|  | Conditions Treatments | Arthritis

Native American Knee Arthritis Treatments

Native American medicine has traditions based on prayer and plant remedies to treat all areas of the body. Arthritis treatment involves ritual cleansing in a sweat lodge in addition to remedies that include anti-inflammatory plant vinegars administered in the proper surroundings and frame of mind. If you want to learn traditional native medicine, you must apprentice with a healing elder.

  1. Native Healing

    • Negotiating a fee for services may be a beginning to treatment with a native healer. Native healers, or shamans, recognize that the cost of their treatments do not reflect their healing, but it may interfere with delivery. Treatments may continue annually, monthly or daily. There is no determined time frame for the healing.

      Treating arthritis in the knees may start by smudging negativity with sage. The shaman might be guided to administer massage with an herbal healing remedy. Sessions with a healer will vary by the experiences and rituals he has collected in his journey.

    Sweat Lodge Ceremonies

    • A sweat lodge is a circular structure in the earth with a firepit and a smoke hole opening in the top. It has a doorway that faces east. Ceremonies are given by an elder for both sexes separately, or occasionally for both sexes together. Prayers are offered by throwing herbs like tobacco, sage and sweetgrass onto the hot coals. Song and story are commonly incorporated into the ceremonial healing. This practice is not provided for children, or young people, but can be given for adolescents to center them on their path.

    Arthritis Treatments

    • Arthritis treatments would include a plant that has anti-inflammatory properties. One remedy is the wintergreen herb (Gaultheria procumbens) along with twigs and bark of birches, black haw, poplar or willow. These herbs would infuse after drying in cider, white or wine vinegar and be taken 1 teaspoon a day as necessary. Pain medicine also may be administered to allow movement and massage of the knee.

    Apprenticeships

    • The education a healer receives comes through internship with an elder healer. Knowledge from the elder is passed to the apprentice through informal conversations and practicing rituals like the Shaking Tent or the Yuwipi ceremony. Native medicine practices are experiential and practicing them independently without guidance is never advised.

    Collecting Plants

    • Native traditions believe the spirit of the plant will direct the shaman intuitively. When gathering plants for medicinal use, consult with a professional native healer. Understanding the processes of delivery for plant medicines is more important than guessing which plants for what ailment. Contact a native medicine healer before collecting and administering plant medicine. Person-to-person contact is essential.

Arthritis - Related Articles