Aboriginal Health and Medicine

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Aboriginal Health and Medicine Aboriginal people traditionally were much healthier before the British invasion then they are today. The had open spaces to run and exercise and a much better diet. Also they lived in a harmonious world with no stress. But even though they lived in this world of theirs, they still needed medicines. Things like eye infections, headaches from the sun and sometimes the food they ate, burns from the fire and bites from poisonous animals were some of the problems the aboriginal culture went through. To deal with these injuries and ailments, the indigenous culture had a range of remedies. They had: Wild herbs Animal products Steam baths Clay pits Charcoal Mud Massages String amulets Secret chants Ceremonies Even though some of these remedies had no empirical basis they worked! Many of the remedies worked by healing directly through their chemical or physical action. Aromatic herbs are well known for therapeutic effects and many wild plants can be used for medicine. Aboriginal medicine ranges around the country because of the resources they can find in their territory, there was no set of Aboriginal remedies as there is no one Aboriginal language. Unfortunately much of Aboriginal medicine has been lost, very little is known about medicinal practice in southern and eastern Australia, where traditional Aboriginal culture was largely obliterated more than a century ago. The indigenous Australians lived in a peaceful environment and they lived off the land, using natural ingredients to heal and feed them. We could learn a thing or two from the

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