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... 989 Curanderismo is a 500 year old medical system born in the Americas, its inception began when the Spaniards arrived on this continent and blended their medicine with that of indigenous peoples from Mexico and the Southwestern United States. 500 years ago the indigenous people of the Americas already had a system of healthcare which was thousands of years old, the Spaniards also had an established system which was at that time one of the most advanced in the Western world. The Spanish system of medicine utilized the concept of the humors; blood phlegm, yellow bile and black bile and the subdivisions of wet and dry and hot and cold to classify illnesses. This Spanish medicine combined Judeo-Christian beliefs fused with the indigenous system. The Native American system based it self on the balance of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self along with the natural world. With the arrival of African slaves, West African medicine was also adapted into curanderismo, for example West African medicine was much like that of the Native Americans, according to Elena Avila in her book Woman who Glows in the Dark, she says that one of the most important concepts in West African medicine is that of community, that health is connected to community because it reinforces our sense of identity, meaning and purpose. Another aspect of west Africans medicine was the belief that the living needed to maintain a connection to departed ancestors, they have ceremonies in which ancestors are honored and petitioned.
A parallel can be seen in the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico where the dead are honored and given offerings. Curanderismo addresses illness that are called folk diseases as well as maladies that are recognized by Western medicine. There are four categories in which the illness can be placed, these are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. The physical diseases treated by curandero's are known as mal aire (bad air), empathy (blockage), and bill (rage). Mental diseases are those that are also recognized by western medicine such as schizophrenia, depression, or nervousness. Emotional diseases are those such as e nvidia (envy), mal puerto (hexes), mal ojo is described by curandera Elena Avila as a sickness caused by staring, which is often incorrectly translated to evil eye and, Mal suerte (bad luck).
Spiritual diseases are known as suite (soul loss) characterized by a frightening or traumatic experience, and esparto (fright) characterized as fright by seeing a ghost or being awakened suddenly by a something frightening. For these maladies there are different types of curandero's who specialize in these areas. There is the herbert (herbalist) one who specializes in the wild crafting, preparation and dosages of medicinal plants. A soba dora who uses massage to help with internal physical illnesses, such as empathy.
The partners (midwife), who are very few where these is medical care, but still very prominent in rural parts of Mexico. The considera (counselor) a therapist or type of psychologist. A Espirtulisto / a (a medium), a person who will heal through a trance state. A hetero a bone setter or chiropractor of sorts, then there is the curandero / curandera total who is incorporates all methods into healing, this is the most powerful of all curandero's. Because curanderismo is a holistic model, the curandero / curandera will look at not only the physical illness but all aspects of a persons life, Paula Gunn Allen author of Doing medicine this way entails knowing...
the patients, their families, their spiritual, mental, social, emotional, environmental, and physical condition and how they will combine in the healing process. A healer will use oils, candles, incense and Judeo-Christian symbolism in their practice, as well herbs for limits (cleanings) and barriers (sweepings). Curanderismo can also be very diverse, and will have regional differences. For example, the curandersimo practiced in New Mexico will perhaps use different saints and herbs than would a curandero from California.
In a phone interview with curandero Charles Garcia, a teacher of curanderismo who leans more to the Native American (Cahuilla) way, California has a unique form of native healing, California has many different types of tribes so that the effect is unique, the techniques range from the desert to the northwest, and unlike the southwest, the church influence was not that strong. Curanderismo has evolved with the times, although curanderismo relies on faith from both the healer and patient, the use of Judeo-Christian symbolism is not always used, in places where the church influence is not so strong, or those who choose not to use the symbolism, other means have been used. The positive aspects of cuanderismo can be seen in the approach to medicine as holistic, we are seeing this approach more and more in Western society with the use of alternative healthcare. More people are begging to believe that it is important to look at all parts of persons life in order to understand the illness and how to treat it.
Curanderismo can be said to be an affordable, compassionate approach to healthcare, for those who cannot afford to see a medical doctor can always see a curandero. It is compassionate because it cares about people. In a modern medical facility, like Kaiser Permanent, a person has to make an appointment far in advance and can only expect to see a physician for 10 minutes. Although modern medicine is advanced, it lacks heart. A curandera, for example will take her time with you, she will listen to everything you have to say with out cutting you off, she will ask questions about problems with work, home and relationships and try to discover the source of the illness. In counseling, the approach of the curandera is much more effective and more human than that Western psychotherapy.
Unlike modern psychotherapy, a considera (counselor) will never give just 50 minutes for session, she doesnt go by a diagnostic manual to categorize your illness. Modern day psychotherapists are taught to maintain distance, never get emotionally involved and never disclose personal information. A considera will never adhere to such rigidness, it goes against the process of healing, consejera's are very creative and flexible in their approach, they let the patient release what they need to and have been know to softly touch, hug and cradle patients, cry with patients, and always use their own personal experiences to relate to what the patient is saying. A curandera might take a walk with this person, go outside and get some fresh air she will do what it takes to open a person up. She will offer advice or a solution to a problem or she may perform a limit (cleansing) on her patient. This is one aspect in which curanderismo is superior to modern psychotherapy, a patient is not seen apart from the counselor and is urged to let go of their problems and is given as much time as they The negative aspects of curanderismo There have always been those in the Western world who have said that curanderismo is a backward, folkway of Mexicans who are poor and have no other form of healthcare, this will not be addressed because it is an outsiders view whose claim is not necessarily correct.
It has also been said that curanderismo cannot replace modern medicine in the advances of surgery and wonder drugs and this is very true to an extent, and a good curandero will always defer to medical doctors when necessary. One of the downsides that is very real and current to our times is the negative aspect in the abuse of power. The negative aspects of curanderismo arise when there are those who will use it improperly. Because curanderismo is not regulated or bound by laws, there is much room for exploitation of those who are vulnerable.
Just like any other practice where people can be led to believe there is a problem when there is not, as sometimes can bee seen in modern medicine and even business like auto mechanics, where people will pay exuberant amounts of money to fix things they are unfamiliar with. There will always be greed and charlatans who will tell you to give them thousands of dollars to fix the problem. There are healers who will tell you that your family had been cursed for three generations and will ask for a large amount of money to take the curse off. In her book Elena Avila addresses this exploitation, she says this about the quackery: Charlatans and impersonators of curandersimo have learned how to profit from peoples fears... Since they use many of the same tools that competent curandera's use, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish a quack from an authentic healer.
These impostors are often astute and unethical people who can read body language, making them appear to be psychic... their business flourishes because there are always people who do not want to take responsibly for what is happening in their lives, but want instead to find an outside cause on which to blame their misfortune. Avila addresses a good point, she says that people seek out these charlatans because there are those who do not want to take responsibility for what is happening in their lives. In a sense people give their own power away when they go to see someone who has a fix-all, in real life and in authentic curanderismo there is not a fix-all approach to any problem. My view on curanderismo is that it is very necessary in this day and age perhaps more so than in the past.
It is sad Mexicanos and other Latinos have had to turn our back on curanderismo on order to assimilate to western societies expectations. It is taught to us in schools that the only real explanation to anything can be found in science, and if science cant explain a phenomenon, than it is not validated. I know of many people who see this form of medicine as a joke, for example, people will make fun of certain practices such as the drinking of sugar water after suite (fright), but even modern medical doctors can tell you that dextrose is administered in cases of shock. Suite is a very real occurrence to many people, it happens when there is trauma to the body or when someone has a frightening experience. In my own experience, I never used to believe in such things until one day my 3 year old son fell from a second story balcony, his immediate reaction from falling were tears of anger because he thought he could fly, but emotionally and physically he appeared fine which was not unusual for this tough kid.
We rushed him to the hospital anyways to check for internal damage and broken bones, the doctors wicked him away to the trauma room where many people proceeded to do a series of blood tests, x-rays and MRIs, the entire process of the examination was completely invasive, my son was kicking and screaming the whole time, he was so resistant to the MRI that they had to numb him completely for the process, and still he resisted by waking and fighting during the process. In short, when we got home my son was a completely different person for weeks, he was not himself, he did not talk, he was very sad and withdrawn. I feel this was in part to the fall, but mostly due to the force used by the doctors. I contacted my aunt and she told me this was indeed a classic case of suite, she prescribed prayers and limits while he slept, I did this for a few days and he got better, and with in a couple of weeks he was back to normal. I dont expect people to believe my stories, but do expect them to respect the fact that I was given a solution that worked for my son, any other kid would have been sent to a psychologist and who knows what the treatment could have been.
We are living in a time where everything is co modified including medicine, we live in a capitalist society were everything has a price, this includes health. Curanderismo is so very important to the Mexican community because it provides a familiar, affordable, nurturing approach to that what ails them, we can see in our own barrios the return of these ways, I dont think they ever left, but went into hiding. There is evidence of the use of this art form in the barrios of San Diego, botanica's are popping up left and right, the grocery stores have a wide availability and variety of candles, there are also affordable medicinal herbs and explanatory charts at many of the tiendas in the neighborhood. People are looking towards a system of healthcare that will encompass modern medicine along with more traditional forms, these two need to complement each other.
Medicine is not the practice of popping a pill and feeling better, true healing and medicine comes from within all people, everyone has the ability to heal themselves. It is crucial that curanderismo be passed down to future generations to come, curanderismo is coming out of the closet and is being recognized as a valid form of medicine. Many elders know the importance of passing on the gift as a part of the survival of this art form, and there are sincere medicine people who will take apprentices who show a humble and sincere interest in learning this form, an apprentice is what I happen to be and for myself, I cannot think of a better way to serve my community. Curanderismo is not a program one takes for 10 years then graduates, it is a lifetime process where even a curandera total is always learning, this is the wonderful part about curanderismo where one is always actively learning more about the art and themselves. It also is important that curanderismo be properly introduced to larger society, and while doing so it is crucial that we define what curanderismo is in our own terms, and not allow anthropologists and intellectuals to define what curanderismo is or isnt. We need to continue to honor and respect those who kept this art form alive during the worst of times in our history, and to continue to be in control of our own destiny by refusing to be victims of those who think they own a greater superior knowledge, this can only be done through taking control of our own health and to strive to be educated and educate those Avila, Elena. ; Parker, Joy.
Woman Who Glows in the Dark. Putnam. New York. 1999 Allen, Paula Gunn. Grandmothers of the Light. 1994 Beacon Press, Boston, 1991. Castillo, Ana. Massacre of the Dreamers.
University of New Mexico Press. New Garcia, Charles. Telephone Interview. San Diego, CA. 11 / 27 / 00. Person, Babette. Medicine Women, Curandera's and Women Doctors.
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