Belief is a powerful healer, modern medicine calls it the placebo effect which is often belittled by big pharma and their drug distribution network. But 'before big pharma', BBF, started selling us its wonder snake oil our ancestors swore by their earlier versions. My grandparents knew plenty of miraculous recoveries caused by elixirs [and i'd add the revivalist spirit of the seller].
Science is convinced, emotions are hugely involved in immune response in every culture, geography and climate. Bobby McFarrin's advice, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" gets a thumbs up from the peer-review community. People are often most healthy when they are happy and vice-versa. Healthy people are internally independent, they exercise their free will with empathy for all, within a framework of the possible. Free will, freedom to chose, freedom to change makes happy people and-as we learned a few days back- Happy people would often choose to eat happy buffalo, who ate happy grass, that lived in happy soil, that helped clean the air, who helped clean the lungs and the thoughts of the previously unhappy people.
Back on our little farm there was a Shaman's Garden where i grew magic medicinal plants. Our climate and growing season set limits on the things we grew, nevertheless we grew a wide variety of organic food and medicinal plants for ourselves and our neighbors, medicinals included:
Comfrey - grows abundantly here without any help works miracles on all kinds of skin ailments
Lemon Verbena - an instant cure for depression, like listening to the banjo, ya can’t smell it without smiling
Opium Poppies - easy to save and store plus its tea can make even the most worn out hip a little less painful and a lot more fun
Mota - like opium, another cure for what ails ya, both have been in use for thousands of years
Purple Sage - very strong tasting but also a very strong cleansing smudge comes from burning the dried flowers
Blackberries, Salmonberries, Huckleberries, and Thimbleberries - that we didn’t do anything to help grow, we just grazed and enjoyed the bounty and nourishment.
In many cases i've seen personally how a stroll through the Shaman's garden, a few questions and answers, a bit of belief engendered, can lead to people taking control of their own health. Growing and tending a few herbs, picking some 'wild' berries are independent acts initiated by free will. Interdependent we are, our biology determines the parameters of our action, but not its direction-not its intent. Each of our destinies is unique because we have free will. The extent to which each individual gets to exercise their free will the greater their sense of independence and freedom. Clear a small area this winter, add compost and worms as soon as possible in your climate, start a few magic herbs, learn their stories, share their stories and the herbs with friends. Watch as cousins beam with inner power and vitality upon learning the stories and the herbs...Become the Shaman.
Emotions and the Immune System
