[Spirit Dancer]

[QUOTE=Toughy;42395]Andrew my friend.......

No one can say which is more effective for a white person.

If by Chinese medicine you mean herbs and acupuncture, my experience is they work for some things for me. Herbs not so much. My body readily responds to acupuncture for my asthma and allergies. I also found it useful for fatigue. I never seriously tried it for chronic pain.........I was not willing to have needles stuck in my body every other day for probably a month, followed by weekly treatments forever. Besides I only ever found one woman acupuncturist whose skills actually worked for me (other than the old woman in SF Chinatown who spoke no English and healed my asthma with one treatment for about 3-4 years) I probably have been to around 5-6 different acupuncturists in different states.

The Japanese use a different system of acupuncture.... different meridians (acupuncture points). I have no personal experience with Japanese acupuncture.

There is no one Native American healing method. If you are talking about the use of herbs, then different herbs are used by different tribes based on where they live. The other basis for indigenous peoples healing practices is on a spiritual level and has to do with returning harmony to the physical and spiritual bodies. That would be the chanting/singing, eagle feathers and smudging you see in western movies....although it is a hollywood bastardization of the healing ceremonies. Different tribes have different ceremonies for the same things.

For a white person to just go to a shaman and expect healing is folly. Healing is based on the cosmology (the way the world is seen) of the particular tribe of the shaman. Your ancestors have their own ceremonies and healing practices. You might consider seeking those out for yourself.

And I would also say...........healing is not the same as curing. I personally prefer healing over curing. If I am cured but not healed, then the cure is just a band-aid. The dis-ease will return in one form or another until I am healed.[/QUOTE]



Toughy,
I want to thank you for sharing this here, I cannot tell you how many people will ask a Shaman to "Cure" them or what is the "Cure" for their illness. Most have never been to a healing ceremony.
They have no idea the traditions and beliefs that are taught for generations, an easy fix with an herb is what most seek. Herbs are not for everyone and have a very adverse effect on some.