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“Long Life the Elder”

“I have to die of something, I ain’t gon stop smoking. If the doctors can’t cure it, who can,” cynically stated my Arkansas born 60 years old grandfather 13 years ago, who had just arrived home from the hospital puffing on a Marlboro cigarette. His mind and body rapidly deteriorated, and he died of lung cancer eight months later. When several of my middle-aged loved ones in quick succession lost their lives to either diabetes, alcoholism, heart attacks or cancer, I finally realized for myself, as a psychotherapist, the interrelationship between mental and physical health and the need to educate myself and my family members was imperative. Many of my deceased family members denounced natural healing as “fairy stuff” or have just never heard of it. They clearly stated believing only in allopathic medicine. So, I have a strong commitment to helping elders live a healthy quality of life by educating my community on the benefits of natural living that bring the mind, body and spirit together to balance mental and physical wellbeing.

My grandfather’s transition was my first real awakening to death, which lead me to fervently exploring preventative medicine. Years of researching death rates, common diseases and the mental health status of my communities both African and American Indian, introduced me to traditional knowledge and practice. I am learning more about both heritages’ healing practices in traditional medicine. For the first time, I feel connected to my people. Seeking out my personal history has blessed me with traditional teachers from across the globe through an apprenticeship with the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network, an organization working, “to foster revitalization, exploration, growth and exchange of traditional knowledge and wisdom of indigenous peoples in belief that the earth-based wisdom of people who have for centuries lived in harmony with their environment has much to offer the modern world.”

Since my apprenticeship began with the elders in the program several elder members of WISN have had untimely deaths, many from degenerative diseases. Although many elders share their universal knowledge of planetary wisdom, herbal medicine, star knowledge, innate gifts, relationships, and creation stories, many elders did not practice holistic living that included healthy food choices or effective exercise. These elders live around the world in Hawaii, Alaska, South and North Africa, China, North and South Native America, and Germany, and they admit that the decline of healthy food consumption as a natural and spiritual source as increased the numbers in early deaths. This acknowledgement from the elders inspires me to expand my education program into developing a wellness center and a non-profit program addressing the undereducated elders of my community. With formal training and education from Clayton College of Natural Health in its Ph.D. Natural Health program, the community wellness center is sure to be a powerful healing resource.

I used to think mental and physical health was different, but now I understand the interrelatedness and how they have an enormous effect on holistic wellness. What has truly triggered my awareness is that several mid ages family and community members died from diabetes, alcoholism, heart attacks and cancers with a 2 years span. Although physical health is essential to quality living, spiritual health is just as vital. Other than me, not many family members have interest in traditional living. They have become divorced from ancestral / traditional practices. I continue to seek out ancestrally linked elders who teach traditional living in herbal medicine, earth- based systems, star knowledge, dream work, creation stories, energy healing and ancestral remembrance, although it has been an emotional and cultural loss in the untimely deaths of elders, both biological and spiritual. Many remaining desire to pass on their healing arts, but young people seem uninterested. Healthy food intake is absent in some elders’ lifestyles, including traditional healers, and especially within my family. I believe there is a need to educate elders on healthy eating to invoke a holistic consciousness in living, therefore by improving the length and quality of life so elders may continue to teach their wisdoms.

In conducting family assessments my work reveals the true physical and mental health conditions of our aging population and the lack of wholesome health care available. I facilitate educational workshops on healthy eating and healthy thinking with various institutions and age/ cultural groups. The leading causes of death in America today are cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to the CDC, 3.2 million African Americans have diabetes and 99,500 American Indians have diabetes. Americas Indians have the lowest survival rate. All inclusive, in 2006 it is estimated that 564,830 people will die of cancer according to the National Cancer Institute. The distribution of “fake food,” genetically modified food, as I termed it, and the lack of education about food, contributes to the early death rates across the globe. Educating under-privileged communities on healthier dietary habits, empowering attitudes toward health living, and encouraging lifestyle changes are jump starts in lowing the percentage rate of untimely deaths.

Addressing mental health issues is an empowering tool to help community members move towards the realization of rich personal and cultural experiences. Young people need the same natural health education due to the raising diseases among them. One in every 523 children has diabetes and the percentage of overweight children in America is 25%. A council of elders who gathered for a forum held by the National Indian Council on Aging sent a message to the children seven generations out. These are the two messages I found important for community members to embrace: 1. Spiritual health is the key to holistic health. 2. We pray that children will honor and respect their elders-that is where the wisdom comes from. This respect will not allow forgotten elders. We are all equal, with each having our own special gift to contribute. These values allow our youth to become leaders and workers in our society. Children, you are our future and our hope for the people. Stand and be courageous.

Everyday 6000 Americans celebrate their 65th birthday, which means more aging Americans will need health care. As our elder population grows, my goal is to create learning and sacred spaces for elders to learn and eventually teach natural living courses as well as share spiritual wisdoms with the general public and or youth though a community wellness center. I work with elders in the community who are health professionals who lead educational workshops and who offer their healing services, such as, therapeutic message, acupuncture and herbal medicine. They counsel me and work with me on logistics for the center. Already under contract, the building’s location is in the heart of the city. My position as director will be to offer a sacred space for major life transformations, for community to utilize one another’s services, for youth to receive traditional wisdom, and for elders to feel like the viable and valuable part of community. Also, this is an opportunity for me to be a bridge between generations, cultures, communities, and socio-economic circles. Eventually, through my global spiritual elders, I will open wellness centers in their native lands. The wellness center is an opportunity to offer affordable and approachable health education to cross-cultural communities. The center will create more exposure to and more documentation of quickly disappearing ancestral wisdoms.

Bill Cosby works with the Healthy People 2010 initiative program using children’s voices to promote key messages about healthy living to elders. A large part of traditional knowledge is to teach the children. Another focus of the Community Wellness Center is to bring elders and youth together much like the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network –Indigenous Mind which concentrates on bringing traditional elders together with youth for them to share earth-based traditional knowledge. Although the community wellness center will start in America, I will submit the community wellness center proposal to WI SN as well as work with the elders in the program to eventually build centers in their countries.

In many cultures grandparents are expected to teach the children the village medicine of healing plants, respectable interpersonal exchange, star knowledge, earth-based wisdom, specific responsibilities, and the motivation to give back to the community. Completing the Doctor of Philosophy of Natural Health program, the accumulation of my work experiences in my personal and international communities, and my passion of living a healthy holistic lifestyle as well as teaching it will prepare me to open successful a Community Wellness Center. It has been painful watching many beloved family members leave the planet, as well as the powerful elders from my global community. Many deaths of young elders have been due to mal-nutrition that causes degenerative diseases. It is possible to live a better quality of life through old age and not worry about dis-ease that is so haunting in our communities. People like my grandfather will have the support of community and the chance to live longer lives.