Native American Remedies Essay -- Medicine Culture Papers

Native American Remedies "Mike Spring, paralyzed from the waist... down and in constant pain, sailed to the Azores and back. On his return, he confounded his TV interviewer with the statement that the only way he was able to obtain relief from the pain that continually racked his body was to press his back to an oak tree. This simple and cost-free action would then afford him several hours of complete relief and helped him to carry on in life. When asked for a scientific explanation, Mr. Spring replied that he had none-- it simply worked! He had heard of the treatment from an American Indian source and had been using it successfully for years" (Psychology of Healing- Murry Hope 89). How can that possibly be? A tree curing backaches? He must have been taking some aspirin, too, many of us assume. It is not uncommon for a person in Western culture to be thinking this way. We were raised with the belief that our medical society largely based on chemical concoctions is powerful because it has cures for everything from various cancers all the way down the list to the common cold. Don't get me wrong, the medical profession is quite effective, but for several generations, Native Americans have been using herbs to cure aches and pains, and various other illnesses. Many of the herbs used by Native Americans are the ones you can actually find in aspirin and other medications today. In fact, many ingredients used in various modern medications are actually derived from Native American cultures. Herbal medicine is being reintroduced through various forms of alternative medicine. Out on the market we see aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbology, and many more forms of alternative medicine. Herbology is a practice which seeks to heal... ...out injecting chemicals such as morphine, demerol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone into your blood stream? How different is it really to seek cures from artificial hospital rooms than it is to look for cures from nature? Works Cited Allen, Paula Gunn. Grandmothers of the Light. Boston: Beacon Press, 1991. Croft, Prof. Candance, Personal Interview. 9 Feb. 1999. Hope, Murry. The Psychology of Healing. Great Britain: Element Books, 1989. Wolf, Melinda. "Alternative Medicine: A journey to proactive healthcare." CNI Newspapers (Wauwatosa) 25 Feb. 1999. Wolf, Melinda. " Alternative Medicine: Yoga, t'ai chi, aromatherapy keep body healthy." CNI Newspapers (Wauwatosa) 4 Mar. 1999. Workshop on Alternative Medicine. Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons. Chantilly, VA: 1992. Zimmerman, Larry J. Native North America. London, England: 1996.