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Shamanism Medical Philosophy

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Nineteen century philosophy of healing in earlier times was based on superstitious practices. Medical treatment varied between doctors due to the fact medical education and drug manufacturing was unregulated. The cause of many illnesses was misunderstood. The preference for treatment was based on the doctor’s experience and not medical research. Patients tried home remedies before they called the doctor. Injections of medicines were not common; medicines were given to treat the symptoms of the sickness, not the sickness itself. Many of the pain relievers were opium, morphine, and cocaine. A variety of plants were eaten such as mushrooms, certain yellow-orange fruits grown on cacti along with the poppy plant the source of opium, in addition to cocaine made from coca leaves and the cannabis plant the source of marijuana and willow bark was used to treat headaches. These medicines were used to …show more content…

“Shamanism is the philosophy and practice of healing in which the diagnosis or treatment is based on trance like states, either on the part of the healer or the patient” ( Levinthal, 2012, p.52). The people known as a Shaman have knowledge about the plants exhibiting healing powers relating to the medical treatment of disease and other conditions. The Egyptians knew a lot about the human body and various diseases in so much that a book about medicine called the Ebers Papyrus is written “an Egyptian document dated approximately 1500 B.C., containing more than 800 prescriptions for common ailments and diseases” (Levinthal, 2012, p.52). In it is details and knowledge about the human body structure and the job of the heart and blood vessels. The Papyrus has lots of prescriptions showing the treatment of many disorders by animal, plant, and mineral toxins that still occur today in addition to medical spells, treatments, surgeries, and disease that afflicted the ancient

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The healing, then, is focused on the person, and not on the symptoms or the disease (Anonymous, 2008). They tend to view illness as something that comes from evil spirits or punishment for not carrying out personal rituals or perhaps a curse from the dead (Carteret, 2013), it is because of these beliefs that they would turn to specials rituals and seek council with an elder. The steps they might take are to participate in drumming, go into a sweat lodge, talking circles, ceremonial tobacco smoking, Shamans [healers], vision quests, smudging [the burning of herbs], chants or ceremonies, or the person might abstain from food and water, once deemed illegal [now legal as The Freedom of Religion Act 1978] to rid the disease or evil spirits, or a fusion of Western medicine and Native American healing for a synergistic effect (Anonymous, 2008). Other cultural practices are that the healing process chosen last over days, is kept secret from outsiders, and to have anything removed during a surgical procedure back to them, so that they cannot be used on another family member. Autopsy is not allowed as the body needs to be whole to cross over to the spiritual world (Abbott,

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