If you have a chance to step back in time, one of the best places in the United States is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Williamsburg offers a glimpse of the early start to colonization and of how we provided healing and healthcare before the American Revolution.
Physician Apprenticeships:
If you wanted to be a physician in Williamsburg, you would first do an apprenticeship with the local doctors. Many Williamsburg residents were not able to travel back to England to study at the universities and therefore the apprenticeship was the most practical way to offer on-the-job training in healthcare.
While Williamsburg was thriving, John Morgan and William Shippen began the first medical school in the country. The medical school was founded in 1765. The school is now known as the University of Pennsylvania. Just three years later, the second medical school was formed at Kings College, known today as Columbia University. And another fifteen years later, another school would be formed at Harvard. Thus began formal physician training in the United States.
Before the United States had Physicians for Healing:
Prior to Williamsburg or the Jamestown settlement, there were five or more Native American tribes living in the Virginia region. The tribes consisted of: Algonquian-speaking people; Nottoway and Meherrin tribes near the Tidewater, and Siouan and Iroquoian-speaking people in the interior of Virginia.
The Virginia Native Americans as well as those throughout the United States had various approaches to healing. Yet, all tribes had a key philosophy – our inner connectedness. That connection includes not only other humans but also the Earth, the animals, the birds and the vegetation. Since we are all connected, community played a critical role in helping a person to heal. Family, friends and the tribe came together to support and help that individual with their illness.
Native American Ceremonies
The Native Americans lived with the Earth. Each season was recognized for the fruits, vegetables and herbs available at that time. Eating was therefore driven by the seasons and its offerings. Native Americans used ceremonies, native herbal medicines and allopathic medications together to help an individual. The Native Americans also recognized that the body, mind and spirit were interconnected and therefore, healing required the inclusion of spiritual treatments as well. For ceremonial healings, they had the person suffering with symptoms but also included the family and community. It was a joint effort and it is recognized that “what is in the one is in the whole and vice versa.”The Native Americans had a holistic approach to caring for another person. That holistic approach is seeing a return in our modern medical world as integrative approaches are being incorporated. Integrative approaches include: herbal medicines, naturopathic and integrative doctors, holistic nursing, massage, chiropractic services, acupuncture, Reiki, reflexology, Shamanic healing, yoga, Qigong, energy healing and more. If you are interested, learn more by visiting Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine or Four Directions Wellness.