Ancestry Magazine

As medicine advances, why do 70 percent of all people still turn to age-old remedies? Turns out our ancestors actually were onto something.

In the fall of 1978, just six months after her daughter’s 13th birthday, Janét Booton was diagnosed with cancer. As others prepared for the worst, Janét looked into her options and decided on a treatment she really believed in. Three months later, the cancer was gone, and it hasn’t been back since.

Even more surprising—her secret’s been around for centuries.

Before the era of vaccinations and pills, X-rays and MRIs, people looked to divine sources for explanations and to the earth for answers. Now, in the midst of the greatest technological advancements this world has ever seen, more and more people are turning to ancient practices for cures. And many, like Janét Booton, are finding them. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is making a comeback.

CAM covers a broad range of treatments: acupuncture, meditation, yoga, herbal medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic medicine, massage therapy, energy healing— the list goes on and on. But it’s not as radical as you might think. A recent survey by Science Daily reports that 70 percent of adults over the age of 50 use some form of complementary medicine.

In general, these therapies focus on a holistic approach to healing, something more akin to what our ancestors relied upon. Janét explains, “You’ve got to consider the whole picture. A symptom is the manifestation of an underlying cause. You can’t just put a Band-Aid on it. In holistic medicine, we find the cause, we remove the cause, and the symptom goes away.”

Thousands of years ago, Chinese philosophers practiced medicine based on Taoist teachings. In India, wise men gathered to uncover the secret of life, using a combination of Buddhist and Vedic teachings. Ayurvedic medicine (meaning “science of longevity”) extended from India into Asia Minor and influenced Chinese thought. American Indians developed in-depth remedies using herbs, flowers, and bark. All were resourceful, drawing on their environment and experience to keep themselves alive and in good health.

In the absence of ambulances, our ancestors developed these antidotes and remedies to ensure their survival. But why are these methods, developed out of necessity and seemingly lacking in sophistication, used today?

Sharlene Habermeyer, a nutrition counselor, certified health specialist, and master of holistic education in California, offers one reason: “The Internet has really flattened the world. As a result, all these Eastern ways of thinking are penetrating our society.” Indeed, many of the practices we consider “alternative” in the Western world are common practice in the East. But regardless of the longevity and prevalence of some CAM therapies, many people are still hesitant.

“A lot of people won’t believe it until they get sick,” says Habermeyer. And she’s one to talk. “Five years ago, I started not feeling well.” This escalated until on 22 August 2003, she woke up literally unable to move. “It was really hard for me, and it lasted three months. They did all kinds of blood work, took all types of tests, and everybody kept saying everything looked fine. One doctor had me on 11 medications.” But nothing seemed to help. “It forced me to go back to my roots and rethink it.”

Says Habermeyer, “I was raised on whole wheat and fruits. My father was very ahead of his time in terms of health and nutrition. I never had an Oreo until I was married. But after that I got away from it and started eating Oreos like every other American.” She still lived a healthy lifestyle—didn’t smoke or drink—but after reading, studying, and taking 28 classes on the subject, Habermeyer became a believer in natural healing. She used a regimen of oils, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals to nurse herself back to health, happy to have a father’s influence to guide her there.

Many CAM practitioners look into alternative medicine because of a family tie. And no one understands those ties better than Loretta Wallace, professional genealogist and holistic health enthusiast. In 1976 a friend took her to the Pennsylvania Historical Society to “show me what the word genealogy meant.” She’s been addicted ever since.

Though only one of her ancestors was actually in the medical field (a pharmacist and doctor from the 1800s), Loretta was introduced early to natural cures by her grandmother. “These remedies were passed on for generations,” says Loretta, and no matter how odd they sounded, “I loved my grandma. I didn’t think she was crazy … just eccentric.” Her grandmother carried peppermint oil in her purse for upset stomachs, used saliva to calm the incessant itch of an insect bite, and washed young Loretta’s hair with eggs. “It wasn’t until years later that I came to find out everything she said and did is now proven and commercialized.”

Janét Booton also has ancestral ties to Eastern medicine. Her grandma, a Lebanese immigrant to the United States, was a midwife, delivering more than 2,000 babies in Arizona. “She died when I was 11,” says Janét, “but I inherited a lot of things from her,” especially her interest in healing. Decades after her miraculous recovery from cancer, Janét began running her own holistic health clinic, spreading her knowledge of natural remedies.

“Traditional Western medicine does have its place,” Janét concedes. “If you have a broken bone, it needs to be set. If you have a gaping wound, you need a suture.”

Habermeyer agrees. “If I were in a car accident, don’t call the Chinese herbal medicine doctor—get me to a hospital!” Both she and Janet, like others, would like to marry the two approaches and get the best that Western and Eastern medicines have to offer.

Dr. Jacquelyn Wilson, homeopathic consultant to the pharmaceutical industry in California, has high hopes for this union. “I think the family doctor will turn to natural remedies. Specialists are more surgery oriented, so they may not pick it up, but for the home, for colds, etc., it should really happen.” Wilson turned to homeopathy, a practice that involves prescribing small doses of natural substances to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities, when she found her experiences in medical school disturbing. “I thought I’d learn how to help people get well and get over their problems,” says Wilson, “but it wasn’t like that. They’re prescribing medications you’d have to take for the rest of your life. I realized there must be other answers.”

And there are plenty of answers. “I looked at medicine like food,” Wilson says of her approach. “You make them up like recipes and either they like them or not. It should be fun, not harmful to the person. There shouldn’t be side effects.” Janét agrees. “You need the ability to take charge of your own life, your own healing, your own health.” And today, there are more options than ever before. Cultures are shifting and expanding, adapting and mixing, and each culture comes with its own remedies and cures. But whether you choose to trust in time-tested treatments from thousands of years ago, your grandmother’s medicine cabinet, or the latest scientific breakthrough, you will find a surprisingly similar mantra: a healthy body is in harmony.

Says Janét, “This society has become a crisis management society. Most people don’t even think about their health until they’re in a crisis—until they’re sick. They worry too much and stay up too late. Anytime you create a balance in your life, you have harmony. When you have harmony, you have peace. And when you have peace, you have joy.”

Lisa Salazar is the former associate editor of Ancestry Magazine.

And Then There’s Chicken Soup
Turn to chicken soup when you’re feeling under the weather? Chicken soup has been the enduring remedy of moms for generations. And according to a study published in October of 2000 by Stephen Rennard, M.D., it works.

Rennard’s research, titled “Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro,” showed that chicken soup reduces the movement of neutrophils—the white blood cells that fight infections. Cold symptoms come about in part because of inflammation in the respiratory tract—inflammation that neutrophils contribute to as they accumulate. Slowing down the neutrophils could slow down inflammation and thus reduce the cold symptoms. Rennard found that chicken broth alone was not effective in reducing neutrophil movement, but a combination of ingredients in the soup reduced neutrophil movement.
Soup may also help with rehydration and nutrition, and the comfort soup provides can also have a placebo effect.

So if you’ve ever doubted her, it may be time to apologize: Mom was right all along— chicken soup is good medicine.

What Kind of Medicine Did Grandma Practice?
Natural healing—even the kind your own ancestors used—can take many forms. Which kind did your ancestors use?
• Homeopathic Medicine uses the “principle of similars” to prescribe therapies based on the effects of disease by matching symptoms in patients to the effects caused by remedies.
• Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes the body’s own natural powers of healing and restoration. Practices include nutritional supplements, changes in diet, and the use of herbs, among others.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine dates back to at least 200 BC and focuses on a balance of opposing forces, yin and yang. Health is achieved by maintaining the body in a balanced state; disease is attributed to an imbalance of yin and yang. Treatments include acupuncture, herbal remedies, and massage and manipulation.
• Ayurveda is a natural healing system from India emphasizing body, mind, and spirit that strives to restore a person’s innate harmony. Treatments include “diet, exercise, meditation, herbs, massage, exposure to sunlight, and controlled breathing.”
• Mind-Body Interventions use techniques that enhance the mind’s capacity to affect the body. These can include support groups, meditation, prayer, and therapies using art, music, or dance.
• Energy Therapies manipulate energy fields supposed to surround the human body to promote healing, including qi gong (“chee goong”)—a traditional Chinese movement exercise that helps energy flow through the body to restore its balance of yin and yang.
• Reiki is an ancient healing method that utilizes the flow of energy between the reiki practitioner and the patient. Reiki is used to decrease pain and speed the body’s natural healing capabilities.
• Therapeutic Touch is a technique to relax, relieve pain, and speed faster healing by promoting balance in the body. A practitioner passes his or her hands a few inches over the body to feel for out-of-balance energy, which may be perceived as heat, cold, tingling, or tightness.
Source: medicine>