New Age Healers?
© T. Darlene Cheek
New Age Healers? Hardly! What is considered today as New Age healing methods are techniques and information that is far more ancient than what we know today as Modern Medicine (hence the name modern). There are many cultures that believe all the changes with our Earth today are leading to a cleansing period of many years. This cleansing will force us to go back to the old ways of healing naturally and bring us back in touch with nature. Let's take a look at some of these methods used by different cultures (The quotes used below are taken from the book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Dr. C. Norman Shealy):AYURVEDA CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE FOLK REMEDIES
"Ayurvedic medicine is the traditional system of medicine practiced in India and Sri Lanka." It is a complete system of healthcare that is preventative as well as for healing treatments. It is over 3,000 years old! Ayurveda means "science" or "wisdom" of life and covers not only the area of medicine, but also of philosophy, science, spirituality, astronomy and even astrology. Ayurveda, much like Traditional Chinese Medicine, strives to achieve balance and harmony in our lives to keep us healthy mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Over 2,000 years old, with documented records found as far back as the 3rd century B.C.E., Traditional Chinese Medicine "sees disease in terms of patterns of disharmony, and so attempts to restore the balance in the person who is sick." We're all familiar to some extent in the New Age with the terms Yin and Yang, dual energy forces in the universe. TCM diagnoses the patient's pattern of disharmony, matches that pattern with tried and tested prescriptions of herbs, and prescribes a combination of usually 4-16 substances to re-balance the harmony within the client.
"Every culture, across the centuries, has had its own understanding and ways of healing. Local plants, customs, and beliefs determined the form it took, which varied across countries and between villages." Traditional home and folk remedies also have a strong base in prevention of illness. Even adding beneficial herbs such as mint, sage and thyme to a salad helps keep our bodies strong and healthy. How many of us today keep an Aloe Vera plant in our kitchen in case of burns or know that adding simple fiber to our diet can rid our bodies of toxins? Although we're just now beginning to go back to using these natural remedies, they are hardly new to our culture.
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