The Sacred Science

This fascinating documentary follows eight people with debilitating illnesses who travel to the upper Amazon jungle for 30 days of alternative medicine treatment by indigenous healers. Filmmaker Nick Polizzi notes early on, “Five would come back with real results, two would come back disappointed, and one wouldn't come back at all.” The afflicted arrive at a hospital run by Roman Hanis, who was cured of Crohn's disease in the rainforest and remained there to become a medicine man. His charges stay in huts—lying in hammocks, warding off various insects, and struggling with separation from the modern world—while receiving treatment and adapting to their surroundings (with varying degrees of optimism and testiness). The cameras follow shamans—who talk about their work—into the dense undergrowth in search of medicinal plants. Patients ritually ingest hallucinogenics in addition to drinking infusions and receiving counseling, and are periodically visited by a traditional doctor and nurse. One man with advanced cancer believes he's improving but dies; others suffering from diabetes, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and alcoholism return home symptom-free or nearly so; only breast cancer and Crohn's disease resist treatment entirely. Hanis and the shamans tend to view physical maladies as manifestations of emotional or psychological trauma, as with the IBS sufferer who links her condition to childhood sexual abuse. An intriguing look at a controversial topic, this is highly recommended. [Note: this is also being sold on home video for $19.99 directly from www.thesacredscience.com.] Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)