Indian system of holistic healing which describes the beneficial, non-beneficial, happy and unhappy aspects of life. It is a Sanskrit word derived from ayuh (life) and veda (knowledge), and is also known as the "science of life".

traditional chinese medicine

Refers to the traditional medicine that originated in China, and is documented in ancient Chinese medical handbooks and traditional Chinese pharmacopeia.

phyto-therapy

Refers to the use of plant-based drugs to prevent or cure diseases or alleviate symptoms of said diseases.

intellectual property rights

Refers to those property rights which result from the physical manifestation of the original thought.

biomedicine

Referstoadisciplineofmedicalcareadvocatingtherapywithremedies that produce effects differing from those of the diseases treated. It is also called "allopathic medicine", "western medicine", "regular or mainstream medicine", "orthodox medicine" or "cosmopolitan medicine".

iridology

Referstoamethodofexaminingtheirisofthehumaneyeusedasameans of diagnosing diseases and other pathologic changes.

aromatherapy

Referstotheartandscienceofthesenseofsmellwherebyessential aromatic oils are combined and then applied to the body in some form of therapeutic treatment.

complementary medicine

These Rules adopt the World Health Organization's definition of complementary medicine, wherein the term refers to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of the country's own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system. Within these Rules, complementary medicine shall be used interchangeably with the terms alternative medicine and integrative medicine.

integrative medicine

These Rules shall adopt the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) definition of Integrative Medicine, that is, that Integrative health care often brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. It emphasizes a holistic, patient-focused approach to health care and wellness—often including mental, emotional, functional, spiritual, social, and community aspects—and treating the whole person rather than, for example, one organ system. It aims for well-coordinated care between different providers and institutions.

natural product

These Rules shall adopt the definition of "natural" product by the ASEAN Agreement on Health Supplements, as follows: "Substances derived from natural sources, including animal, mineral and botanical materials in the forms of extracts, isolates, concentrates, metabolites".1

RA 8423

Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (TAMA) of 1997

traditional and complementary medicine

merges the terms Traditional Medicine (TM) and Complementary Medicine (CM), encompassing products, practices and practitioners.

rule 1

policies and objectives