Learning more about Akha medicine...

Yesterday Rusty and I each took turns speaking at the yearly training Luka holds for villagers who hold some sort of leadership position in their villages. We had around 25 people come for this 3 day training. Rusty spoke for two hours on leading with a servants heart, and I spoke for 2 hours on preventative healthcare measures (boils, cavities, parasites, worms, high blood pressure, lice, bed bugs, dehydration, goiters...etc). 

Prior to speaking, I shared with them my interest in learning more about traditional Akha medicine and the methods they are already using in the villages. I shared with them that I will be teaching on western remedies and methods, but that doesn't mean these are always better then their traditional treatments. I had a lot of fun teaching the session, and learning about the different treatment methods the villagers have been using. There was a lot of laughing from them as they watched my reaction to some of their home-made remedies. Luke kindly translated both of the sessions for Rusty and I.

The villagers asked if we can start a monthly training session for 1-2 representatives from each of the 12 villages we are working in about basic health care. We are excited to start this project once Libby arrives next month, and to begin visiting the villages on a regular basis.

The pictures below are a few of the ones I used for my power point presentation that I thought you might enjoy, or that might make you a bit sick to your stomach. All of these images came from google images.

1. For the treatment of lice: One villager said he buys medicine for lice at the pharmacy, while others admitted to using pesticide spray (the same spray they use on their crops) on their children to kill the lice!
2. For the treatment of boils: Some villagers use a special leaf in the village that they burn a little and apply to the boil (they said the boil will come to a head in about 24 hours). Another method was to chew up soybean, and apply it to the boil. One man said he puts warm rice on the boil and then lets the chickens peck it open...OUCH! And the last method shared was to sharpen a piece of bamboo, poke the boil open, and then put opium on it.
   
3. For the treatment of eye pain: One villager informed me that he puts his very first pee in the morning in a small glass and pours it over his eye! I asked if this hurts at all and he said only for a little. This method that he shared got quite a chuckle from the other villagers, so I am assuming this is not the normal treatment, but his own personal method.
4. If the villagers have no tooth paste they will often just rub their teeth with salt, or charcoal. These are two methods that are recommended in one of my books "Where There is No Doctor," except it suggests adding a mixture of 50% baking soda and 50% salt.
5. When a villager gets a goiter, it is believed to be because that person was selfish and always eats before others. The villagers I was speaking with had never heard before the importance of buying salt with iodine in it to prevent non-toxic goiters.
6. For tooth pain, many Akha villagers will chew on bitternut (spelling?). This nut causes their teeth to turn black (which is considered beautiful), but also relieves tooth pain, and bad breath. They also use a few different plant saps to put on sore gums that act as numbing agents.
7. On special occasions in the villages they will eat raw pork, mixed with garlic, hot pepper, and salt. After I showed various pictures of worms, many of them told me they had seen these kind of worms come out of people in the villages. There is one type of worm (ascaris) that when the carrier has a fever, the worm will try to escape the host through the nose, mouth, or rectum.  They said they had seen this happen in people with fevers before. Tapeworms can grow to be up to 5 meters long. They said when someone has a tapeworm coming out of their rectum they will twirl it around a stick until it stops coming out. I asked what they do with the worms after they come out of the people and they throw them out and the chickens usually eat them.