Speaking about culture and health issues is also speaking of matters of religion and spirituality, therapies that were not yet made official and cross the mysticism of these issues. Moreover, despite lacking the technical-scientific proof demanded by the current hegemonic model in healthcare, they are knowledge kept alive throughout the history of mankind and perpetuate until the present day. The study aimed to analyze the perceptions of traditional healers about the child healthcare in the city of Caraúbas-RN, Brazil, focusing on the practice of blessing. It was a qualitative and exploratory study, conducted through semi-structured interviews and with a sample of 16 traditional healers who live in the urban area of the city. It was clear that the care delivered is based on aspects that involve affection, and it was noticeable that the healers are very similar among themselves when regard their rituals. The healers show that they are willing to put together art and science, since their acceptance of the importance of the official healthcare system. This set up a place for the Family Health Strategy to create partnerships that promote the concomitant use of this therapeutic modality and the official system, thereby contributing to the improvement of the care itself.
medical anthropology; health; ethnology