In every part of the world, human beings become ill and regain their health, and in every society you’ll find a system of healing — a cultural consensus on what illness is and how to treat it. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.
Maurice Iwu is both a western-trained pharmacologist and an African-born practitioner of Nigerian traditional medicine. He describes how in the Nigerian tradition, healing is accomplished through both material and spiritual means.
“In the administration of medicine, there are three elements of healing: the individual that is being healed, the healer that is healing the individual, and then what you call the instruments of healing. The instruments would be the ancestors, the spirits and the organic materials like herbs, stones, minerals and so on. It then means that the spirituality aspect of it is dominant.”
A traditional healer must possess both a thorough understanding of the way these material and spiritual elements work together, as well as the ability to regard the patient as a whole being, rather than just a list of physical symptoms. And finally, he must inspire the trust of the patient.
“The healer can see and hear what the ordinary person doesn’t. That’s one of the gifts the traditional healer has, that he can listen to your body vibration. Listen to sadness, listen to the happiness, listen to the whole tonacity of your life. He doesn’t have to have a magical sense at all, it’s just listening to the vibration coming from the person. The he will be able to know whether you need a drug or not. You may not need a medicine. Then all he needs is to heal you. It is your faith in him, your own mind, your preparedness to accept the treatment that would make him heal you.”
Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Additional funding for this series has been provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.