Traditional herbal medicine is
still used by 70% of the world's population today
An
African Bush Doctor's Prescription For Better Health
by Christopher
Ricardo Scipio
Bush Medicine
is traditional herbal medicine- the oldest system of healing in the
world. Bush medicine started in Africa about 30,000 years ago. In
the African-Caribbean culture plants are referred to as "Bush" such
as "fever bush" or "toothache bush and are revered for their healing
and spiritual properties". Every culture in world practiced and
still practices bush medicine to treat the physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual problems of the people. Today 70% of the
world's population still uses traditional herbal medicine (bush
medicine) as it's primary source of health care.
For the past
75 years medical doctors and drug companies have tried to discredit
traditional herbal medicine while at the same time sending
ethnobotanists all around the world to acquire the knowledge of
local plants from bush doctors in order to make new pharmaceutical
drugs. Often once a drug company has appropriated local plant
knowledge- usually without compensating the locals in any way, they
patent the plants and pressure the governments into banning the
local population from having access to the plants they have depended
on for millennia. Fortunately there is now a worldwide effort
underway to protect local plant knowledge from unethical
exploitation. People are returning to their traditional herbalists
because of the failure of pharmaceutical drugs to treat chronic
health problems safely and effectively.
I am from a
long-line of African bush doctors. My family has practiced
traditional herbal medicine for many generations. My grandmother was
a prominent bush doctor in Trinidad, the country of my birth. The
African-Caribbean culture is a largely intact culture where we have
retained much of the knowledge of our bush doctors. Here are some
simple tips for improving your health from me, Christopher Scipio-
your friendly neighbourhood bush doctor.
1. Eat less.
Unless you are very physically active you are probably eating a
third more calories than you need. Excessive caloric intake is one
of the biggest factors in reducing life expectancy.
2. Don't eat
alone. People eat too quickly, chew their food less, and tend to
consume less nutritional meals when they are eating alone. Having
company provides many health benefits and is much better for your
mental and emotional well-being.
2A. Pay
attention to your eating environment. Loud noises, lack of a
comfortable sitting position, too many distractions and a less than
peaceful environment can all contribute to digestive problems and
may cascade into other health issues. Eating in a relaxed quiet
environment with good company is a great habit to get into.
3. Along the
theme of eating less- use smaller plates and cutlery and consider
using chop sticks or your fingers to eat with. The oversized cutlery
just promotes the wolfing down of food. I love using chopsticks for
lots of different kinds of meals and there is much sensual pleasure
with eating with your fingers the way we Africans do.
4. Reduce your
carbs, especially bread and pasta. Obesity and many of the health
problems that go with it like diabetes were virtually unknown until
we started consuming such large quantities of bread, pasta and baked
goods. I recommend not eating bread or pasta more than 3-4 times per
week and substituting beans and dishes like hummous as a
replacement.
5. Get and use
a juicer. The juice you buy in a store is dead. Many juice enzymes
die within an hour of extraction. Most juices have been pasteurized
to further deplete their nutritional value. Making your own juice is
a joy. I like starting the day with a blend of carrot, apple,
Hawaiian ginger and beet juice, but there are so many juices to
discover. I recommend the book on healing juices by Heinermann.
6, Cook your
own food. It is more than worth the time. I know you are busy but
you can work cooking into any schedule. Consider getting a slow
cooker. Consider cooking large batches on your days off and keeping
them ready in the freezer. Cooking your own food is the only way of
knowing what actually is put into your food, plus it sends the right
message to your body that you care.
6A. Don't
assume restaurant food is healthy. Many restaurants are fond of
using iceberg lettuce which is very cheap and is usually grown in
high-tech hydroponic factories but has virtually no nutritional
value and don't even ask about the chemicals used to keep lettuce
looking "fresh". Most restaurants don't use organic ingredients and
many restaurants use microwaves to heat their meals. Just take a
tour of the kitchen of your favourite restaurants and you may be
horrified.
7. Bless your
food and remember where it comes from. This modern life is a very
disconnected from reality kind of life. Often there is little though
given to where food comes from, how it was harvested and processed
and by whom? Do you know where you food came from? If not you better
bless it and bless it well before you take it and all the vibes that
go along with it into your sensitive body.
8. Balance
yourself daily with yoga, tai-chi or Qi- gong. 20 minutes a day in
your own home of one of these practices and I'll personally
guarantee your health will improve no matter how healthy you were
before-hand. You can go to classes as well but what I recommend is
that you empower yourself by learning how to do simple routines at
home so you are not dependant on a class.
9 Get and give
a massage at least once per month. Weekly is even better. Give and
receive this vital practice as often as possible. Even a mediocre
massage is better than none at all so recruit your partner or a
friend if you cannot access a professional and don't be reluctant to
lay your hands on others as well.
10. Love More.
Love is the ultimate healing. Love your partner, love children, love
your neighbours, love your community, love the environment, love
your God, love your life, love yourself.
11. Don't
forget to laugh. Laughter is great medicine. Give yourself
permission to be silly, don't be so serious and you'll have a longer
and happy life.
12. Just say
no to drugs. Ronald and Nancy Regan were worried about recreational
drugs and I agree that recreational drugs are harmful to your health
but the drugs that I see devastating the community's health the most
are coffee, alcohol and cigarettes- in that order. Don't believe the
self-serving propaganda from the Starbucks lobby about the possible
benefits of drinking coffee. There are no net benefits to drinking
coffee and it is particularly devastating to women's health as is
heavy alcohol consumption and cigarettes.
13. Eat like
an adult not a child. You a big boy/girl now so eat like one. Don't
be a slave to cravings and food addictions. Eat for nutritional
value and not strictly for taste or as an emotional panacea. On my
hot list of non-nutritional foods are chocolate, ice cream, sodas,
white bread, white rice, and white pasta.
14. Eat soft
foods. Eat wet foods. Softer foods are much easier for your body to
digest and are much more likely to have a high water content. Wet
foods are also easier to digest and help provide the water you need.
Your body is mostly water, the earth is mostly water, so try to
limit dry, hard, dead foods like crackers, bread, and cereals and
embrace soft wet foods like soups, purees (I love hummous and baba
ganoush), fruit, steamed vegetables, smoothies, organic plain
yoghurt, etc.
The human body
is a wondrous miracle of engineering and grace. Treat your body well
and it will reward you with many years of health and happiness.
Neglect or abuse your body at your own peril.
Christopher
Scipio Homeopath/Herbalist African Bush Doctor
About the
author: Coming from a long-line of African-Caribbean traditional
healers who have never forgotten the power and importance of plant
medicine, Christopher Scipio has 15 years of experience in treating
herpes, cervical dysplasia, menopause and peri-menopuase, pain
management, anxiety, digestive disorders, and other conditions.http://www.natropractica.com
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