Rescuing Traditional Medicine

According to its own terms, traditional medicine is the use of methods in health and healing that apply the experiences and idiosyncrasies of the very towns in which they are developed.  Traditional medicine, in its various expressions, is not just used to heal the body;   many people us it to treat problems with the mind and spirit as well.  In addition to these ‘healing contexts’ this medicinal practice distinguishes itself by healing both spaces and objects as well.  Proof of this can be found in various writings of Sahagún and other historians who tell how in pre-Hispanic communities, houses and gathering spaces were cured of negative energies or of strange symptoms;  it may possibly be a counterpart of the Jewish tradition of sanctifying places and celebrations just as the bible points out in various passages when we are transported to the gate of the rulers and chiefs of tribes to determined places in order to sanctify them by pouring oil (generally olive) and wine (grape).

To talk about traditional medicine is to enter into a marvelous world just as vast as the number of stars.  This is because each town, each community, and each epoch has had its particular way of practicing its medicine.  If we go back to the beginnings of contemporary medicine or that of Western medicine, the foundations are based on empirical knowledge.  The medicine in the towns was equally founded.  The very same ‘popular medicine’ was that which aided the survival of entire generations and cultures. 

It is true that in a small number of towns, traditional medicine prevailed, above all in those that remained free from any form of mixing; typical cases occur in American communities and in some Eastern one such as those of the Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, Tibetan, and others.  At the moment of whatever type of colonization, the dominant culture instills its ways of life, religion, and even health;  for this reason, contemporary medicine has extended itself enormously, allopathy or Western (as I prefer to call it), but it does not always represent the only effective way to attend to the symptoms.

In Mexico, traditional medicine is very much connected to the culture.  This phenomena is not so strange considering that modern medicine was provided to the rich or bourgeois and that the majority of indigenous or mestizo people just had access to their thousand-year-old therapeutic resources.  Connected to this, in the very conception of traditional medicine, is a mixture of religious, ethnic, and cultural values as well as a sense of honor.  These premises considerably influenced by the roots of traditional medicine in the predominantly indigenous towns.  For example, in the states in the Southeast of Mexico, the majority of the population with native roots defends and procures health through their own methods.  In these instances, history completely and intelligently changed.  In the times of colonization, healers or traditional medics were persecuted in order to eradicate a culture that profanes.  The conquerors did not know that they were destroying a valuable and extraordinary knowledge.  Today, modern medicine is trying to learn from traditional medicine in order to unite forces in the fight against sicknesses.  There are hospitals in our country (ironically, there are non in the south of the country where there are more traditional cultures; all of them are in the center and North of the national territory) in which, in addition to having the conventional areas of medical attention, also have spaces dedicated to the attention of sickness through the use of traditional medicine.  The results have been incredible; when these two schools of thought work together for health.

In each region of the country, there is a very particular practice of traditional medicine.  If we travel to the North, to cite a few examples, we will find the medicine of the Tarahumaras.  If we go to the center, we find that of the Otomies.  But if we go to the South, we will find a great diversity of traditional methods.  It is not necessary to give each one of these an exclusive name because they all have a lot in common.  The variations that are found are mainly due to the existing resources of each region; herbs, organic materials, and other factors that do not represent great changes.  For example, the Temascal can be found in a great number of Mexican and foreign cultures with architectural and physical variants, but the principles, methods, and finality are all the same.

In spite of the aforementioned similarities, the advances that some cultures developed over others should not be omitted.  Perhaps the Aztecs, Mayans, and others serve as examples of this.  This can be left to the opinions of experts.

With this introduction, the framework for the traditional medicine that is practiced in the MARIANA TRINITARIA CONGREGATION A.C. is set forth.  This part of the social objective of this institution is one of the most recognized both nationally and internationally.  A great number of people who come from diverse regions of the state of Oaxaca and the country who have been attended to using this methodology, can be found among our archives.  Along with these documents we can find a considerable number of people who come from other countries and continents who have expressed that they came to Oaxaca for the express purpose of being attended to with the traditional medicine that is practiced in Congregation Mariana Trinitaria, A.C.

If we talk about it in terms of art, it can be conceived as an expression that raises the senses and the spirit to a state of elevated consciousness.  When traditional medicine is practiced with the respect that the greatest knowledge of ancient cultures deserve, it is in this sense converted into an ancestral art.  And like this, as in all art that tends to satisfy the soul’s desires, this medicine satisfies the necessities of healing, not just of our corporal material but it also awakens the thoughts and elevates the spirit and feelings to a point of moral happiness.

The president of the Administrative Advisors herself, Nurse Catalina Mendoza Arredondo is responsible for this very special task.  Relating the life story of this person, I should comment that she has, since her youth, had a tendency to act upon the needs of people who, like her, come from an under-privileged sector.  Her desire to overcome this led her to study nursing in order to later work, at times without compensation, in the Mexico City Women’s Hospital.  After some time of development with this public health institution as well as with private doctors, the temporarily retired in order to dedicate herself to her family.  Because of the economic necessities that pressured her nuclear family, she decided to return to the work that had given her the most satisfaction in her life: health.   During this time, she discovered abilities that made it easier for her to help a lot of people with their health, and even more, in the improvement of their lives, problems, and surroundings.

For those who know her and are around her, it is not strange to find her talking to people she doesn’t know, even chatting about their most intimate needs and desires.  It is not exactly known why, but there are always words available to ease the soul’s pains, not just those of the body.

According to the practitioner herself, this type of medicine has Mayan origins.  If the procedure for attending to the patients were described technically, the first part would be a diagnosis, the second a natural 3 day treatment, and finally a monthly follow-up.  All of this sounds quite normal and sufficiently scientific, but it does not end there.  When the Spanish arrived to America they encountered a lot of questions and very few answers because many of the things that were happening were conceived from the perspective of the soul and the feelings, not from what could be seen.  In this way, this ancient science is made up of many rules that are not apparent to simple sight.  Something similar happens here.

The lack of health, as a definition, is the loss of the optimal corporal conditions for life.  It ought to be added that there is a balance.  In earlier times, it was thought that the mind, spirit and body of human beings had to be in perfect balance because the loss of this balance disturbs the surrounding order.   Thus it is necessary to maintain this balance, and one of the best ways to prove that such a thing exists is to observe the reactions of the human body.  If a diagnosis is an examination (just as we are accustomed), the methodology is something else.  In order to know exactly what determines this unbalance, the treatment takes into consideration the sounds that occur when a bell is rung, and that vary according to the part of the body closest to the instrument.  When there is a balance, the sound of the bell ought to be diaphanous, without a muffled sound or reverberations.  When it is not, the therapist knows where the sickness the patient complains about is located and can begin healing.

‘The body expresses itself...’ Nurse Mendoza says’...it tells us what is wrong and what it needs...’  But one must ask, “What does that mean?”

During the diagnosis, besides interpreting the sounds of the bell she uses, she also ‘feels’ the same symptoms her patient feels.  To give an example, when a patient feels head pain, the therapist feels in his or her own head the pains in the same way and with the same intensity.   The same happens with other symptoms; and it is not just this, but external situations that affect the patient can be interpreted whether they be family, social, work, economic, or other situations.  These can come up again in the present, past, or future.

And although this must seem incredible, it is real.  This type of faculty is a great help when patients who come to her are unable to express themselves for some sort of disability.  The same is applied when sick people cannot find a cure for their sickness.  It is common that after series of analyses and medical examinations of all types, the health of the individual is found to be perfect according to the doctors despite the feelings of the patient.  They are frequently considered hypochondriacs because their state of being differs from their state of health.

If everything above is just the diagnostic, you can already imagine what the treatment must be like.  Generally, it consists of physical therapy, steam herbal baths, and more.  The procedure for each patient and his or her needs vary according to their individual needs. In this part, many things change since each person lives and experiments different sensations.  These can include pain, sensitivity, and liberation, among others. 

For these cases, it can be affirmed that this type of medicine not only heals the body but also the mind and spirit; all this during the same process.  During the treatment, people cry, laugh, sleep; but all for his or her own well being.  Each session varies in duration, but the average time is from 60 to 90 minutes enabling the patients to continue with their daily activities on their days of treatment. 

With this type of treatment, not only are sicknesses cured but also a great quantity of imbalances are prevented.  There are very important documented recuperations, including some in which public and private health centers were unable to cure.  Sicknesses that need treatment are very diverse, some very complex, others not so complex.  A phenomena that has been observed in the majority of the cases, is that the disposition of the patient is of fundamental importance.  When patients judge or try to prove or disprove the procedure, a repelling energy emanates from he or she who is trying to explore territory in which they are not normally accustomed to be.   The opposite occurs with the patient who has the firm intention to be cured.  It seems like the recuperative process speeds up and that in a very short period of time, they experience complete recovery. 

It is important to mention that the principles of this type of traditional treatment were practiced by ancient civilizations such as the Mayans, Egyptians, among others.  Its principles respond to natural laws, just that the purpose of these is more sublime and supreme; in order to achieve them great preparation, disposition, and sensitivity, are required.  It is not in vain that Nurse Catalina Mendoza has practiced and worked constantly for more than 30 years. 

Energy exists as a natural precept.  In this same sense we ought to be conscious that we are all pure energy, tangible or intangible, we are energy.  For instance, electrical energy is not visually apparent; but it gives caloric or luminous energy when it is converted through a light bulb or an iron.  That is what we are like.  Under this principle, our energy can reduce, sicken or be affected by external or internal factors and affect our body and surroundings.  Responding on the same tenor, when sick energy is cured, our physical situation and our capabilities improve. 

In essence, balance refers to that which the body, mind and spirit consist of.  If this energy is kept in constant movement and generation, the health of human beings in their distinct fields and levels will be optimal.  This is the traditional medicine of Nurse Mendoza and of Congregation Mariana Trinitaria, A.C.

Speaking in this way, traditional medicine becomes more tangible.  But it should not be forgotten that the people who conceived it were of a very high spirituality, sensitivity, and mysticism.  There are many things that cannot be expressed with words.  It is necessary to experience them firsthand.

How many times have we felt that our soul needs a hug?

How many times have felt alone and empty in spite of being surrounded by people and material things?

We have all felt similar sensations, and if this isn’t so, we are not human.  Both rich and poor look for hope that is not always material.  It is not necessary to be sick in order to live these experiences.  In the case that one is sick, there is here a completely natural alternative for recuperating health.