SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN HEALTH: TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES.

Although not recent, discussions on Traditional and Complementary Medicine have gained momentum in recent years. Within the World Health Organization (WHO), the topic has been discussed since the late 1960s, when, in the context of analyses of national health systems, it was observed that in many places around the world, therapeutic approaches and practices not recognized by biomedicine (also called Western medicine or conventional medicine) were being used. It was agreed that the term Traditional Medicine encompasses cultural and indigenous therapeutic and care practices; Complementary Medicine is not linked to the tradition of a people but encompasses knowledge and care approaches that, although not fully integrated and recognized in mainstream health systems, are used in a complementary way. The WHO has recommended that its members advance research into the safety and efficacy of such practices, considering, within their capacities, their incorporation as a complement to health services. It is argued that such practices contribute to care from a multidimensional physical, emotional, and spiritual approach to individual needs. Expanding the supply of Traditional and Complementary Medicine has the potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially regarding Goal 3, which aims to ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all at all ages.