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Smudging with wormwood, sage, cedar, sweet grass, juniper, and pine needles helps to purify the healing space and all involved (healer, patient, helpers, ritual objects), to induce a spiritual mind set, to increase the awareness of forces that are helpful and disease-causing, and to invite and provide respect to helping spirits. Prayer and chant includes communion, invocation, petition, and sacred expression. This helps the mind focus on healing, love, peace, acceptance, and trust. Prayer also expands the receptiveness of the consciousness of all involved and invokes healing forces. This also helps the patient to feel worthy of divine help. Herbs are administered at this time. Music in any form (voice, drum, rattle, flute, whistle, rasp, clacker, violin, and bull roarer) act as prayer to induce harmony and unity among participants and accompany dance and ceremony. Counseling (to include talking, advising, dream/vision interpretation, guidance from nature, healing imagery, and humor) is used to determine disease causes (physical, behavioral, and spiritual), determine sources of inner strength and understanding, encourage changes, provide coping strategies, and strengthen relationships with family and community. Energy therapies are used to heal the body, mind, and spirit. They are used to relive pain and transmit healing energy, intent, and spiritual power. |
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Strauss, Mokdad, Ballew, and Mendlein (1997) reported findings from a Navajo Health and Nutrition Survey, which examined a sample of 566 Navajo women who resided on the Navajo Reservation. Findings showed that 59% were overweight or obese, 24.4% reported high blood pressure or toxemia during their last pregnancy, 12% had anemia, and 25.7% had gestational diabetes that peaked during ages 40 to 49 years, and there were low numbers of users of mammography and Pap smears.Napoli, M. (2002). Holistic health care for native women: An integrated model.ßAmerican Journal Of Public Health,ß92(10),ß1573-1575. Napoli (2002) reported on an integrated model of providing holistic health care for native women. Native women present with severe illnesses such as diabetes, alcoholism, arthritis, and mental illness. The Native American woman today faces a change in position from one of value to one marked by early death, domestic violence, and illness. Depression, health problems, oppression, identity loss, divorce, suicide, mortality, alcoholism, and a loss of tribal traditions are found among this group. The health of this group is worse that that of other women and the suicide rate is twice as high for this group than it is for the general American population. In addition to beliefs related to healing, Native American attitudes toward supplements must be considered. Even the use of dietary supplements is determined by the context of cultural, ethnic, and demographic determinants (Jasti, Siega-Riz, & Bentley, 2003). Jasti, et al. stated that women of Native American, Alaskan, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander constitute 29% of the American female population and they experience a disproportionate amount of health problems with poorer health and less health service use. A survey of 23,7000 individuals showed that use of dietary supplements varied by group and those who would benefit most from the supplements tended to use them the least. Suppl |
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