Lecture will explore how at-home, inexpensive treatments can save money and promote good health.
By: Ryan A. Flournoy
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
English Professor Liz Ann Aguilar and English Adjunct Maria D. Salinas will lead a free presentation on nature’s alternative methods of healing 9:25-10:40 a.m. Thursday in room 120 of the visual arts center.
They will discuss “Folk Medicine: ‘Nature’s Healing Power’” as part of Hispanic Heritage Month at this college.
Such alternatives include using herbs, super foods and vitamins to cure sickness and aliments versus the increasing use of synthetic drugs in today’s society, Aguilar said.
For centuries, native people of the region have passed down remedies consisting of plants, seeds and leaves to help diminish both pain and sicknesses, Salinas said.
“Hispanic cultures … still use home remedies along with many other cultures,” Salinas said.
Those include aloe vera plant extracts for skin irritation and minor skin burns from the sun. Salinas said orange leaves can be boiled and consumed as a tea mixture to help with insomnia. Chia seeds are rich in fiber, antioxidants and omega-3.
Today many of those simple remedies are still alive; however, not enough people are aware of them, Salinas said. Instead, they opt only for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which are sold all over the world for a large profit, especially in America, according to an article on PBS.org from Feb. 7, 2014. It showed people in the United States spend an average of $1,000 a year on pharmaceuticals, 40 percent higher than Canada, the next highest-spending country.
“I am not against modern medicine,” Salinas said. “I just want to stress the alternative to synthetic drugs.”
The presentation aims to educate those unaware of nontraditional medicine practices.
The goal is to urge people to seek healthier forms of treatments that have fewer risks of adverse effects than a synthetic drug.
Salinas said those who will benefit from the lecture include people affected by common sicknesses such as allergies, seasonal colds, sleeping disorders, arthritis, muscle pain, skin irritation, chronic headaches, diabetes and other conditions.
For more information, call Salinas at 210-486-1432 or Aguilar at 210-486-0605.
