Call it old or call it from bygone times, but traditional healing has existed in the Emirates for generations and, despite the arrival of doctors, hospitals and some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, it never disappeared.

When the first doctors arrived in Al Ain in 1960 to establish Oasis Hospital, they encountered a world in which traditional medicine was often the only treatment people knew.

Children were brought to them bearing the marks of wasm, or cauterisation: burns deliberately made on particular points of the body to treat illness.

More than six decades later, the transformation is extraordinary. Abu Dhabi now boasts world-class hospitals, robotic surgery, precision medicine, advanced cancer care and procedures that would have been unimaginable then.

And yet the traditional healers remain. They still cauterise. They still massage and press particular areas of the body. They still receive people in homes and farms who come seeking help for everything from back pain to infertility, liver problems and, according to some healers, cancer.

Call it outdated if you wish but one thing is certain: traditional healing is part of the story of the UAE, and the government is now working to write its next chapter and ensure it doesn't disappear any time soon.

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How UAE is embracing healing hands of traditional medicine for new era of health care

For more than half a century, Moza Al Mansoori has practised a time-honoured form of medicine that pre-dates hospitals and clinics in the Emirates.

She was only 17 when her uncle began to teach her about the rejuvenating power of healing that was to shape her future.

Now 68, she believes she is the only traditional healer practising in Liwa, with people travelling deep into the desert from all over the country to benefit from skills honed over decades.

Twice a week, people come to her for conditions ranging from back pain and liver problems to sore throats in children. Women struggling to conceive also seek her help.

“This role has been around for generations,” she said. “It is a forefather’s trade. We never had doctors or medicines – this is what we used to do.”

The UAE is at the forefront of a healthcare revolution, harnessing cutting-edge technologies and investing in AI to help drive up standards.

But while it is looking to the future, authorities are eager to learn lessons from the past and recognise the key role holistic health care still has to play.

Did you know?

Emirati teenager Fatima Al Awadhi made history this month after becoming the youngest Arab citizen to reach an elevation of more than 7,000 metres during her latest mountaineering challenge. Read more about her achievements here

Abu Dhabi introduces robot-assisted procedure to boost lung cancer detection

A leading Abu Dhabi hospital has introduced a robot-assisted device to help boost lung cancer detection as part of a cutting-edge drive to improve patient care and save lives.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has become the first in the Middle East to use a high-tech bronchoscopy tool that allows doctors to make swift and accurate diagnoses without the need for open surgery.

The Monarch platform enables access to the smallest lung nodules – round masses of tissue that can be cancerous – in a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed in as little as 30 minutes under general anaesthetic.

It is used by doctors to guide a flexible endoscope deep into the lungs to access nodules that may previously have been out of reach.

Abu Dhabi scientists offer hope for people with Huntington's disease

Scientists from Abu Dhabi believe they may have discovered a treatment that could significantly improve the quality of life of people with Huntington's disease.

Findings from Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre (ADSCC) have raised hopes of slowing the impact of the disease, which destroys brain cells and leads to problems with movement, memory, thinking and behaviour.

The condition is commonly passed down through families. A child of an affected parent has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the gene that causes the disease.

For decades, most research into Huntington's has focused on neurons, the cells that die as the disease passes through the body.

However, the team from ADSCC found that homing in on astrocytes – the brain’s support cells that nourish neurons, remove waste and help to maintain normal brain function – showed promise.

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