ACUPUNCTURE ISN'T EVERYTHING

Abstract

Mora, NM—Making house calls in this high valley surrounded by pinecovered mountains, Michael Green brings along his scalpel, tongue depressors, aspirin. . . and herbs. . . . Dr. Green is adapting to reality in this largely Hispanic area. And reality here is named Gabriela Pino, the town's curandera - folk healer. For decades, the 83-year-old Ms. Pino has been delivering babies. . . and dispensing folk remedies for colds, stomach aches, and teething pain. Her patients include the administrator of Dr. Green's clinic as well as his nurse, both of whom regularly refer clinic patients to her. . . . To many doctors, Ms. Pino will always be a witch. But increasingly, they are trying to bridge the wide gap between modern and folk medicine. In the Southwest, Hispanic culture and spiritual links to curanderismo remain powerful. In some psychosomatic-based illnesses, in fact, many modern doctors are conceding that folk healers may be able to do more for patients than they can. Citing a popular curanderismo technique for cleansing the soul, usually by rubbing an egg over the patient's body, Wallace Marsh, a Lubbock, Texas, physician, comments, "You'd be surprised what a simple barrida can do. It's as effective and less costly than a gram of Valium." Many doctors, of course, are still suspicious of the curanderos and their mysterious herbs and potions. And outrageous frauds by dome curanderos haven't helped advance medical detente. . . In the Southwest, the continuing flow of immigrants from Latin America helps keep curanderismo alive. Like Ms. Pino, curanderos are usually older men and women who perceive their "calling from God" as a divine gift. They eschew high-tech diagnostic gear and scalpels and rely on herbs and prayers. For a common cold, Ms. Pino prefers canela bark from a tree just outside her house. She mashes it into a teapot filled with water, then stirs the brew as it heats up on her potbellied stove. Ms. Pino has potions for almost anything that ails you, but she refers serious cases—such as pneumonia or leukemia—to Dr. Green...