Resumo
CONTATORE, Octávio Augusto; TESSER, Charles Dalcanale e BARROS, Nelson Filice de. Self-referred self-care: the contributions of traditional Chinese Medicine to Primary Health Care. Interface (Botucatu) [online]. 2021, vol.25, e200461. Epub 16-Abr-2021. ISSN 1807-5762. https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.200461.
Biomedical recommendations on self-care tend towards (hetero-referred) preventive behavioral prescriptions. The incorporation of non-biomedical approaches such as Chinese medicine into the public health care system has not been enough to change perspectives on self-care in primary health care (PHC). In the face of the reduction of self-care in Chinese medicine in its diaspora to the West, the literature has discussed the potential for enhancing self-care by building on the practices of traditional Chinese medicine and its potential to contribute to the objectives of PHC. This essay draws on three sources: interviews with acupuncturists working in primary care services, autoethnography and an analysis of the literature. It is concluded that traditional Chinese medicine fosters (self-referred) self-knowledge, self- awareness and learning through its techniques or approach, potentiating actions designed to promote self-care in PHC.
KeyWords : Primary health care; Traditional Chinese medicine; Self-care.
