How Native Cultures Healing Works

This idea of how native cultures heal comes from Greg Braden. In his book, The God Code, Braden says that native peoples around the world have a common understanding of one of the ways that healing of the body and the mind occur and that's through the use of sound.

Native cultures hold the idea that "life" has an inherent blueprint of wellness, one that is always present, even when it appears that chaos in the form of disease has replaced order. Through the very precise use of chanting, drums, rattles, chimes, gongs, tones, and songs by these cultures, the subtle life patterns of the individual that is being "healed" are disrupted and thrown into chaos. When the sound stops, because wellness is the blueprint of life, the healthy patterns are able to find one another and can reestablish themselves. As the disease has no blueprint, it cannot "find itself" and reassemble. It simply disappears and the result is that the person is "healed."

To me this is a fascinating way of understanding a concept that is thousands of years old. This doesn't mean we forgo 21st Century Medicine, but it gives a better understanding of traditional approaches to healing.

Keep Cuts and Scrapes Covered

 People used to think wounds would heal better after they would scab over.  New research suggests that keeping the wound sealed and moist may work better. It seems to reduce infection, speeds healing and minimizes scars. You can now find liquid skin bandages on drug store shelves.

The only thing different is if you are using a liquid bandage, do not apply ointment.

HOW ABOUT USING A LEMON TO HEAL A WOUND

It turns out lemon juice contains antimicrobial substances and its high acid content kills germs on contact. Even squeezing the oil from the lemon peel has anti-infection and anti-inflammatory abilities. The result is a wound will heal faster. It may even beat Neosporin!

BOUNCING BACK FROM A TRAMATIC EVENT

Many people have experienced all kinds of traumas in their lives - death of a loved one, divorce, parents dying or losing a job. So how can someone bounce back? A key element turns out to be a person having one person that they were close to who believed in them and told them they were going to get over the trauma. So, if you can support a friend or a loved one, you may be really helping them to recover.

BED REST MAY NOT BE THE BEST RECOMMENDATION

Many doctors will recommend that you take some pills and rest in bed. That may not be the best advice. A study published in Lancet evaluated 39 different studies involving 5,777 patients on bed rest that was prescribed for 15 different conditions.

In 24 of the studies following a medical procedure, the researchers found that not a single patient improved significantly and eight actually worsened.

In 15 of the studies where bed rest was the primary treatment, the results were the same; not a single patient improved significantly and nine worsened significantly.

So if your doctor prescribes bed rest ask him to show you the research supporting this. The old expression "Use it or lose it" still holds true.

MUSIC HELPS DURING SURGERY

Just before surgery, your blood pressure and heart rates can go up which is a sign of your nervousness. Both these readings can also stay up during the surgery, which can lead to more stress and result in a slower healing process.

Listening to music before and during surgery can help alleviate some of this stress. In a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the researchers gave half the patients headphones and they had their choice of what to listen to. Their blood pressure was normal during the surgery and they reported less stress afterwards.