Southern Folk Medicine

by Phyllis D. Light

  Our town had a small boom and suddenly factories were built. Mama left cleaning houses and caring for other people’s children behind and got a job cleaning bathrooms in a factory. She was more than pleased; she was proud of being the janitor for the plant. Mama finally had a job that paid Social Security and a bit of retirement. She was making twice the money she made cleaning houses, worked shorter hours, and got a full lunch break. Mama loved socializing with the other workers and made many friends in the plant. Now she had two communities, church and work. Although all the years of hard work and struggling to make ends meet and feed her family took a toll on her health and her body, she managed to keep the position until she turned sixty-five and could retire. Even after she retired, Mama would go back to the plant and visit with the friends she had made. Unfortunately, the plant closed and moved to Mexico with the NAFTA agreement, as did many of the other plants in town, leaving hundreds of people scrambling for jobs without the benefit of cotton fields to return to and a lot of big empty buildings.

  Mama worked hard her whole life; nothing seemed to come easy for her or our family. Her faith and belief guided her through great difficulties, especially the years after my father strayed and then left us. During those lean years, we were so poor that once Mama sold our beds to pay the electric bill. She never let go her belief, her relationship to God, or her relationship to her fellow church members. For Mama, these were the most important relationships.

  I think that mother/daughter relationships are the most challenging to navigate, and Mama and I certainly found this to be true. She firmly believed that life should be lived according to the Bible and didn’t deter from that belief, in thought or action, her whole life. My mama had faith, and it never wavered. I was rebellious, creative, and wanted something different from my life. At age fifteen, I took the scissors and chopped my hair to pieces. It had never been cut due to religious reasons, and this was a blow to her very heart. She cried for days but eventually carried me to a hair dresser to make my hair look more presentable because I had chopped it terribly. This was the beginning of many years of unhealthy actions and a strained relationship between us.

  Over the course of my adult life, however strained our relationship, Mama was always there whenever I needed her. I never had any doubt of that fact nor of her love for me. Like many people, I really didn’t know my mother well until right before she died. During our conversations in her final months, I found out that she had wanted to study business law but felt her religion prevented that. Business law? Who wants to study business law? But Mama did. She also disclosed that she had wanted to travel and see some of the famous gardens across the South, but thought that might be wrong too. She had been taught to stay home and keep the land and house, and that she did. I found out that she had been engaged before she married my father, but that man had died in a motorcycle accident and she was the one that identified his body. I found out that after Mama and Daddy got married, that it took two years for her to get pregnant and she was so happy and excited to be a mother that she paraded around town with her growing belly in a time when pregnant women were supposed to stay home and not be seen. I found out that she was two years old before her parents named her because they weren’t sure she was going to live. They called her “Baby Girl.” It was a neighbor that finally named her: Esther Pauline.

  My mother was all about relationships, belief, and faith—a true water person. The most important relationship in Mama’s life was her relationship with God. She spent her whole life living to go to heaven. Every decision she made, every opinion she gave, every thought or action was centered around her relationship with God. Mama believed. Next, was her relationship with my father. Even though they were separated for ten years and then reunited, she never wavered in her love for him. At Daddy’s funeral, my brothers had to drag her away from the coffin in tears, her body stiff with grief. She couldn’t stand to lose him. Mama’s relationship with her children came next in her life, and then, later, her grandchildren.

  If you went to her for advice, Mama didn’t hesitate to give you the direct, straight truth of what she saw without any sugar coating. Sometimes this was tough to hear, but sometimes it was exactly what you needed. But Mama wasn’t only water; there was fire there also. In high school, she was put in detention for fighting more than once. Mama had a terrible temper that flared unexpectedly when you least expected it. She had a fiery passion for her beliefs that went beyond mere relationship. Her beliefs were her project, her reason for living. I miss her terribly.

  Mama believed in love though its waters may not have always dampened her feet the way she would have liked. From Song of Solomon, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.” This one’s for you Mama.

  All About Water

  First and foremost: Water is wet. I know that sounds obvious, but it needed stating. The temperature of water is dependent upon whether it is being heated or cooled. Both water and earth are heated by radiation from the sun and by the transfer of heat from the Earth’s core. In our body, the water, our fluids, are heated by our core temperature and processes taking place in the body.

  Water can absorb a lot of heat and store it before it changes temperature. For this, our body uses water to help maintain our internal temperature, even with fever. In general, water tends to have a cooling effect because it thins and moves the blood which can carry heat to the surface of the body, the skin, for dispersal.

  What is water? It’s commonly defined as a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that is necessary for all life. Wow, doesn’t sound too appetizing, does it? Regardless, if your water has a pronounced taste, it may bear investigating. The taste of water can change depending on its mineral content, which can cause a slight metallic taste. A low pH can also cause a metallic taste. Water normally has a pH of 7, which is considered a balance between alkaline and acidic, but it can vary from 6.5 to 8.5. Low pH water, called soft water, can result in a slight acidic taste. Contaminants in water may result in a slightly salty taste. Hard water tends to be high in minerals such as calcium.

  While fire is a process, water is an element. To understand the element of water in Southern blood types, it is important to understand the nature of water, the importance of salt, and water’s need for minerals. Water is the basis of all life and we can’t live without it. About 60 percent of the human body is composed of water, and about three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is water. Due to this fact, the element of water will have considerable influence on your health regardless of your dominant element. We all need water.

  Water was central to early civilizations and is no less important today. Early man, depending upon hunting and gathering for survival, created settlements and villages close to creeks and rivers. This provided fish for food, drinking water for life, and fertile land for plants. Later as agriculture became an important factor in human civilization, flooding rivers left deposits of silt, which were necessary for the fertility of the land. Spring floods ensured a healthy fall harvest.

  As populations increased, rivers and oceans also provided transportation and increased trade opportunities with neighbors. While ancient man built upon the water, Romans and Greeks learned to bring the water to them in the form of gravity-fed aqueducts and tunnels. This was a turning point in the movement and settlement of populations away from building along creeks, rivers, and the seas. Today, modern man has learned to control the waterways with a massive network of dams, canals, and reservoirs, ensuring a constant water supply to large inland cities and easily navigated, tamed rivers. The oceans, of course, are still wild.

  Water plays a role in many religions around the world, as well as ancient mythologies. In the Christian religion, people who have been saved are baptized in water. Water washes away sin as the Great Flood washed away the sins of the world. In Hinduism, water has special spiritual cleansing powers, especially the water of the G
anges River. In some Native American tribes, all rivers and streams are held to be sacred and were never polluted or soiled. Too bad we don’t acknowledge the importance and sacredness of water anymore; our water supply would be a lot less polluted.

  In the mythologies of diverse cultures around the world, creeks, rivers, pools, ponds, lakes, and even the oceans were given personality traits that often described their natural cycles or areas of their stretch. Sometimes they were inhabited by magical creatures or spirits. There is the famous Lady of the Lake who gave the sword Excalibur to King Arthur and later, after his death, brought his body to Avalon. There are the Scottish Selkies and the Irish Roane, sea lions that could shed their skins and live with humans. There is the Loch Ness monster in Scotland; the water horse in Scandinavia; the Bunyip, evil spirits, in Aboriginal Australia; the water dragons in China; the Jengu, water spirits, of Cameroon; and the Uncegila, a water snake in Lakota mythology. The nymphs of ancient Greek mythology, along with the Sirens, lured sailors to their death. Throughout the world’s cultures, there are water gods, water creatures, tales of warriors, stories of romances, and tales of the fountain of youth. Water itself could also have magical or healing properties. Achilles’s mother tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the River Styx. It worked well except for the area on his heel where she held him. Ponce de Leon looked for the fountain of youth, but alas didn’t find it.

  Water soothes and heals. In Western civilization, the Greeks began the art of the public bath. While a basin might be used at home for personal cleanliness, the bath provided the opportunity for relaxation and submersion. The Romans elevated the public bath, providing large pools for bathing and relaxing, and showers for personal hygiene. These Greek and Roman baths were often built on or near hot mineral springs. Gender-segregated public baths can be found in Japan, Turkey, Russia, Hungary, and Italy. It was a way for people in the community to share relaxing, healing, and social time. Just a note: A commonality of public baths is that the participants are expected to remove dirt and grime by washing the body in a basin or showering before entering the baths for a soak.

  Who doesn’t love a good soak? Civilization has progressed to the point that almost anyone can have a private bath at home. Maybe with some Epsom salts or a drop of lavender essential oil? Soaking in water soothes the frazzled nerves and relaxes the tattered psyche. It’s a return to the mother’s womb, floating along without a care. It’s a chance to release the tension in the shoulders and the tightness in the chest. A bath, either hot or cold, can also reduce pain and irritation in the muscles and help heal torn or injured muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

  Water never goes away: It just moves somewhere else. Every drop of water that was ever on the Earth is still on the Earth. In the water cycle, large bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and lakes are heated by the sun and the water evaporates into the sky. Here it condenses around dust particles, becoming liquid and forming clouds. When the air can’t hold the condensation anymore, it falls to Earth as precipitation—rain, sleet, snow, hail. And then it starts all over again. Winds may blow the rain clouds here or there, making some areas rainier than others. Just remember that it takes water to make rain, which was another advantage of building towns close to water sources. Note also that water is the only element that can exist in all three states: liquid, gaseous, and solid.

  Water always wins. It will wear away at the soil, rocks, and mountains, whether as a flash flood or a slow, patient drip. Over time, banks of creeks and streams are worn down, mountains are leveled, and boulders are shattered. Water deepens valleys and creates canyons. Both water and wind change the face of the Earth, but fire only temporarily changes the surface features. The same goes for water people, who have the ability to wear away at any situation until it’s to their liking.

  It is powerful. A tsunami displaces water with such force that the destruction can move past the shoreline to inland areas. Slow-moving thunderstorms cause flash floods that destroy homes, roads, and bridges and tear down trees. When water and wind unite, destruction can result. Wind pushes water to create waves across a lake; the faster the wind speed, the higher the wave. There are large waves and small ones, riptides, wild waves, and rogue waves. A hurricane, cyclone, or typhoon can cause high waves, high winds, storm surge, and tornadoes. Any of these storms are a force of nature that can take lives, wreak havoc on structures, and demolish forests. This might be a thought for the water/air personal relationship—sometimes there’s going to be waves.

  The gravitational pull of the moon and the sun creates tides on the ocean, with the moon having the greatest effect. These reliable waves rise and fall on shorelines around the world. Understanding the movement of the tides, incoming and outgoing, has always been important for sea travel. Flood tides are incoming to the shore and create high tides; ebb tides are outgoing and create low tides. A good ship’s captain times leaving the harbor so that there is enough water to lift the ship, enough tide to move the ship, but not too much tide to decrease maneuverability. That takes some practice! This is a tip to water folks: Wait for the right flow before making major decisions that will affect your relationships.

  Water is a power that can be harnessed. Dam a river and the water will drive a turbine and generator, creating hydroelectric powers. Run water over a water wheel and corn is ground in the grist mill. In this instance, water from a stream was often dammed to create a channel of water that flowed over the wheel. Abandoned mill ponds were great swimming holes in my youth.

  Water is so vital that the human body can only live about three to five days before dehydration can result in death. We lose water through breath and sweat, in vomit and tears, and in urine and feces. The most common cause of death due to dehydration is diarrhea, especially in children and the elderly. Diabetes is the chronic illness most associated with dehydration. People in higher altitudes are also at a greater risk for dehydration due to the fact that we lose twice as much fluid through sweating and breathing here than at sea level. Signs of mild dehydration include dry mouth, lethargy, headache, dizziness, lack of tears, scant urine, and muscle weakness. Signs of serious dehydration include dry skin, low blood pressure, heart palpitations or straining heart, low blood pressure, dry skin, and fever. Get some water fast!

  Hot, dry air and cold, dry air will cause loss of water. Heat also causes fluid loss. We must replace the water we lose to keep our organs and our bodies working efficiently. A good rule of thumb is to drink enough water to equal half your body weight in ounces each day. If you weigh 150 pounds, drink seventy-five ounces, and if you weigh 250 pounds, drink 125 ounces. Add another ten ounces for every six ounces of caffeine or alcohol you consume. This is extremely important to water folks.

  On the other hand, too much water is poisonous. This is known as water intoxication, a dangerous situation and can be fatal. Drinking a large amount of water in a short period of time can result in a swift drop in sodium. Symptoms of water intoxication include confusion, disorientation, nausea, and vomiting, and changes in a person’s mental state. In this situation, most people vomit up water as an immediate attempt by the body to slow down sodium loss. The rate at which the sodium falls is an important factor in the progress of symptoms through confusion, drowsiness, and then coma.

  Water is one of our most polluted natural resources. It’s estimated that in developing countries, 70 percent of untreated industrial wastes and sewage are dumped or discharged into waters, polluting the useable water supply, whether rivers, lakes, or coastal areas. Water is the universal solvent and is capable of dissolving more chemicals than any other liquid on Earth. Wherever water goes, so do chemicals, minerals, or nutrients. This is true in our bodies as well as on the land.

  Contamination of our drinking water supplies is a serious health issue. Every time you turn on your tap, traces of birth control pills, high blood pressure medications, nitrates and other farm runoff, pesticides, and herbicides come spilling out your faucet. It’s a water treatment plant, not a wat
er purification plant. Municipal water treatment plants are charged with filtering out sediment and bacteria, removing excess minerals and contaminates, and sending the water to your household. If you have any doubts of this, just keep in mind the water fiasco in Flint, Michigan, which is still ongoing at the time of this writing. The improperly treated city water supply corroded old iron pipes with lead solder, which contaminated the city’s drinking water with high levels of lead and iron. This effectively poisoned many of the citizens of Flint, especially vulnerable children.

  Types of Water in the Body

  In Southern Folk Medicine, water has a very broad meaning. Yes, it does mean that odorless, tasteless liquid that we can’t live without, but that’s not the only type of water in our bodies. According to folk tradition, the water element governs or influences most all fluids in the body. This includes mucus, extracellular fluid, urine, sweat, tears, amniotic fluid, saliva, pus, vaginal secretions, plasma, and semen. These are just a few types of water that make up 60 to 70 percent of our body. If all the water suddenly evaporated from our bodies, not too much substance would be left.

  Unlike other nutrients, water is already broken down into its smallest components, which makes for quick and efficient absorption. Water molecules are so small that they are directly absorbed through the lining of the membranes. When you drink a glass of water, some water is absorbed from the mouth and stomach, but the majority is absorbed in the small intestines and enters directly into the bloodstream. About 10 percent of the water we drink makes it to the large intestine to aid in the elimination of wastes.