by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Curanderismo is not alternative medicine - it is the medicine of the people, said Sandrea Gonzales, a curandera.
"They feel comfortable. They feel safe. And that is the whole part of curanderismo," she said.
Curanderismo is the ancient practice of healing physical and spiritual illnesses by using herbal and holistic healing, she said.
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Gonzales said health care can be inaccessible for people who can't afford it.
"I think the lack of access of a lot of people has encouraged them to find older ways of healing," she said.
Elena Avila, who practices curanderismo at her home, has studied Western medicine.
She said that though curanderismo is an old method of medicine, it's relevant in the 21st century.
"I treat susto, which is soul-fright," she said. "It is someone who has been traumatized one or several times. They feel they have lost their identity because of that."
Avila said she sees a lot of cases.
"They could have sexual dysfunction, emotional problems -some of them feel very empty and lost," she said. "It really depends on the individual."
Avila, who has a master's in psychiatric nursing, grew up around curanderismo.
"I first learned about it growing up in El Paso," she said. "My mother knew a lot of remedios, and my grandmother was a
curandera."
Avila said she has practiced curanderismo for more than 25 years.
She said she has been asked to lecture on holistic healing at conferences and nursing schools.
"It took a long time to be accepted, but there has been a shift within the last 10 years," she said.
Many health practitioners in Western medicine are unhappy with the state of health care, she said.
"They are dissatisfied because they want to see people get well," she said. "They themselves are frustrated by limitations."
Those limitations include the time they are allowed to spend with their patients and the health-maintenance organizations that don't allow every patient to be treated, she said.
Gonzales said that curanderismo is about intuition and empathy for the patient.
"You always have to be flexible," she said. "You always have to be flexible with a human being."
That flexibility is not always available at a hospital, she said.
Gonzales said the interpersonal connection between a curandera and a patient is important.
"I've always believed 90 percent of one's healing in therapy is having someone witness their pain," she said.
Gonzales said her training as a therapist does not always allow her to help her patients.
"There were so many rules about keeping your distance with the clients, but I felt that is difficult when you are having a real human experience," she said.
Avila said she left the world of institutional medicine to start her practice.
She said she believes in the power of curanderismo because it treats a person physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
"I don't treat the diagnosis - I treat the person," she said. "In Western medicine, it is the
diagnosis."
A teaching
Cheo Torres, vice president of Student Affairs, teaches a class on healing traditions called Traditional Medicine without Borders: Curanderismo in the Southwest and Mexico.
The class gives an introduction of curanderismo and provides insight into its rituals, remedies and herbs, Torres said.
Torres said he was introduced to it growing up in south Texas.
"We came from a large family, and my mother would practice mainly the use of herbs for medicine and some rituals from time to time," he said.
Curanderismo is a tradition that is still alive and well - especially in places with large Hispanic populations, such as New Mexico,
he said.
Torres said that in many Third World countries, curanderismo is the only form of medicine available.
People practiced curanderismo before the Spanish came to the Southwest, he said.
Torres said American Indian healers classified thousands of plants for medicinal use and had a vast knowledge of herbal remedies, he said.
"When the Spanish arrived in 1519, they also brought their own mixture of cuttings and plants, along with a nice mixture of plants from different parts of the world," he said.
Torres said curanderismo is defined by a mixture of many cultures, including the Spanish Moors, Catholic saints and African Orishas.
"This is very important because they are able to combine all of these other influences," he said.
Olivia Herrera, a student in Torres' class, learned curanderismo when she was on a 36-hour trip to Mexico with a busload of curanderas.
Herrera said she helped present at traditional health fairs, or ferias de salud, where curanderas from Mexico came to Albuquerque to share methods of healing.
"I then traveled back with them to Mexico where I attended a few classes at La Tranca, a school which offers classes and certifications to curanderas," she said.
Herrera said she researched the differences between the health fairs in Mexico and
Albuquerque.
"I saw their ability to detect things without using Western medicine," she said. "They don't need to use an ultrasound."
There are pressure points on the body that indicate physical problems a person might have, Herrera said.
Herrera said curanderismo can be integrated into Western medicine to create an effective practice affordable to everyone.
"You can see in this area where a lot of people are not insured, they cannot afford to see a doctor," she said.
Curanderas prescribe herbs to their patients to treat illnesses, Herrera said.
Torres said traditional methods of healing have a direct influence on contemporary methods of healing.
"Today, curanderismo has influenced a revival of what we call integrative medicine," he said.
Terry Crow, a professor of occupational therapy at UNM, said she takes students to Oaxaca, Mexico, every year to learn about traditional medicine.
"We work with children and people who have a life circumstance causing them problems," she said.
Her students get to see that learning curanderismo takes years of studying, she said.
Crow said the experience changes the students' view on health and wellness.
Advocates of curanderismo are not against Western medical treatment, Gonzales said.
"Our belief is that both medicines can be helpful in the healing process and that modern medical technology also serves its purpose," she said
Gonzales said people in the field of integrative medicine should use both fields of medicine, Gonzales said.
Crow said she introduces integrative medicine to her students so they have a broader view on healing.
Many in the health profession never get to see the impact of traditional medicine in some of their patients, she said.
"Most people who use different methods of healing never tell their doctors," she said. "They get a negative reaction and
never tell."
Crow said that is dangerous.
"With some herbs there can be some interaction, and they can contradict the other," she said. "A health professional should
be aware."
