Heroic Women Healers: an ABC
Karlo,
It’s the emergency room TV dramas that capture all the attention. How can I
teach my kids that the quieter work of holistic healthcare is heroic too?
Hopefully Harvard
Dear Hopefully,
It’s time your kids learned their ABCs. In keeping with this issue’s women’s
health theme, I offer your children this abecedary of female holistic heroes:
A is for Maya Angelou, whose story of self-healing, I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings, has inspired millions.
B is for Barefoot Shiatsu, popularized in the US by Shizuko Yamamoto (www.imss.macrobiotic.net).
C is for Caroyln Myss, Ph.D., medical intuitive and author of Anatomy of the
Spirit.
D is for Dance Movement Therapy, pioneered by Norma Canner, subject of the
documentary A Time to Dance (www.btifilms.com/aboutnorma.htm)
E is for Brooke Medicine Eagle, Earth Wisdom teacher and author of Buffalo Woman
Comes Singing.
F is for Five Rhythms, the movement meditation developed by urban shaman
Gabrielle Roth (www.gabrielleroth.com).
G is for Rosemary Gladstar, considered the mother of modern herbalism in North
America (www.sagemountain.com).
H is for Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki from Asia to the western world (read
Reiki: Hawayo Takata’s Story by Helen Haberly).
I is for Ida Rolf, originator of RolfingŪ Structural Integration (www.rolf.org).
J is for Dr. Janet Travell, the mother of myofascial trigger point knowledge and
JFK’s physician (www.myofascialtherapy.org).
K is for Kitchen Table Wisdom by Dr. Rachel Remen, a force in the mind/body
health movement.
L is for Louise Hay, writer, healer, and a founder of the self-help movement (www.LouiseHay.com)
M is for the Millions of unsung midwives, witches, shamen and mothers who have
done most of the world’s healing work.
N is for Dr. Christiane Northrup, who challenges women to listen to their
bodies’ wisdom (www.drnorthrup.com).
O is for Outstanding, a way to describe Catherine Coulter’s classic book
Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines. She helped keep homeopathy alive during its
darkest time in the US.
P is for Palliative Care, developed by Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the
modern hospice movement (www.stchristophers.org.uk).
Q is for the spiritual Quest of Boston’s Mary Baker Eddy, healer and Christian
Science founder. (www.marybakereddylibrary.org)
R is for Renee Caisse, the Canadian nurse who popularized Essiac Healing for
cancer in the face of a hostile medical establishment (www.essiacinfo.org).
S is for Spiritual Midwifery, a book that helped revive midwifery in the US,
written by Ina May Gaskin.
T is for Susan Taylor, Editor of Essence Magazine and writer of the popular
column In the Spirit.
U is for Utthita Trikonasana, a triangle pose in Iyengar Yoga, a style that
senior yoga instructor Patricia Walden has helped popularize (www.yoga301.com).
V is for Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain, who helped launch the personal
growth movement.
W is for Olga Worrell, the famous Methodist psychic healer and author of The
Gift of Healing.
X is for the X-ceptional work of Dr. Candace Pert, discoverer of endorphins and
author of Molecules of Emotion.
Y is for Rosario Yamberla, the acclaimed Quichua Ecuadorian shaman. (rosarioyamberlahy@hotmail.com).
Z is for New Zealand, one of the many countries where Healing Touch, developed
by Nurse-Healer Janet Mentgen, is practiced (www.healingtouch.net).
Now they know their ABC’s. Who are your female holistic heroes?
Karlo Berger’s business, Whole Health Solutions, helps people across the country
find the most talented and experienced caregivers in their community, and helps
holistic healers make the right connections for success. The author wishes to
thank David Anick, Bonita Buchanan-Jones, Amalia Cordova, Karyn Mandan, Kira
McGovern, Giordana Mecagni, Judy Partington, Susanne Sandberg, and Elisabeth
Taylor.
First published May 2006
Whole Health Solutions can connect you to the most accomplished healers in your area, whatever gender. Click here for details.
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