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Show IB THE GREEN SHEET 22, 1985 Thursday, August i Noted Health Official Says Pamphlet - Details The Arts Of The Herbalist Must Be Tapped soaking herbs in water without boiling them and tinctures are infusions of the plants into alcohol. A portion of the family garden was devoted to growing herbs, but medical practitioners in those days also went into the fields and mountains to gather many kinds of plants from which simple remedies were prepared. very different than the clean, sterile environment found in our modern hospitals. Herbs were the primary source of medicine for many years MURRAY. The age old arts of after the first permanent set- the herbalist must be tapped, Dr. Halfdan Hahler said. Last of a series Many of the plants . . . really do have the healing powers that tradition attaches to them, he noted. Based on English, Welsh, Irish, by Ralph H. Goff Greea Sheet Staff Writer dients. Lobelia, or Indian Tobacco, was possibly the second most used medication. It was the basic herb of Thomsonian botanic medicine a school of medicine common a century and a half ago - and was considered almost a panacea for everything from spasms, convulsions, hysteria and cramps to epilepsy, tetanus and cholera. Cayenne Pepper was also very heavily used and was supposed to heal by causing sweating. It was used as a tonic to help with indigestions, to aid menstruation and to cure quinsy. Cayenne was also sprinkled in the shoes in winter months to keep the feet warm. One pioneer remedy, remarked West Valley resident Olga Milius, is to take a bit of cayenne pepper, roll it in a little ball with honey, then swallow it with a glass of cider vinegar for treating both coughs and colds. - Arthritis For coughs and colds, a remedy spelled out in her book was to roast a lemon'until it began to crack open, squeeze the lemon and mix the juice with sugar and take the mixture before every meal and before going to sleep. Other remedies were developed after the immigrants Questions SALT LAKE. Taking an active role in arthritis management can mean better treatment for arthritis, according to a free new pamplet available at the Arthritis Foundation. Help Help Your Doctor Yourself explains the partnership between the arthritis patient and the physician. Doctors arent superhuman, the pamphlet says. There is no reason to be in awe of your doctor, nor is there any need to blindly follow orders without asking questions. The pamphlet describes the partnership that should exist between the patient and physician and details each partys responsibilities. The arthritis patients responsibilities are to learn all he can about his disease and to make a commitment to follow the doctors advice. In return the doctor should make an effort to explain difficult concepts fully. Together they discuss a treatment program for the arthritis patient. The pamphlet discusses the health professionals who make up the arthritis treatment team and their unique role. Many people see more than one doctor for their arthritis. Physical therapists and other health professionals also treat arthritis patients under a physicians orders. Hints on making office visits more productive are also included in the pamphlet. The patient should prepare for an office visit knowing that his time with the doctor will be brief. Writing down questions is one way to use time in the office effectively. Prepare a brief but accurate progress report covering the success of your treatment plan and any problems you have had. Youre responsible for yourself, the pamphlet reminds. Make a commitment to work for goodhealth. by learning all you can about your arrived. sage was heavily used in teas, and books from the East recommended it for a variety of illnesses. Wild sage brush, though was also used, Mrs. Pearson explained. Sage brush tea, she said, was used as a 'spring tonic,' mixed with molasses and other ingredients. Parsley tea was one of the best things to clean out the kidneys, another informant said. Cranberry juice also used for this same purpose, but cranberries dont grow here, so red currant juice was used instead, she explained. A cough syrup her grandmother Garden-variet- y 'Babies were given concotions of catnip, mint or kinnikinnick, a mixture of tobacco and other herbs smoked by the Indians in their peace pipes. Older patients got Indian root, yarrow or quinine.' "DOCTOR lOOKS" . . . such os this or, wr treasured family possessions In the early days of Utah, taking their place alongside the family Bible. of the part of Hahler, World Health Organization thp United Nations --"Said in 1979 that for too long, traditional systems of medicine and modern medicine ' have gone their separate ways, yet are not their goals identical - to improve the health of mankind and thereby the quality of life? Only the blinkered mind would assume that each has nothing to learn from the other. Medicine in the good old days here in Utah was based primarily on such traditional techniques. The knowledge of the use of wild and tame herbs was a legacy handed down from generation to generation, sometimes in printed books, but n often manuscripts. Prior to the development of modern scientific techniques, the doctor book was a treasured possession, taking its place by the family Bible In importance. . Medicine in grandmas day was director-gener- hand-writte- ths books offorod horbol roclpoi for curing diseases, along with other bits of folk wisdom. Scottish and German folk remedies - along with knowledge of indigenous plants learned from the Indians -health was maintained by herbs and mild food remedies, often with surprising results. One Utah pioneer, Elias Hicks Blackburn, had a widespread reputation as a healer in the southern part of the territory. While he often used roots and herbs for his cures, he was known primarily for of healing effected by the laying-ohands. Family records credit him with 1,589 cures, with people coming from places all over the western United States, Canada and Mexico to receive his treatments. Three common methods of using aside from herbs as medicine were decoceating them directly tions, infusions and tinctures. Decoctions are solutions made by boiling various parts of the plants in water, infusions are prepared by -- n - commonly held belief at the time ..was that diseases were in: digenous to a particular place for instance, malaria was found only in but it was also swampy areas believed God saw to it that the herb, roots, or plants needed to cure those particular diseases would also be found in that same area. Pioneer herb hunters gathered knowledge of local plants and this knowledge was passed along to others who came to the area, adding to the store of medical knowledge possessed by Utahns in the pioneer days. Certain medicines were present in nearly every pioneer home. The first among these was olive oil, or sweet oil as it was often called. Mormon elders used the oil to bless the sick by the laying on of hands, but it was also used to rub the body and was given internally to cure illnesses of many kinds, either by itself or mixed with other ingre A - - Another heavily used medication, mixed into compounds for both external and internal use, was turpentine. Lard and turpentine was a favorite remedy for a sore throat, Union resident Faye Burrows explained. The mixture was heated on the stove, a cloth was soaked in it and it was wrapped around the neck, with another cloth wrapped over it to hold it in place. For stomach cramps, a mustard plaster was often used. A poultice, in which one recipe called for mixing the white of an egg and dry mustard to form a paste, was placed between two thicknesses of cloth, Murray resident Ruby Pearson explained. You had to watch it so it didnt bum, she said. According to an old doctor book brought across the plains by her a teaspoon blackberry tea, made from the root, was also given every minutes until the cramps went away. r, 15-2- 0 oaae aaaaaaaaaaz Baaaaaaaaaai' aaaaaaaaaaf aaaaaaaaae aaaaaaaa' laaaeaaa laaaaaaa laaaeaa laaaaar iftaaae waaar aaa aar a- - used was made from flax seed oil, ipecac and lemon. One remedy which now appears quite repulsive was fresh cow or horse manure. Used either by itself or mixed with lard and various other materials, the dung was often used to fight infections or burn injuries. As it dried, it drew out infections, Jim Goff of Herriman explained. Another common bum treatment was to use fresh potato peelings for similar results. treatment program. Babies were given concoctions of tnlp,.mint or kinnikinnick (a mix- ture- of tobacco and other herbs smoked by the Indians in their peace pipes). Older patients got Indian root (lobelia), yarrow, or quinine. The grandson of Fannie Jones Swann - a Murray woman with a reputation as a healer - said he was quite sure he recovered from many a childhood sick spell at just the thought of taking some of grandmothers medicines. - aaaaeSiaa Q This free pamphlet is available by calling the Utah Arthritis FoundaInterested persons tion, may also write the Arthritis Foundation office, 1174 E. 2700 South, Suite 15, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106. 486-499- Those dont wants around your house are probably do wants for someone else. Advertise them in Green Sheet classifieds Try a Green Sheet Want Ad ! ! , , aui THE LARGEST HEALTH CLUBS IN UTAH FOR MEN & WOMEN SWIMMING POOL AEROBICS CLASSES RELAXING WHIRLPOOL STEAM ROOM SOOTHING SAUNA NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE MODERN CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AND MUCH MORE!! 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