Recently there was a discussion thread on DU concerning a person with cancer

choosing alternative medicine (essential oils) over conventional medicine for their treatment. For being a progressive site some of the replies chilled me to my core as some did not feel the cancer patient had a right to choose their course of treatment. Isn’t a person’s right to choose not only the core of the abortion debate but the genesis for other issues as well? How can one be against one’s right to choose their cancer treatment yet be in approval of one’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion?

The comments resulted in my asking the question how intertwined the use of alternative medicine is to one’s connection to Mother Earth through their spirituality. Here is my conclusion.

I believe that spirituality is an energy force that is inherent in everything that inhabits Mother Earth. Expansion of one’s energy force results in a higher understanding of our place and our connectedness to things that are greater and other than human. It is through this perception and understanding that one accepts the reality that Mother Earth has provided all who inhabit this earth with natural resources for healing. The acceptance and use of these natural resources is the connection that makes the respect for Mother Earth, alternative medicines, and spirituality inextricably bound.

Unfortunately, over the centuries humans have rendered extinct some of the healing plants provided in nature. The following is a (short) list of some healing plants that still exist in nature. Willow Bark became aspirin. Paclitaxel, extracted from the Pacific yew, is the precursor to today’s cancer fighting chemotherapy drug marketed as Taxol and is considered to be one of the National Cancer Institute’s successes in their search for new cancer drugs from nature. Yohimbe is the precursor to Viagra. Bearberry is the precursor to sulfa drugs used to treat UTIs. Bitterleaf is a zoopharmacognosy remedy used by animals to treat parasites. Bloodroot is the precursor to commercial preparations to counteract dental plaque and gum disease. Brazil Nut provides the necessary micro-nutrient selenium in selenium-deprived areas. The ricin in the Castor Bean is being bioengineered to attach to antibodies that bind to and destroy cancer cells. Chaste Tree is the precursor to commercially prepared PMS remedies and for treatment of Parkinson’s. Forskohlii’s compound forskolin was found to calm muscle spasms, lower blood pressure, and as a prescription drug, is used for the treatment of hypothyroidism. Foxglove is the precursor to conventional drugs used in controlling edema associated with congestive heart failure. Happy Tree is the precursor for many cancer fighting drugs recognized and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In World War I a remedy containing Cannabis was given to horses in the military to treat colic episodes.

Clearly, there is a use for conventional medicine and a use for alternative medicine and their uses can be inclusive, not exclusive.

Namaste.