witch doctor

A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats physical and spiritual ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors". The term is now more commonly used to refer to healers, particularly in regions that use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine. In many contexts, the term “witch doctor” may be used interchangeably with shamans or medicine men, as these practitioners employ ritual, divination, song, and dance to address spiritual, emotional, and social dimensions of health.