Terreiros de umbanda e candomblé como espaços de tratamento e cura no Brasil : uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

The Umbanda and Candomblé receive thousands of adepts all over the country that come looking for answers to body and soul’s ills. There are few studies about this topic; however, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommended, in 1978, the formulation of policy towards complementary medicine. Objective – Analyze the utilization of Umbanda and Candomblé’s therapeutic resources for diseases healing and treatment. Methods – Systematic review in five electronic databases for primary studies made in Brazil without date and language restriction, in order to analyze scientific evidences of relations between the Umbanda and Candomblé’s therapeutic resources and the healings in Brazilian’s terreiros. Excluding book’s chapters, dissertations and theses, studies made outside Brazil, studies that haven’t been found the entire text and studies that doesn’t have well defined interest themes. Agreement evaluations were applied on the revisers in every stage. Results – Ten articles were identified with diversity regarding illness, injuries, reason of seeking the terreiros and type of treatment received. Yet, all studies pointed the terreiros as a listening, care, refuge and complementary assistance spot. Conclusion – The therapeutic religious practices seek to provide the sense of the illness to the patient, guiding him or her into comprehending the process “illness against healing”. The Umbanda and Candomblé make the consultant responsible for the treatment process and encourages him or her to seek healing on traditional medicine, in order to balance body and soul. The Brazilian Public Health System needs to engage with these alternative treatment areas in a more effective way in order no fight health inequities, assuring the integrity in our population health care.