Then As Now, We Have Gods and Doctors

Since the annual Festival of Asklepios (Son of Apollon and God of medicine) on the Attic Calendar is tomorrow, and a family member of mine recently made miraculous strides in their battle against pancreatic cancer, I thought talking about the physical and spiritual side of ancient and modern medicine would be a great blog topic, especially since a number of people today think that medical science and religion have to be separate.

I'd first like to talk about my family member, quite close to me, who was diagnosed with one of the deadliest forms of cancer a couple months ago, pancreatic. We were all naturally very concerned, but after a couple rounds of treatment, the tumor is no longer visible, and the stage itself is treatable. So it looks like they're going to be one of the few people who pull through the disease, or who can at least not be killed by it. So it's always great news when someone close to you, or anyone for that matter, finds out that they're gaining the upper hand against such a frightening illness.

The upcoming festival I'm talking about is called Epidauria, and takes place annually on September 18th, in the Month of Boedromion. More or less, it's a Healing Festival of Asklepios that took place in Epidaurus, the believed birthplace of Asklepios, and it was here that the most important sanctuary of Him was built, located on the Northeast of the Peloponnese. During this time, and in Healing Temples in general, people would sleep in these sacred locations to gain the blessings of Asklepios for their illnesses and afflictions, or would bathe in the local natural springs or baths. But these weren't the only methods. There was also a theater, as it was believed that watching good performances benefited health.

But the larger point of this has to do with the fact that, for the ancient Greeks, their Gods were naturally involved in everything they did. They had doctors, just as we have doctors today, but the difference is that these doctors, and the people they treated, did not disregard the essential benefits of spirituality and Divinity. Most certainly, the doctors looked to the natural world to develop cures for the diseases and afflictions they treated, but it was also understood that the natural world came from the Gods, and therefore, so does medicine and healing. What they were given to heal with, were good things, and all good things come from the Gods. That's why the original, authentic Hippocratic Oath begins with an invocation to every single God of the Greek pantheon.

In our world today, people seem to live under the delusion of otherwise, and think that if they support medical science and go to doctors for cures and treatments, that they can't also thank Gods for their recoveries, but even a lot of people today would disagree with that notion. In fact, I would argue that the amazing technology and remedies we have today, have been answers to prayers for healing and disease prevention.

However, that is certainly not to say that traditional remedies, such as those invoked in the Asklepion (Sanctuary of Asklepios), are not beneficial as well. I've said before that a good dose of medicine and spirituality will make you whole again. Because for all of the medical tools we have to draw from today, there is still something inside of us that the mundane cannot heal or satisfy. 

If you go to a doctor, or specifically a psychiatrist, and tell them that your religion helps fight your mental illness, or helps you overcome your physical afflictions, they will tell you to keep doing it. In short, keep praying, keep invoking your Gods, keep being spiritual, because it's clearly just as good a medicine for you. They won't tell you to discount their own prescriptions or treatments, but they won't tell you to stop what you're doing either.

If I were to go to an Asklepion today, which I think, would be an exceptionally awesome event to see and experience, and I slept in the temple or sanctuary, the dreams sent to me by Asklepios could not only instruct me on how to heal my illness, but the good dreams themselves can fight depression and stress, improve my neuro connections all together, and strengthen my motor skills. If I bathed in the warm, natural waters of the springs or mineral baths, it could very well improve my blood circulation, which will help prevent something that can be very deadly, blood clots. The baths will also reduce my stress, reduce pain, improve skin conditions, and generally aid in rehabilitation. And if I enjoyed the wonderful performances of the theater with my dear friends or likeminded people, I could also experience a number of the benefits I just described, such as stress relief and improved memory and mood. 

As human beings, we are naturally religious and spiritual people. It's part of our genetic and evolutionary makeup. We are meant to connect with Gods and the natural world that is part of them. We need the Gods to be whole and complete. There are some things that a pill or a machine cannot cure, relieve or answer. And just because we advance in a field, doesn't mean the Gods aren't part of that. The ancient Greeks never had cars, but Hermes remains the Gods of travel still, for example. Just as Apollon and Asklepios remain the Gods of healing and medicine, and when the mortal doctors can do no more, the Gods can and will step in, just as they did with my infant son during his premature birth and recovery.

It is a wonderful world, and a wonderful universe, with many wonderful, diverse things, that the Gods have given us to experience and take part in.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Ancient Greek Medicine and Healing for Modern Problems

At first notion, people today may assume that the physicians of ancient Greece are not relevant to modern medicine and the healing arts. But such a presumption is gravely incorrect. While some ancient methods such as bloodletting are shelved in the archives of error, mostly everything else the Greeks practiced gave birth to all of the medical fields we have today. And doctors have not forgotten this, because they still recite, at least ideally, the Hippocratic Oath of Physicians. Now it has been altered so much to fit personal preferences that I'd argue the modern recitation can no longer be called the Hippocratic, but the ancient Greek as the mortal father of medicine still holds sway over our minds and actions in the field.

Bringing ancient medicine back into our everyday lives is invaluable, whether one is actually a Hellenist or not. The history of healing in ancient Greece is very wealthy and diverse, and the adoption of it remains beautiful and powerful. 

To the Greeks, everything was religious and spiritual. The physical and spiritual worlds interacted on a daily basis. For this reason, the Greeks believed, one, that the best healing and medicine took place when the mind, body and soul were treated and balanced. Neither was left to neglect. One method through which the physical and spiritual body could be tended to was through the Asklepios Healing Temples. Asklepios is the son of Apollon (the God of healing), and is the God of physicians and medicine. These temples were built to Him for the purpose of healing the sick. Afflicted people would travel to these locations and sleep inside the building, where the God would either heal them or send them messages, signs or omens through dreams that would help them achieve recovery.

One's spirituality and connection to the Divine is proven to have immense healing powers, both for the mind and physical body. That's why religious people are less depressed than non-religious or atheists, and if you tell your psychiatrist that your religion helps you deal with your mental health issues, they will tell you to keep doing it as a form of therapy. The benefit of a balanced mind, body and soul is self-evident. Your bodily health will do little good if your mind and spirit is in tatters, and vice versa. All of the essential properties that make up the human body and experience have to be healthy.

Secondly, the Greeks understood that a person's health relied heavily on proper diet and exercise. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said as much. Moderation, which means to have a healthy balance in all things, was at the center of Greek life. To neither starve nor overindulge, but to reach and practice healthy living consistently. When it comes to diet and exercise specifically, we may find it lamentable that most people today are seriously lacking in either one or the other. Obesity and laziness are epidemics of their own, and they cause the body and mind to decay and make them prone to disease and disorders.

For years, especially when it was summertime or warm enough, I would go on runs every night through my City. At one point, I reached 7 miles nonstop. This was part of my mission to lose the weight I had gained years ago and maintain a healthy body mass. Of course, I also had to combine this with healthy eating. It does little good to exercise if you're just going to put the junk right back inside you when you're done. It's like trying to pump water out of a boat with a giant hole in it. I lost the weight and had never felt better in my life, both physically and mentally. Since then, I have always recommended that people do simple exercise like running. Not only will it keep you healthy, it will give you a great outlook on life.

Third, it was not long before Botany and its medical benefits found its way into the Greek physician's world and that of their patients. In ancient Greek theology, mostly everything was a gift from the Gods, and miraculous plants would have been no exception. In fact, profound ones such as Oregano, were believed to have been planted by Aphrodite Herself, and in humans, the plant can help produce white blood cells that aid in recovery and strengthen immunity. There are so many wonderful benefits to Greek herbology that, if one is interested in adopting it for their life, I have put a link to an information site at the bottom of this post.

The Greeks knew that the answers to the ailments of life were placed in the universe around us by the Gods. They only needed to discover them. Everything the Gods give to humans, is Divinely blessed. The Gods love for us to live, and live to the fullest. Therefore, their gifts and blessings to us will aid in that goal.

Finally, the ancient Greeks began to perfect the practice of surgery. They advanced so well in this art for ancient times that they were able to treat and seal wounds, repair fractured and broken bones, remove bladder stones, and even treat cataracts (a condition that causes impaired vision). Necessity, as Plato would say, is the mother of invention. They had to figure out some way to address life's all too common problems, but what makes the Greeks so exceptional in this was that they rose to these challenges. They never gave up. That's the lesson we should take from them as well. Not just for our careers or education, but for the survival and sustainment of our blessed selves. 

All of us today would grow immensely by adopting most or all of ancient Greek medicine into our lives. The ancient Greeks certainly did not have all of the medical advances and technologies that we do today, but part of the Greek way was to take what was available to you and make it the best you possibly could, to make the best version of yourself and your City.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

Greek Herbology