The blood-type diets and elaborate self-care routines of the wellness industry offer an individualized view of health, where sicknesses and cures begin and end within a single person’s body. However, for Meda DeWitt, Tlingit traditional healer, wellness is intrinsically linked to community.
DeWitt began her presentation at the Sharing Our Knowledge conference in Wrangell last Friday with a discussion of intergenerational health. “Prolonged exposure to stress changes the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person,” she explained, and the impacts of stress can be passed down through the generations via genetic markers.
For Alaska Natives, she said, colonization and climate change are major sources of stress that can affect the health of entire communities.
According to the research DeWitt presented, the children of colonized people are at higher risk for auto-immune diseases and allergies. The effects of climate change, particularly on coastal communities, adds to their stress and can lead to bad health outcomes. But while DeWitt outlined the challenges facing Alaska Natives’ wellness, her remarks also celebrated the resilience of Tlingit people and presented a path forward through collective action and traditional healing.
Cold water baths, meditation, humming and chanting, socializing with extended family — these traditional practices all help to tone the vagus nerve, which helps the body calm down faster after stress. “As we are revitalizing our culture, these systems are being rebuilt,” she said.
Some practitioners argue that they don’t need Western medicine and research practices to substantiate traditional methods, but DeWitt believes the two schools of thought should coexist. Traditional and Western medicine both contribute to the overall “body of knowledge.”
“I don’t think Western medicine is better,” she added.
DeWitt, whose heritage goes back to the Naanyaa.aayí clan in Wrangell, now lives in Anchorage.
The second half of DeWitt’s presentation focused on the various medicinal uses of Southeast Alaska plants. Valerian root can reduce anxiety, relieve muscles and help insomniacs achieve a good night’s sleep. Also known as “nature’s Valium,” the herb has a natural sedative effect. In moments of marital discord, Tlingit couples were encouraged to drink a cup of valerian tea as they worked through their disagreements. Sipping on the warm, calming beverage would lead to a more productive discussion.
Devil’s club, which contains ginseng, has the opposite effect — the plant’s energizing properties make it a perfect complement to valerian. “I almost think of them as marriage partners because they balance each other,” said DeWitt.
Fireweed has a wide variety of benefits, from improving eyesight to helping people through the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. The inside of the stalk can also be used to sweeten foods and beverages.
Yarrow can help with nerve pain and elderberries can boost the immune system, though DeWitt pointed out that their seeds must be strained out before consumption, since they are poisonous. She recommends that would-be foragers enlist the help of a more experienced guide before collecting plants for medicinal use, both to avoid accidental poisoning and to show respect to the land. “Every single plant we have has protocols for engagement,” she said.
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