{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T23:13:29Z","timestamp":1790205209997,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":84,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,13]],"date-time":"2015-02-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1423785600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Transcult Psychiatry"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The experience of epilepsy is profoundly culturally mediated and the meanings attributed to the condition can have a great impact on its social course. This qualitative study used Kleinman\u2019s Explanatory Model framework to explore traditional healers\u2019 perspectives on epilepsy in an urban township in Cape Town, South Africa. The healers who participated in the study were Xhosa-speaking, had experience caring for patients with epilepsy, and had not received any training on epilepsy. Six individual in-depth interviews and one focus group with nine traditional healers were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Traditional healers identified several different names referring to epilepsy. They explained epilepsy as a thing inside the body which is recognized by the way it presents itself during an epileptic seizure. According to these healers, epilepsy is difficult to understand because it is not easily detectable. Their biomedical explanations of the cause of epilepsy included, among others, lack of immunizations, child asphyxia, heredity, traumatic birth injuries and dehydration. These healers believed that epilepsy could be caused by amafufunyana (evil spirits) and that biomedical doctors could not treat the supernatural causes of epilepsy. However, the healers believed that western medicines, as well as traditional medicines, could be effective in treating the epileptic seizures. Traditional healers were supportive of collaboration with western-trained practitioners and highlighted that the strategy must have formal agreements in view of protection of intellectual property, accountability and respect of their indigenous knowledge. The findings suggest a need for interventions that promote cultural literacy among mental health practitioners. Research is urgently needed to assess the impact of such collaborations between biomedical services and traditional healers on epilepsy treatment and care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1363461515571626","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,14]],"date-time":"2015-02-14T00:48:31Z","timestamp":1423874911000},"page":"659-680","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":72,"title":["\u2018A thing full of stories\u2019: Traditional healers\u2019 explanations of epilepsy and perspectives on collaboration with biomedical health care in Cape Town"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"52","author":[{"given":"Mpoe Johannah","family":"Keikelame","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leslie","family":"Swartz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732313484196"},{"key":"bibr2-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2009.09.005"},{"key":"bibr3-1363461515571626","volume-title":"The practice of social research","author":"Babbie E. 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M. (Eds.). (1992).\n                      The social basis of health and healing in Africa.\n                      Berkeley: University of California Press."},{"key":"bibr20-1363461515571626","volume-title":"An introduction to qualitative research (3rd ed.)","author":"Flick U.","year":"2006"},{"key":"bibr21-1363461515571626","volume-title":"The research process in nursing","author":"Gerrish K.","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr22-1363461515571626","volume-title":"Doing research in the real world","author":"Gray D. E.","year":"2009"},{"key":"bibr23-1363461515571626","volume-title":"Rituals and medicines: Indigenous healing in Africa","author":"Hammond-Tooke D.","year":"1989"},{"key":"bibr24-1363461515571626","volume-title":"Culture, health and illness (3rd ed.)","author":"Helman C. 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(2000).\n                      Mpathekombi ya bantu abadala: Elder abuse in black townships on the Cape Flats.\n                      Cape Town, South Africa: HSRC\/UCT Centre for Gerontology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town."},{"key":"bibr32-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2012.06.003"},{"key":"bibr33-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/008124630703700206"},{"key":"bibr34-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2013.05.025"},{"key":"bibr35-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2012.10.015"},{"key":"bibr36-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1528-1167.2008.01580_1.x"},{"key":"bibr37-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520340848"},{"key":"bibr38-1363461515571626","unstructured":"Lehohla, P. (2011).\n                      Census 2011 municipal report, Western Cape\n                      . Pretoria, South Africa: Statistics South Africa. Retrieved from www.statssa.gov.za\/census2011\/Products\/WC_Municipal_Report.pdf."},{"key":"bibr39-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2006.05.016"},{"issue":"2","key":"bibr40-1363461515571626","first-page":"14","volume":"20","author":"Levin M. 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University of the Free State, South Africa."},{"key":"bibr49-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4314\/ajtcam.v5i4.31293"},{"key":"bibr50-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2012.12.036"},{"issue":"3","key":"bibr51-1363461515571626","first-page":"367","volume":"15","author":"Munthali A. C.","year":"2006","journal-title":"Nordic Journal of African Studies"},{"key":"bibr52-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2010.11.016"},{"key":"bibr53-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/10349120601008563"},{"key":"bibr54-1363461515571626","unstructured":"Naidoo, S. & Irlam, J. (2005). Vanguard community health centre in context: A situational analysis of the health facility and the communities of Bonteheuwel and Langa. Unpublished report. University of Cape Town, Cape Town: Primary Health Care Directorate."},{"key":"bibr55-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)61381-6"},{"key":"bibr56-1363461515571626","volume-title":"Body and mind in Zulu medicine: An ethnography of health and disease in Nyuswa-Zulu thought and practice","author":"Ngubane H.","year":"1977"},{"key":"bibr57-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1159\/000077579"},{"key":"bibr58-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2009.10.018"},{"key":"bibr59-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Owusu-Ansah, F. E. & Mji, G. (2013). African indigenous knowledge and research.\n                      African Journal of Disabilit\n                      y,\n                      2\n                      (1), Art. 30. doi: http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4102\/ajod.v2i1.30.","DOI":"10.4102\/ajod.v2i1.30"},{"key":"bibr60-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)61261-7"},{"key":"bibr61-1363461515571626","first-page":"4","volume":"4","author":"Pinkoane M. G.","year":"2008","journal-title":"Curationis"},{"key":"bibr62-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13674676.2011.553716"},{"key":"bibr63-1363461515571626","unstructured":"Pretorius, E. (2004). Complementary\/alternative and traditional health care in South Africa. In H. C. J. van Rensburg (Ed.),\n                      Health and health care in South Africa\n                      (pp. 506\u2013560)\n                      .\n                      Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaick."},{"key":"bibr64-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1079\/PNS2004399"},{"key":"bibr65-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rhodes, P., Small, N., Ismail, H. & Wright, J. P. (2008). The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK.\n                      BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 8\n                      , Art. 7. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.biomedcentral.com\/1472-6882\/8\/7.","DOI":"10.1186\/1472-6882-8-7"},{"issue":"207","key":"bibr66-1363461515571626","first-page":"207","volume":"83","author":"Robertson B. 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(2013, November).\n                      The \u201cexposed being\u201d and the \u201caugmented self\u201d: Apotropaic magic and the sangoma\u2019s patient in the southern African healer\u2019s practice\n                      . Paper presented to the 56th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, \u201cMobility, migration and flows\u201d, Baltimore, Maryland. Retrieved from http:\/\/robertthorntonza.blogspot.com\/2013_10_01_archive.html."},{"key":"bibr78-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2007.02.018"},{"issue":"8","key":"bibr79-1363461515571626","first-page":"56","volume":"74","author":"Truter I.","year":"2007","journal-title":"SA Pharmaceutical Journal"},{"key":"bibr80-1363461515571626","volume-title":"Qualitative methods. A field guide for applied research in sexual and reproductive health","author":"Ulin P. 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(2006).\n                      Advancing health literacy: A framework for understanding and action.\n                      San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass."},{"key":"bibr86-1363461515571626","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0165025409343748"}],"container-title":["Transcultural Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1363461515571626","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1363461515571626","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1363461515571626","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T22:33:51Z","timestamp":1741041231000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1363461515571626"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,13]]},"references-count":84,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1363461515571626"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1363461515571626","relation":{},"ISSN":["1363-4615","1461-7471"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1363-4615","type":"print"},{"value":"1461-7471","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,13]]}}}