![]() ![]() The first known reference to diabetes is found in an Egyptian papyrus, the Ebers papyrus, dated to about 1500 BCE: this papyrus mentions a conditions associated with increased volume and an increased frequency of urination along with excessive thirst and severe weight loss. The growing consensus among medical scientists and physicians is that ancient medicines and ancient approaches may need to be re-examined, even if it is not stated that way. ![]() Hippocrates, the “Father of Modern Medicine”, besides being responsible for the Hippocratic oath, is also reputed to have stated “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” 2 The concepts that nutrition, relaxation, meditation and continued physical activity can lead to a healthier life are undergoing a worldwide resurgence. get your rest!) have real value for many people. eat well) or lifestyle habits (early to bed, early to rise ie. We are also learning that older concepts regarding nutrition (an apple a day ie. The field of ethnobotany specializes in talking to native and traditional healers in part to determine which plants should be further investigated for anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, antibiotic and other properties. For example, approximately 25% of modern prescription medications have at least one plant or herb-derived substance as ingredients 1 and there is a growing number of plant-based medicines used to treat cancer-these include taxol-based (from the yew tree) and etoposide- based (from the Mayapple) chemotherapeutic agents. This is not actually a valid way of looking at the history of medicine, as it turns out.Īncient physicians and healers appear to have known more about the body, more about diagnosis and more about treatment plans than they have been given credit for. On the other hand, we also tend to think that ancient or native people didn’t know much about disease and had to rely on “magic”, a few herbs or just plain luck to stay healthy. We tend to think of the 20th and 21st centuries as the greatest eras of medical discoveries and advances in the treatment of human diseases, and a very strong case can be made for this. ![]()
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