Posted on 11/30/2005 3:21:31 AM PST by Mike Bates
Prescott, AZ - When Albert Laughter unpacks his medical supplies, preparing to treat the military veterans who are his patients, he finds no stethoscope or thermometer.
His examination room doesn't have walls to speak of. It is made of canvas and wooden poles, a teepee with a small fire ring inside. His supplies — pheasant and eagle feathers, cornmeal, sage and other herbs — come wrapped in small leather pouches.
Laughter, a Navajo medicine man, cares for warriors as five generations of his forebears have: with traditional herbs, songs and ceremonies. But unlike his ancestors, he does it as a healer under contract with the federal government.
Laughter's services are part of a small assortment of programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat American Indian veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder and other maladies.
"Our culture, even though we live in the 21st century, we come back to the ceremonies, we come back to where the fire is, come back to where the herbs is, come back to where the songs is," said Laughter, who does his work in Navajo and in English at the VA medical center in Prescott and on northern Arizona reservations.
There are more than 181,000 American Indian veterans in the United States, less than 1 percent of the 24.8 million veterans nationwide, according to the VA. But officials at VA medical facilities near reservations say they have found Indian veterans have unique needs.
Deborah Thompson, director of the northern Arizona VA health care system, said providers don't have perfect understanding of how traditional practices help, but they have learned they are important for Indian veterans and can aid in treatment.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The mind can be as important as the body in healing.
My Indian blood tells me to trust the Medicine man before trusting the average medical man.
...and let's not forget, that dang pesky spirit, may have a say hey...
“Casting out evil spirits” is a pretty common thing with most religions I’m familiar with. In some cases it works far better than extensive psychotherapy. In cases where the illness is caused by infection or physical trauma prayer can do a lot to boost the body’s immune system.
As a True Believer in Modern Western Medicine, I personally prefer being loaded up with chemicals.
Heck, R. Scott, I was just refering to the body/mind/spirit deal, not new age bs- but, the fishin'/huntin'/babymakin' kind. Those evil spirits are confabulating at DU as we talk, and I am certain those are some chemical absorbing sponges. So, take in your daily preservatives, start a gas engine and go do something stupid in the water, the woods or in bed. You just can't go wrong that way, FRiend!
Those evil spirits are confabulating at DU as we talk…
Well, I've heard some of those little bunnies stray this way, time and again. Too bad the Zot ain't real. Sure would be nice if Our Troops could give 'em a reality check, Iraq side or here, lol...
Yep!
Just checked your page. Dang, you are almost a pretty as me. By the by, nice little dodge car, ya old hound dog!
lol...I was just kidding about your wheels!
Hope his Navajo is better than his English.
Handsome fellows, ain’t we!
Good enough for his purpose.
I just hope that the people he treats understand him.
According to this, Source, Navajo language doesn't make a distinction between singular & plural nouns (a few exceptions) and 'the Navajo language does not have verb tenses the way we think about them', so that could splain things. Aside from that, there's the possibility of either innocent transcription error or bias on the part of the reporterette. Given that the reporterette did not use sic at the point of error/errors, I suspect one of the latter two possibilities.
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