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college class and spice

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dutch

dutch

Dutch
I recently deceided to go back to school. it was deff a good idea and im taking some fairly interesting classes. this past week my anthropology teacher was going throught all the places she had done feild work in and we got caught up talking about her expirances in the peruvian amazon. while there living amongst some natives she contracted dengue fevor and was bed ridden for days. she was visited by the village shaman who offered to heal her and share his peoples culture with her. he explained that the reason she got sick was because some one back home was jelous of her and had threw a magical dart her way. he said he had to suck the dart out and could throw a dart back if she wished ill will upon who had done this to her. she declined revenge but did ask that her show her his peoples healing practices. the shaman dissapeared for a few hours and came back with a large cup up ayuasca. he drank it and sat down on the ground to meditate and channel his energy. he sat with her for hours and moved little. without warning after being dormant for so long he erupted into a flurry of activity chanting and hopping around. he was calling upon good spirits to help him with the task ahead. he wafted cigarette smoke around her whole body and himself aswell. he then began to suck on my frightened teachers arm. he did this to several spots on her arms and legs. when he was done sucking the darts out he vomited once for each dart he sucked out and collapsed. after a few minutes of recovery he told her that she would begin to feel better soon and now that it was his turn to rest.

i just thought that it was amzing how with meditation and training from a previous medicine man, the shaman was able to channel the power of the spice.
 
he explained that the reason she got sick was because some one back home was jelous of her and had threw a magical dart her way.
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If a shaman told me that I'd tell him to piss off. Dengue fever is caused by a virus. Certain forms of the virus once you heal you will be immune for life. Then the shaman can claim he cured you and you'll never get it again. Only he didn't cure you and you got immune anyway. Its quackery at its best. Its possible ayahuasca can stimulate your immune system to speed up recovery or just feeling good from the trip will make you heal faster.

People should hold shamans to higher standards. Otherwise they are just fakes like those people who suck shit out of your colon for 50 bucks an hour.
 
I must agree with burnt here, dengue is a pretty well known disease caused by virus transmited by aedes aegypti mosquitoes (same of yellow fever). If a shaman tells you he can cure dengue, I would strongly question him because this is very dangerous, depending on the type of dengue (for example hemorragic dengue) you'll need immediate medical attention and you could die if you just relied on shaman hocus pocus.

This doesnt mean anything all and every shaman do is BS, but there are certainly BSing shamans out there that might be consciously misleading you or just trully believe in some outdated views but which may end up being dangerous if you believe them literally. I think people need to exercise more critical thinking and question everything, whether it is their psychedelic experience, what shamans tell them, their feelings, but also science and everything else. Put everything in perspective, dont blindly trust anyone, even yourself.

I dont think that shaman is a good example, I have met shamans that were well aware of the difference between diseases they can cure and diseases only the 'white man' can cure.

That all being said, still cool that your teacher shared this story in college, but please be careful sharing your stories if you're currently engaging in extraction or other possibly illegal activities, even if he seems scool
 
I've heard that ayahuasce tourism has resulted in a quack shaman explosion in these areas. Pretty much anyone can swap their Nikes for a loincloth, go out in the jungle and cut come plants, and dose a honkie and blow their mind while paraphrasing Carlos Casteneda.
That said, there is also no reason not to believe that an ayahuasca experience could kick the immune system into high gear and help the body heal itself, especially if the sick person believes that the procedure will cure them.
 
well of course the shaman didnt heal her and she still suffered threw the sickness. i was just relaying a real life expirance that took place. this village was not by any means a tourist destination. it took 6 hours in a small boat after a 9hr bus ride to get her there. just interesting to hear about how the stuff is used traditionally.
 
I suppose I am planted firmly on the fence as to whether or not the shaman in question was up to any BS or not, but I think the part that sort of pinged on my radar was the offer of revenge (returned dart.) It just seems very counter to any and all of my experiences with other realms and would have certainly caused much pause in trusting the shaman's path and intentions. That being said, major props to the teacher for being open enough to even discuss it in the current education system. Thanks for sharing.
 
Burnt and Endlessness are absolutely correct in what they say.However, once you have had dengue fever it provides only partial immunity thereafter; the hemorrhagic form is believed to be a consequence of sequential infection with 2 different serotypes of the flavivirus and if you get this, the best shaman and his brews are not going to help.

As Endlessness has stated, it is the Aedes Aegypti mozza which causes Dengue infection in humans; this mosquito also does transmit Yellow fever in Africa (along with Aedes Africanus); in South and Central America it tends to be Aedes Haemagogus which is the culprit for Yellow fever here.
 
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