http://globalmedicinereview.com Dedicated to exploring topics of interest in medicine, health, and healing. Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:34:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 2006-2009 globalmedicinereview@gmail.com (Kamau Kokayi) globalmedicinereview@gmail.com (Kamau Kokayi) 1440 http://globalmedicinereview.com/wp-content/uploads/gmr_circle_world_sm.jpg http://globalmedicinereview.com 144 144 Dedicated to exploring topics of interest in medicine, health, and healing. Kamau Kokayi Kamau Kokayi globalmedicinereview@gmail.com no no http://globalmedicinereview.com/2009/09/16/botanical-medicine/ http://globalmedicinereview.com/2009/09/16/botanical-medicine/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:51:36 +0000 admin http://globalmedicinereview.com/?p=234 http://globalmedicinereview.com/2009/09/16/botanical-medicine/feed/ 0 1:00:32 Today we are going to hear from the founder of the American Botanical Council, Mark Blumenthal so that we can get a better understanding of the botanical world and the world of plant medicines from the perspective of an organization that provides[...] Today we are going to hear from the founder of the American Botanical Council, Mark Blumenthal so that we can get a better understanding of the botanical world and the world of plant medicines from the perspective of an organization that provides educational opportunities and helps to disseminate information about botanicals, appreciating them in their cultural/geographic environment as well as their medicinal qualities. All of these are of course related. Plant medicines are all around us but in large measure we ignore and under appreciate them. There is a saying to the effect that a weed is a medicinal plant whose value has not been discovered. Even our kitchen cooking herbs and spices are underutilized with respect to their medicinal qualities. Yet we all complain about the side effects associated with pharmaceuticals and many of us are not motivated enough to do some herbal 101 work. On the other hand health professions have to be high on the list of people looking for a second career with a willingness to go back to get another degree or some recognized license. Why not herbal medicine. Unlike much of what goes on with pharmaceutical medicines plant medicines do heal and would be particularly useful for chronic health concerns. Too often would be health care aspirants are disappointed when they experience the level of business that is involved in delivering health care. Insurance companies and pharmaceuticals have gotten in the way of our health care. But isn’t the only real role for an insurance company to make sure that your medical services are covered. They really have no other value and now they are getting in the way of their prime directive…of helping people take care of themselves. They should have no life other than making patient care a reality. They don’t need to be profitable. And then there is Big Pharma. Pharmaceuticals depend on the plant world to source medicines and ideas for medicines. But in many ways our dependence on them has taken us away from nature’s healing laboratory . To really appreciate plants its useful to check them out in their natural habitat as opposed to the capsule in the bottle that you purchase from the health food store or a journal article. Natural habitat includes the understanding that uses of botanical are cultural applications, technologies…any medical system is a cultural application. Who are the people that came up with the application? What are their circumstance? The botanical also exists in a unique physical environment and it use can vary from one geographic location to another. Indeed the stories and lore around plants can be very informative with respect to their uses. You’ll find the same species of plant used differently by different cultures. Different parts used, different preparations. Wouldn’t it be better to have the cultural systems of the world share their wisdom and knowledge in the context of appreciation and reciprocity than the kind of rape that is taking place at this time. The profit incentive has no place in the medical field ….friendly competition with respect to healing people with the reward of recognition..like a martial arts master if you will, with the further reward of teaching other practitioners how you did it. But then we would have to live in an entirely different society and those who are profiting now would scream how un American this is. That’s alright …this is to be expected. It goes hand in hand with this kind of corporate disease an infestation that is plaguing our society. And while we can’t ignore the rules of engagement with respect to how things presently operate we can as a first step imagine something different for ourselves, our children and the future of this planet. Science ultimately means to know and the way cultures around the planet have come to appreciate their relationship to botanicals ranges from the most spiritual to the most mundane trial and error biochemical approaches. [...] Digestion, Health Kamau Kokayi no no