Maya acupuncture??? and other things...

[Guest guest]

dear Matt and list...

 

Matt:

 

> Or was it possibly assimilated from highland mayan influences?

 

Marco:

Doubt it, the cuestion wheter some form of acupuncture has been practice in

Guatemala is still an open ended one and one which I personaly doubt... for

the simple reaseon what is acupuncture? (moxibustion?) and so forth...

 

Matt:

 

> Have you seen the book " Wind in the Blood " . It's author is

> interested in showing many of the parallels between mayan medicine

> and at least very rudimentery conceptions of chinese medicine. They

> seem to use a sort of primitive acupuncture system. Aren't highland

> mayans involved in the resistance?

 

Marco:

 

This book is an intresting tangent, but premasurly written if you asked me.

 

It is often refered to here by people whom whats to elivate the Maya status

by " showing " its Chinese origin. It is like trying to elivate the Chinese

medicine status by " showing " its paralel to western medicine or " better "

still western science...

 

I doubt that in the long run its relavent, but of couarse one can make and

find comparesion between probably any pre western scientific cultural

matrix. As a side note the Maya languages are from the little lingustical

understanding I have nearly diametricaly opposed to the latin based spanish

(not sure if this in part cuase the " incompatebilities " ).

 

The language based on one hand is higly " eqaliterian " and non separaties

i.e. seam to seperate things by context rather then rigied taxnomenies.

Whearas the spanish language remains a hieracical based language where

social sttus is very much embeded within its daily usage (the most obviouse

example usted, tu, vos...)

 

However I realy no to little about this to coment and what is more that the

" traditional " maya strata-matrix is now higly herical contrary to popular

opinion. It is very religiouse supertious and probably sence China is large

and vast one could probably find past,present, futer similiarieties between

such and " ideiology " Guatemala China. However I think often of some sayiing

more or less:

 

 

What effect does the calling for rain have (that the shaman does)? on bring

down the rain?

 

I say none.

 

It is not a direct qouate but something takien from daoist scripter that I

read a translation of somewhere (if I am totaly mis qouating or puting out

of context, for example maybe it was a confusian text? Any corections

nwelcome since there are to much MUS in the field anyway...)

 

Thus one could also find great dissimiliarieties beween the two " cultures "

spoked of above.

 

Hence the book wind in blod and intresting read but prematurly written and

the ahouthors real penetration of either cultures seam to me at best

intentional but higly superficial...

 

Yes, Maya are part of the resistance something which after all these

centeries seam to have gone into the genes by passive obstruction it is

higly chalanging to live with my wife and others for that matter becuase

action seams to be based on passive negleget. Something which I find very

intresting and to date not sufeciently studied how this affect the health of

one (individual the two (society) the three (culture, life)...

 

But there are many people that suffer from long term not knowing how to

expres one self (articulate?)

 

Which affects defeniatly the moment of qi or rather qi transformations but

what about the sheen spirit?

 

 

 

Matt:

 

> Can't you order them from the U.S. or China.

 

Marco:

 

I am simply not a busnies person something which I need to develop...

 

I just need to balance it with keeping true to what I personal hold as

ideals and belive is ethical.

 

The logic for this polemics are simple:

 

I had and have such a good life but what about those that did not make it?

 

That had to stay in Guatemala?

 

I supose it is guilt of living whilts my biologiacal background was totaly

whiped out...

 

Hence one driving force is to " honer " my Swedish mother for bringing me up

as her own another is to always try to honer the dead and for there

sacrifice of a better tomorow...

 

Thus reading one of Emuanels post make me think that I am probably not doing

enough so rather then talk the practice I will now also be at the hospital

two days a week irelavent of funding (still looking for ideas how to be

there full time:-)

 

 

> your best luck will probably be in a grassroots style fashion.

 

Marco:

 

Sure, one does not live for ever so really my bigest aim is to try to theach

and plant some seeds for the futer generations to begin to embarck on the

journy of Chinese medicine (in comunity orientated way).

 

This is fruaght with many problems but... can not remeber who said something

like:

 

" if your ideals are easily swayed they where not rotted (source based)

enough 8agian its not a direct quoate...

 

Something which often think of in the hospital and with pactiants since

western medical language is " glamour " in guatemala.

 

Urban and rural alike people love to talk in western medical terms so the

converstions altough quite repetetive and probably funny to an observer:

 

Doctor

 

I am not a doctor my training (such as it is) is in Chinese medicine and i

did not qualify in Asia.

 

Ah! Chinese medicine intresting doctor.

 

hmm " okay " of chinese medicine (I do not whant to give false impresions so

try to explian but it goes round and round)...

 

Doctor I have amegdalities gastrites and...

 

Yes but how do you feel?

 

Feel?

 

Doctor I have larangities gastrities (sometimes the terms seam to get

changed in the same sentece)

 

YES but what are the symptoms - manifestations?

 

Doctor I do not feel well, I have pain.

 

What is it like and call me Marco...

 

Yes doctor it is painfull...

 

Hmm...

 

So that how the conversations can go on for a while...

 

So really the tounge and pulse is something I try to developed and try to

develop my spanish language as to find term representive of comon signs and

symptomes at least...

 

This type of conversations also goes on with the health promoters driving me

nuts...

 

Becuase of my lack of capabilites of being able to convey " ideas " and hence

diferences in aproaches to health care...

 

It would be so amazing and intresting to see reall capabal practitioners

such as you on this list to diagnose people whom have difrent cutlure from

China Asia and in fact from the Western world to with the language barriers

in tact.

 

I would defeniatly learn a lot so obliged to convey that as Holiday

guatemala is the place to visit (Can the hint be any more then that? Ken

will write of line)...

 

Matt:

> hmm.. i do plan on eventually getting down there. A side interest

> of mine for some time has been Mayan studies and i've always wanted

> to go to Palenque, the Yucatan and possibly the highlands of

> guatemela. I don't know any spanish though and right now chinese is

> my long term goal. Where do you run a clinic?

 

Marco:

 

Well I partisipate at the hospital where any help would be a need fullfiled,

and in zone 18 where I still try to understand how I can theach them with

out MUS and planting to many futher obstackles such as qi = energy scifi

jumbo... (more importantly that which Respects and " understand " Chinese

medicine within the context of Guatemala.)

 

I have always many offers but since no pay can not be at al places at this

time there is for example a cancer clinc based in a hospital that wants to

have " chinese medicine " .

 

numerso health promoters clinic (as an intresting side line)

 

I was working at a health clinic but could not bare it. They suposedly use

something called " bio-energy " muscle testing?

 

And sincerly the source of sanatation there is the need for the patiants to

feel better, which is not necesarly a bad thing but...

 

They rstricted me from using the plants sicne that was done by a muscle

testing so i could bear it no more and changed place but not the plan...

 

Aperantly there is a clinic rehabitation for children that has a Guatemalan

doctor whom has been in Sweden and she is really " intrested " in chinese

medicine and se speaks Swedish so I am looking foward speak with her in the

Swedish tounge and maybe se what comes out of it...

 

You would have no shortage of places where your expertise and compasion

would be needed...

 

I would look foward to learn from you and for you to come and theach us be

it at hospital or zone 18 or else where...

 

I also work from home and you could take over that, just give me some 30% of

the income basicaly for food and that I way i would spend at least that

month months doing workshops...

 

Learning chinese?

 

No problem then we are two, if you come to Guatemala:-)

 

I( am also trying to learn Chinese a vexing dilema becuase since my life

partner she is from Uspatan Kichee I am learning Kichee so our of springs

can apreaciate the indigniouse Native language more and also so I could

attend with more sinceridad at least people that speak only Kichee (the

dilema is that I actually want to learn Chinese) and apart from that my

spanish is poor and need to learn that becuase we need to translate great

books about chinese medicine from Chinese and the english Language...

 

One idea for this would be to start a list with anyone whom speaks spanish

(I know you are out there:-) and see what terms " equvalants " one could

develop any one intrested?

 

As a note to that the wise man dictornary is going to be tears and sweat and

dispear to translate into Spanish, but necasary is the process in the pipe

line?

 

Marco