As scary as COVID-19 is, our short memory is once again rolled back to 1980s when crisis of rampant HIV/AIDS virus spreading in the western world in the 1980s by Thrasher’s Book. Here is an account of the HIV/AIDS timeline and history. Things had became so uncontrollable that on May 26 1988, the American Surgeon General releases the nation’s first coordinated HIV/AIDS education strategy, mailing out 107 million copies of a pamphlet titled Understanding AIDS in an attempt to reach every household in America, the largest public mailing in history. Later that same year, President Reagan signed the first comprehensive federal AIDS bill, the Health Omnibus Programs Extension (HOPE) Act, establishing the Office of AIDS Research and authorizing federal funds for AIDS prevention, research, and testing. With on sign of the disease being under check, President George H.W. Bush signed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act on July 26 1990, allocating over $220 million in federal funds for care and treatment of people with AIDS in its first year.
Looking back, that maybe just an rehearsal of what to come in the 2020 and after. According to UNAIDS fact sheet: There were approximately 38.4 million people across the globe with HIV in 2020. Of these, 36.7 million were adults and 1.7 million were children (<15 years old). In addition, 54% were women and girls. An estimated 1.5 million individuals worldwide acquired HIV in 2021, marking a 32% decline in new HIV infections since 2010.
What is the root cause of HIV/AIDS virus and Covid-19 infection? Author Alberto Villoldo shared powerful blend of spiritual philosophy and scientific principles woven into the perfection of a practical formula of healing for everyday life in his book One Spirit Medicine – Ancient Ways to ultimate Wellness. Brimming with timeless wisdom, Alberto leads us on a journey of discovery that shatters common misconceptions about us, our relationship to our body, and the world. In doing so he reminds us that the key to our healing lies in our ability to embrace ourselves, and the world, as living, conscious, and connected.
Alberto first shared his personal experience of fell gravely ill during a trip in Mexico for a conference. Apparently earlier during his years of research in indonesia, Africa, and South America, Villoldo had picked up a long list of nasty microorganisms, including five different kinds of hepatitis virus, three or four varieties of parasites, a host of toxic bacteria, and assorted nasty worms. His heart and liver were close to failure, the brain was riddled with parasites. He had a physical collapse which further confirmed by the doctor of brain disease that need best medical care available and immediately get on a liver transplant list. But where to find a healthy brain?
He had two choice, one is taking the flight to Miami where he would be admitted to a top medical center for treatment, another option is the flight to Lima and the Amazon, where he would be in the land of his spiritual roots, go with his wife to lead one of the expeditions working with jungle shamans who have journeyed beyond death. The irony was he had just published a book entitled Power Up Your Brain: The neuroscience of Enlightenment. Prior to these, he had been a best-selling author with 12 books to his credit, a researcher and medical anthropologist with a Ph.D. in psychology, a teacher and healer with a following worldwide. The light body School and the Four Winds Society that he founded had grown exponentially: more than 5000 students had gone through his training in energy medicine or had accompanied him on journeys to the Amazon and the Andes. Felt like it was the last day of his life, he was overwhelmed by sadness at the thought of leaving this beautiful earth. All the test results indicated he is dying, the doctors had even said, ‘You should already be dead.’ Miami was the logical choice. But in that moment he summoned up the courage to put his future where his mouth was – to live what he had taught to so many. Long story short, Villoldo’s return to Amazon was the beginning of a return to himself.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as a medical anthropologist – as well as his own journey back from the edge of death – acclaimed shamanic teacher Alberto Villoldo shows you how to detoxify the brain and gut with superfoods: use techniques for working with our luminous energy fields to heal your body; and follow the ancient path of the medicine wheel to shed disempowering stories from the past and pave the way for rebirth.
Today our minds, our emotions, our relationships, and our bodies are out of kilter. We know it, but we tend to ignore it until something brings us up short – a worrying diagnosis, a broken relationship, or simply an inability to function harmoniously in everyday life. When things are a little off, we read a self-help book. When they’re really bad, we bring in oncologists to address cancer, neurologists to repair the brain, psychologists to help us understand our family of origin. But this fragmented approach to health is merely a stopgap. To truly heal, we need to return to the original recipe for wellness discovered by shamans millennia ago: One-Spirit Medicine.
In the West, we’re accustomed to looking to doctors and experts to guide us in our healing, growth, and learning. Our schools, businesses, religions, and government are hierarchical. In the Amazon, however, there are no levels of management between us and Spirit. The shaman—the wise old man or woman—is honored as a healer but is not regarded as superior to other members of the village. The shaman is simply a skilled facilitator who interacts with both the visible and invisible worlds to help restore balance to body, mind, and soul.
The message of One Spirit Medicine is that you don’t need to track down a shaman to find Spirit, or look outside yourself to find health. You only have to look within. That’s where you will receive One Spirit Medicine. Through One Spirit Medicine, the shamans found that they could grow a new body that allowed them to live in extraordinary health. They learned how to switch off the “death clock” inside every cell, and turn on the “immortality” genes that reside in password-protected regions of our DNA. Cancer, dementia, and heart disease were rare. The shamans of old were truly masters of prevention. Here is one comment from a reader with username PuraVida :
Three months later and I’m down another 15 pounds, but BEST OF ALL, my LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are well within normal ranges and my average blood sugar level has dropped. I do not miss carbs or sugars, but I do not deprive myself on special occasions if I feel like a little cake and ice cream. Frequently, people I have not seen in a while ask me how I did it – I cannot recommend this book enough!
….I don’t often read this genre, but I was strongly motivated after my doctor gave me some pretty depressing news – at 64, I was 30 pounds overweight, pre-diabetic, and my cholesterol was higher than ever, despite being on two kinds of statins. A dear friend listened to my tale of woe and lent me an advance copy of One Spirit Medicine she had just received. That was two months ago.
Some things come into your life at the exact moment you are most receptive. I started Dr. Villoldo’s 14-day detox and eliminated bread, pasta, grains, sugar and other unhealthy foods. I started drinking fresh “green juice” for breakfast (not nearly as bad as it sounds!) and eating nuts, seeds, fresh caught fish (mostly salmon, not a big fan of seafood) and fibrous veggies. I cut back on fruit (that was hard) and root vegetables (high in sugar – who knew?), and increased my water intake.
By the end of the detox, I was amazed to find that my “brain fog” had lifted. I honestly thought it was early onset Alzheimer’s, so the relief was enormous. My clothes felt looser, so I could tell I had dropped some weight.
That motivated me to keep at it. I am not a creative cook, and One Spirit Medicine is not a diet book with lots of recipes, so I googled “no carb, gluten-free recipes” and found a LOT of good ideas on the Internet. Following the broad guidelines in the book, I added quinoa (yum), avocado, coconut oil, and food supplements to my diet. Two months later, I have dropped at least 15 pounds and feel more energetic than I have in years. I have a sense of joy and peace that I realize has been missing from my life for a long time.
I have learned so much from this book about how the body functions, and that has helped a lot as well – I have a better understanding of why I need to stick with the program. I’m also getting back in touch with my long-neglected spiritual side, though this is taking a little more effort than the dietary changes. But the focus on shamanism and energy medicine is interesting, and some of the spiritual exercises have been mind-opening.
I am looking forward to my follow-up visit to the doctor and am certain my blood sugar levels have dropped. Keeping my fingers crossed on the cholesterol as well, despite a genetic predisposition. I feel so much better, I can’t imagine going back to my old eating habits.
So, corny as it sounds, I can honestly say this book has changed my life. And for that I am grateful. I hope this review motives others to make changes in their lifestyle as well.
to be continued …….