Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword xiii
Preface xvii
1 What Is Folk Medicine? 1
What Is Folk Medicine? 8
The Language of Folk Medicine 11
Commonalities of Folk Medicine Systems 13
Parental Systems of Southern Folk Medicine 15
The Global View 16
Folk Medicine Teaching Methods 17
2 Common Tenets Of Folk Medicine 21
Similarities of Folk Medicine Systems 25
Healthcare for All 43
3 The Calling 45
The Called 46
My Calling 49
4 Many Peoples, Many traditions 53
Many Peoples, Many Traditions 58
Early Explorations 60
De Soto and His Legacy 62
New World Plant Influences 64
A Very, Very Brief History of Humoral Medicine 68
A Quick Overview of the Humoral System 72
Native American Influence 75
The Trail of Tears 80
African-American Influence 82
The Irish and British Isles 85
Regional Isolation, War, and Depression 90
5 Church, Superstitions, And Signs 97
Christianity 101
The Bible 104
The Signs 107
6 Tenets Of Southern Folk Medicine 111
The Tenets of Southern Folk Medicine 114
7 Hot/Cold And Wet/Dry 139
Hot 142
Cold 145
Wet 148
Dry 150
8 The Constitutions 153
Southern Folk Constitutions and Elements 157
Going to the Opposite 160
Comparison to Astrology 161
9 Fire: Bitter Blood 163
The Heat of the Matter 169
Types of Fire in the Body 171
The Fire Is in the Fat 174
The Bitter Taste of Bile 176
Influence of Fire 178
Fire Traits 180
Excess Fire 183
Deficient Fire 185
10 Water: Salty Blood 187
All About Water 192
Types of Water in the Body 197
Blood and Lymph 198
Urine 199
Mucus or Phlegm 199
The Nature of Water: seeking Relationship 201
The Tastes of Salts 204
Water Traits 205
Excess Water 209
Deficient Water 210
11 Air Or Wind: Sour Blood 211
Air or Wind 214
The Air We Breathe 217
The Wind That Blows: All About the Nervous System 219
Our Senses 221
The Nature of Air 222
The Taste of Sour 224
Neurotransmitters and Hormones 226
Air Traits 228
Excess Air 231
Deficient Air 233
12 Earth: Sweet Blood 235
All About Earth 237
Types of Earth in the Body 238
Connective Tissue 239
Muscular Tissue 243
Epithelial Tissue 245
Nerve Tissue 245
Stem Cells 246
The Nature of Earth 247
The Sweet Taste of Earth 248
Producing Energy-Vitamin C, Citric Acid, and Glucose 250
Earth Traits 254
Excess Earth 256
Deficient Earth 257
13 What's Your Constitutional Makeup? 259
Directions 259
Questions 260
Afterword 267
Index 271
About The Author 279
About North Atlantic 280
