Native American Healing in the 21st Century

You know herbal remedies are "in" when big vitamin companies like Centrum introduce an herbal line. The popularity of home dosing keeps growing in this era of high-tech medicine--enabled by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which keeps the FDA from investigating dietary supplements. Partly a historical overview and partly discussion of alternative therapies, the video includes interviews with a Cherokee physician and practitioners of traditional herbal healing. As with the other two titles in the "Circle of Life" series (How to Trace Your Native American Heritage [VL-7/98] and Tales of Wonder [VL-11/98]), this tape is narrated by the mellifluous-voiced Gregg Howard and features wonderful original music. However, the program contains some serious writing and editing flaws. While being told of traditional cures from thousands of years ago, we suddenly get a comment about cures for bullet wounds(!) Many herbs are mentioned along with their usage, but actual strengths and "dosages" for treatment are not given (a tea for PMS is one thing, but an herbal remedy for a life-threatening disease which requires exact monitoring, such as diabetes, is quite another). There are historical gaffes as well: comfrey is a herb whites brought from Europe to the New World and shared with the indigenous people, not vice versa; the Nordic and Russian peoples have used saunas for millennia and didn't get the idea from Native Americans. And a discussion of acupuncture seems a little far afield in a program on traditional Native American healing. In fact, the soundest remark in the tape comes from the physician who urges viewers to let their doctors know if they are taking herbal cures, so the docs can be aware of potential contraindications. Not recommended. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)