Sunday, September 7, 2014

July 2014-A visit with the “bonesetter” and the “traditional healer”

A truly amazing day as we visited a very respected family of “bonesetters”.  They offer an alternative to the public health system and it was absolutely fascinating.  We all agreed that the facility and the care given surpassed what we typically have seen in the national hospitals.  The bonesetter had his own small facility that the clients could, and do, live in for many days.  He was extremely knowledgeable, very willing to answer questions, and very proud of his lineage as a bonesetter.  We have an orthopedic surgeon in our group and he too said if he broke a bone he would trust the bonesetter over the standard hospital care.


The “traditional Healer” was a woman of 82 who sat on her reed mat and had an assortment of plastic containers with herbs in front of her.  She had inherited the practice from her grandmother. We were all were asked to remove our shoes before entering her little room as she said she wanted to avoid infections. She talked about being able to treat: syphilis, infertility, uterine fibroids, pneumonia, and other common ailments.  Herbs that she spoke about included: garlic, ginger, onions, nutmeg, and several roots and flowers. She had been a healer for over 40 years and states she cares for between 40 and 50 people per day.  We have so much to learn from the innate knowing of these healers.

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