The practice of healing restores the body, mind and spirit to a balanced state of nature. It is practiced in many forms and its manifestations are found worldwide. Healing practices emerged from the ancient times, and with the entwining of cultures, it has evolved into the intricate traditions they are today. Some of these practices include those of the Greeks, Indians, Igbo people, and the Chinese. Overtime, these healing practices have become well respected. Healing traditions are an important part of the community we live in, and have been implemented into many parts of our society (Bokur).
Various healing practices also offer insight on cultures and provide a reason to a person’s ideals. A stance on a health issue, or any topic containing that matter, may be justified by the traditions held by the person. Healing practices also bring people together. These meaningful practices allows the people who share this ideal to form a special bond. Ancient Greek Healing Practices: Early Greek healing focuses mainly on spiritual belief, but eventually begins to move towards finding physical reasons for a sickness as opposed to superstition. The two never diverged, remaining as one whole (Cartwright).
Its main philosophy also remained, tyring to achieve the goal of maintaining balance and harmony with nature. Greeks worshiped the god of medicine, Asclepius who specialized in healing (Cartwright). Although the god is not one of the 12 major Olympians he plays a vital role in their daily affairs. Asclepius was also a practiced doctor, allowing patients to visit him in special sanctuaries known as an Asklepion. In an Asklepion, Asclepius would offer advice to fortunate individuals how to solve their issue through dreams or through word of priests (Gill).
Pharmaceutical drugs were distributed and surgical procedures were performed in this location. These sanctuaries were typically situated in scarce locations, the most notable being the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus. Greek doctors learned to observe symptoms, as they began to notice that sicknesses had common effects and it could help stop a disease all together. The Hippocratic Writings were named after one of the first influential doctors, Hippocrates, and was a compilation of work about Greek medicine (Osborn). Born in the year 1492,
Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus was an alchemist and Swiss physician who is credited for the establishment of medical chemistry. He is also renowned for his characterization of illnesses such as tuberculosis and lung disease (Weisstein). Many of the ancient Greek practices are still prominent today. To find harmony within the mind, devotees are encouraged to listen to music (Pederson). Worshipping Asclepius and performing ritual sacrifices would cleanse the soul. Proper hygiene was prized upon, and would lead to good health. To heal the ill, leaders produced ointments and herbal medicine from local crops (Osborn).
Igbo Healing Practices: The Igbo people, located in south eastern Nigeria, see health in two words Ndu and Ogwugwo. Nud is seen as life and is seen in accordance to health while ogwugwo is known healing itself (Mbiere). The Igbo take a comprehensive approach to healing, and draws mostly from the environment and spirits (Mbiere). The goal of this process is to restore tranquility and peace within one’s body as well as with the spiritual world. Medicine also plays a large part, solutions are mostly drawn from herbs and administered to patients by herbalists.
Sleep and rest are viewed as very crucial allowing, allowing the mind to experience coherence and sanity. Music was also encouraged for this same reason (Mbiere). Treatment of the ill first takes place at home, pharmaceuticals are given and if necessary, sacrifices are made to ancestors as a way to reach out for advice as well as his/her Agwu (Chukwuemeka), otherwise known as a medicine deity. If the sickness has progressed or proven to be serious, a diviner may be called to find a solution (Mbiere). As a stimulant for the recovery process, the practice of shamanism was believe to make patients heal at a faster rate.
For a specific medical issue, the Igbo may visit what’s known as a dibia (Mbiere). Theses physicians offer help in a variety of aspects and include psychiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, midwives as well as dentists. A dibia is “both a restorer and transmitter of life, a healer, a medicine man/woman and priest” (Mbiere). The Igbo people are very compassionate, and the ill are thoroughly cared for until healed. Indian Healing Practices: An ancient practice known as as Ayurveda, was founded nearly 5,000 years ago in India.
It takes a holistic approach to healing, as it tries to find harmony within the spirit, mind and body (Ehrlich). This healing practice is done through cleanses and therapy to revitalize the three elements. To do this, practitioners may go through many different treatments including, but not limited to do, exercise, meditation and diet (Menon & Spudich). Yoga is often included in this practice, and is an important part to the healing tradition. The Ayurveda tradition rapidly developed with the writing of the Ashtangahrdayam around sixth or seventh C. E. s well as many other classical texts such as the Caraka Samhita.
The Ashtangahrdayam, specifically, allowed for the classification of its traditions and was a notable work of writing, partially responsible for the apex of the Classical Era (Menon & Spudich). Indians were highly influenced by the Arabs and Persians, whom they learned of many herbal plants for medical uses. Furthermore, doctors entering the country taught regional physicians new healing practices. For complicated surgeries, Indians incorporated a centuries old tradition known as Rasashastra that used gold, mercury and other metals for healing.
Interestingly, the combination of this and yoga was believed to put a halt to aging. Professionals are able to be found in a variety of categories, from blood letting, midwives to practices in pharmaceutics. Certain indian traditions also have blurred lines between plants that are meant for healing and those that are sacred (Ehrlich). Many of these healing practices are still used today, and have converged with the field of biomedics for a better understanding of the tradition. Chinese Healing Practices:
One common Asian health practices is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and is concentrated on finding balance in one’s self. This balance would guide a body to proper health, comfort and prosperity. This healing technique was established upon two notions, “Qi” and “yin and yang”. In chinese medicine, Qi is the energy of life flowing throughout the body, and yin and yang show the unity of opposing forces in the world around us (Hafner). It is also based upon the idea that the universe is just a larger version of the human anatomy, & believes in the five elements; fire, earth water, wood, and metal (Fruehauf).
Traditional chinese medicine is an ancient practice, dating back to approximately 2500 years ago and is based off of philosophies similar to taoism (Fruehauf), which emphasizes harmony with cosmos. Upon an appointment, a physician will look for any signs of disharmony, known as bian zheng, within the body. If anything has been found, they will try to set up treatments to restore balance within through a highly comprehensive program that takes in account the needs of the patient. There are a vast amount of avenues to select from.
Traditional chinese medicine has treatments ranging from acupuncture, herbal medicine, practices involving the mind and body, to one-on-one counseling. Herbal medicine is acquired from all parts of the plant, and used administered through teas or capsules. Tai chi is an ancient practice that uses tender movements to balance the mind and body (Hafner). At home healing is also recommended, where the patient may have to exercise more often, go on a diet, practice meditation or even yoga. This healing practice is a combination of values with both traditional and western significance and is frequently used today.
Comparison: Aside from the obvious fact that these are all healing traditions, the four cultures have one very important thing in common. They all have an active material life force. This force can be found among the societies I have studied, but are seen in different forms. In Ancient Greece this is known as pneuma, which refers to the soul or vital spirit. In Indian medicine and culture, this energy is called Prana. It can be translated from Sanskrit as a giving life force. The Igbo people refer this to as Chi & is is similar to a personal spirit that gives advice and guidance.
Finally, in traditional chinese medicine, this power is known as Qi (Hafner). As started in the previous section, Qi is the principal life force that flows throughout the body. These practices all include healing of the mind, body and spirit administer variations of herbal medicine. Most of these healing practices seem to stem from philosophies or religions however, they all branch from different, distinct ones. The Chinese healing tradition TMC emerged from the philosophy of taoism, which focuses on harmony with nature. The Indian healing practice comes from the Vedic Religion, the precedent to Hinduism and contained the Vedas.
Lastly, the Greek healing practice stems from Greek Mythology itself, and is based widely on Asclepius, the god of health. All traditions took a holistic approach to healing. Out of these four practices, the Greek and Igbo were the only ones to provide whom they followed with sacrifices and encouraged the listening of music to heal the mind. Asclepius was given offerings by the Greeks as a means of thanks for being cured and the Igbo gave their ancestors and Awgu sacrifices in hopes for advice on how to deal with their current situation.
TCM and Indian healing sought to make sure that people were exercising and implemented yoga as part of their tradition and well as medicine and diet. Conclusion: While the different healing traditions may be diverse, they all exist to serve one purpose, better the health or those around us. This is done through many different avenues such as acupuncture, herbal medicines or simply proper hygiene. These practices emerged centuries ago, and have developed into the complex, comprehensive system that it is today.
As people try to find harmony within their mind, body and spirit, and try to maintain a balance with the natural world, they become a well-rounded individual with perspective may be more open-minded. These rituals include all parts of life, and allows one person to recognize another on a deeper lever. They are based upon abstract ideas, religions and science, shifting our worldview and thought processes. Healing practices address all parts of a character, and encompass both physical and mental aspects of a person. Ultimately, it is these traditions that enable us to maintain a healthy, well balanced life.