Another wonderful woman that was at the 2005 Pacific Northwest All Womens Gathering was Elizabeth Thunder from the Thunder Ranch in Texas. She went through alot to come up for us and we really appreciated her and her people very much. I hope that you will take the time to check our Thunder's website for all kinds of interesting information. You will also be able to contact Thunder directly. If you haven't had a chance be sure and get Thunder's Book - Thunder's Grace - Walking the Road of Visions with My Lakota Grandmother. This is a very good book and you will find it hard to put it down once you start reading it. Thunder will be having another book coming out hopefuly soon also, but you can learn more about that on her Website which is: www.marythunder.com and in the next update (around the middle-end of January) I will start sharing the Wisdom of the Elders that she shares for you on this page. ( I will be doing other Elder wisdom on different pages also.) If you would like to email Thunder you can reach her at: thunder@cvtv.net. You will find a very loving and wonderful woman who has alot of wisdom to share if you listen, so check out her website - www.marythunder.com

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MEDICINE BAG PROJECT AND NATIVE PEOPLE'S CIRCLE OF HOPE

What is the “Medicine-Bag” Project?

The “Medicine-Bag” project is a project of the Native People’s Circle of Hope. It is a gift to the newly diagnosed cancer patient and given free of charge to the patient regardless of type of cancer and ethnic background.

The gift is of those items that a newly diagnosed cancer patient might need during his/her treatment. For example, in the gift are included a cloth bag to hold the pills, thermometer, calendar, paper and pen, hat, tissue, chewing gum, tape cassette, eye cover and other donated items.

The gift also includes two items that are made by other cancer survivors or supporters. One gift is a beaded “Medicine-bag” necklace and the other is a lap quilt. With the two handmade gifts we pass on to the new diagnosed patient the strength, love and caring of the person making the gift. We ask that the maker not work on their gift if they are not feeling in good health.

What is the Native People’s Circle of Hope?

NPCOH is a 501(c) (3) corporation and coalition of Native American cancer support groups. We have chapters in Alaska, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona and nationwide affiliates. NPCOH’s mission is to provide hope, an improvement of communication, support, education and advocacy for the cancer survivor.

How can you help?

There are many ways you can help. They are:

Make a lap quilt.

Make a beaded medicine-bag. (Instructions can be provided to you.)

Donate some of the product listed that goes into gift.

Provide a cash donation to help with the shipping costs. (The average cost of shipping is $30.00.)

Tell NPCOH of a newly diagnosed cancer patient so a “Medicine-Bag” can be given to the patient.

All donations can be reported on your IRS tax report. For donations valued at over $250, a form documenting your donation will be sent to you.

Where do you send your donation?

Native People’s Circle of Hope

9770 S.W. Ventura Court

Tigard, OR 97223

Who do you call for any questions?

Celeste Whitewolf at (503) 970-8004. Also e-mail her at npcoh@spiritone.com Please go to the NPCOH website at www.npcoh.org.

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TOTAL HEALTH CENTER

Total Health Center - 1815 Hudson Street - Longview, WA 98632 - Providing Quality Naturopathic and Chinese Medical Care for the Whole Family. Phone: 360-261-2767 and Fax: 360-636-2621. Johan Keller, LAc, and Dee Keller, ND.

Meet the Practitioners

Johan Keller, ND, LAc

received his education at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. He trained at NCNM and in China in Classical Chinese Medicine and Naturopathic Medicine to prevent illness, treat disease, and restore health. He graduated with a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine in December, 2001, and a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine in July, 2002. Johan currently holds a license to practice Naturpoathic Medicine in Oregon (license # 1250 since 09/04) and a license to practice acupuncture in Washington (license #AC0248 since 09/04). Originally from Wisconsin, Johan has made the Pacific Northwest his home for over nine years. When not working, Johan loves spening quality time with his wife and son, sailing, and going on long walks with his dog.

Derenda Keller, ND

received her education at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, where she graduated in June 2004 with a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine. Dee utilitzes nutritional counseling, hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and lifestyle counseling to promote a healing plan for each patient. Dee currently holds licenses to practice Naturopathic Medicine in Oregon (license# 1394 since 01/05) and Washington (license #NT 1372 since 03/05). Prior to her medical career, Dee completed a Masters of Education in Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has worked in the mental health field for over 12 years providing individual, family and group therapy and crisis intervention. Dee enjoys camping and hiking with her husband and son and gardening.

Services:

Acupuncture

Naturpathic Medicine

Nutritional Counseling

Herbal Medicine

Homeopathy

Chinese Herbs

What is Classical Chinese Medicine?

Classical Chinese Medicine includes the use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, pulse and tongue diagnosis, Chinese nutrition, and medical Qi Gong to prmote optimal health.

Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body to promote a healthy flow of Qi. Acupuncture, as a system of medicine has been used and researched extensively in China for over 3000 years and is proven to be effective. Acupuncture helps releive the pain of headaches, arthritis, or trauma, supports good digestion, and promotes relaxation and general wellness. Essentially any ailment is treatable by Classical Chinese Medicine.

Medical Qi Gong involves specific body movements combined with breathing patterns to oxygenate the tissues and promote movement of energy in the body. Movement of energy (or Qi) promotes healthy circulation, lymphatic and energetic flow within the body to overcome stagnation, which may block the path to health.

In Washington the scope of practice for acupuncture includes but is not limited to:

Acupuncture needles to stimulate points

Electrical, mechanical, and magnetic devices to stimulate points

Moxibustion --- Acupressure --- Cupping --- Dermal friction technique

Infrared, sonopuncture, and lasserpuncture

Diet advice based on Chinese Medical Theory

Point Injection Therapy

What is a Naturopathic Physician?

Naturopathic Physicians (NDs) are licensed primary health care providers, educated in accredited 4 year post-graduate schools. NDs use patient history, physical exams, laboratory studies, and diagnostic imaging to assess, diagnose, and treat illness.

Naturopaths strive to identify and treat the underlying cause of illness with an individualzed treatment plan. Naturopathic doctors use the most natural and effective treatment methods available to stimulate a healing response in the patient. In Washington, NDs are also licensed to prescribe certain pharmaceutical medications. Training in modalities such as nutrition, botanical medicine, homoepathy, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, and lifestyle counseling allow for a multifaceted treatment approach.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

First - Do No Harm

Second - Support the Healing Power of Nature

Third - Identify and Treat the Cause

Fourth - Treat the Whole Person

Fifth - Doctor acts as Teacher

Sixth - Prevention is the Best Medicine

Conditions Treated with Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine:

Cardiovascular: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, palpitations, poor circulation.

Dermatological: acne, exzema, psoriasis, rashes, warts

Gastrointestinal: Ulcers, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, candida, parasites, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies & sensitivities, reflux

Hormonal: diabetes, thyroid disorders, menopause, adrenal fatigue, menstrual irregularities, PMS, detoxification

Immune: infections, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue, hepatitis

Mental/Emotional: anxiety, depression, memory loss, addiction, ADD/ADHD, stress

Musculoskeletal: tendonitis, pain, trauma, carpel tunnel, inflammation, strains, sprains

Respiratory: asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, allergies, common cold, strep throat, upper respiratory infections

Fee Schedule

Fees for service vary based on the complexity of the case and length of service. We offer cost effective packages for some services as outlined below. Senior citizen, student, and time of service discounts are also available.

Many insurance companies provide a coverage for Naturpaths and/or Acupuncture. Please check with your insurance provider before you first visit to determine coverage. We will be glad to assist you by submiting an invoice to your insurance provider if our services are covered.

Naturopathic Medical Care

New Patient Visit - approx 1 hour ---- $95

Return Visit - Brief - 15-20 min --- $45

Intermediate - 30 - 40 min --- $70

Complex - 50 - 60 min --- $90

Homeopathic Intake - 1.5 - 2 hr --- $150

includes interview, exam, remedy selection, and one face-to-face follow up

Chinese Medical Care

New Patient Visit - approx 1.5 hr --- $125

Return Visit - 30 -60 min --- $80

Acupuncture for Wellness Package $200

Includes 4 visits valid within 8 weeks of date of purchase

Medicinary

At Total Health Care we carry a small medicinary of vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal formulas which we prescribe in the treatment of our patients. We do extensive research to select only top quality, physician grade products without unneccesary fillers or potentially harmful ingredients. We also may recommend that our patients pick up specific foods, supplements, or other supplies at their local health food store. Our patients are under no obligation to purchase or use the products that we carry. They are provided as a service to our patients.

* Dee Keller was our Key Note Speaker at the Pacific Northwest All Womens' Gathering that took place in August at the Kelso Red Lion. She was one of the most favorite presenters with lots of interesting information and wisdom! I personally will go to Dee as often as I can. I also met her husband and am looking forward to his services with acupuncture. Dee and her husband, Johan also have classes on Detox which are very reasonable and include dietary guidelines and information about food choices, hydrotherapies & exercises to aid the body in elimination of toxins, identification of food allergies, and minimizing toxin exposure.

I highly recommend this wonderful couple and their Total Health Center!! For any more information, please contact them directly at the phone and fax number listed above.

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Fighting breast cancer © Indian Country Today May 24, 2005. All Rights Reserved A Native woman's journal

Western medicine supplements traditional medicinals

Stylized men carved from basalt stand in the Portland Art Museum. Their arms, legs and faces are spare, like the desert landscape along parts of the Columbia River. But more than that, they also have ribs and vertebrae, all chiseled from black volcanic rock.

They are featured in the museum's current exhibit called ''People of the River,'' the first major art exhibition to feature my tribes and others along the Columbia.

These timeless statues would be prized in a modern art collection. They could also be used to teach anatomy. The artists who made these men centuries ago understood the skeleton, the spine and even the human immune system.

They were made in a time when Europeans were still shunning bathing as unhealthy and bleeding sick people. But we, the tribal nations of the Americas, were experts in preventive medicine, palliative care and spiritual healing. And cancer, heart disease and diabetes were virtually unknown among us.

Now, as the worldwide cancer pandemic spreads through Indian country, it is critical that we turn back to the medical knowledge of our ancestors both to cure and to comfort.

Across the continent, Native cancer survivors like myself are blending Western medical treatments such as chemotherapy with our tribes' traditional healing practices and other natural medicine. Some are opting out of chemotherapy and radiation, preferring to take on cancer and its symptoms using the old ways. In a case where hospice care is needed, what medicine is kinder than our ceremonies, feasts and songs?

Katherine Quartz, a Walker River Paiute woman who lives in Portland, burned a ceremonial fire for six months while her 12-year-old son battled Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes.

Quartz's legal battles with Oregon and California over her son's treatments were reported in mainstream newspapers in the mid-1990s. But what the salacious headlines missed was a story about a mother and son who were reviving the old ways to treat a disease of the industrial era.

During Desert Storm, Quartz and her son lived a quarter-mile from railroad tracks where weapons of war passed by at speeds so slow that her boy and his friends could run after the trains waving at conductors. Quartz later learned that the radiation from the bombs on board may have spread as far as a quarter-mile from the tracks.

A couple of years later, tumors began popping out from the boy's neck. Doctors told her chemotherapy would cure him but leave him infertile. Quartz, who years earlier had been sterilized without permission during an abdominal surgery, believed there was a way to save her son and the next generation.

She turned to ceremony. Spiritual leaders from her tribe and related tribes told her there was a cure, but not a quick fix. Quartz began by ridding her kitchen of processed foods, white sugar and soda pop. She took her boy to the woods of northern California where they camped by a stream, inhaling the sweet smells of cedar, eucalyptus and sage. She applied cold and hot compresses that had been soaked in herbs. She counted on the boy's youth and otherwise good health to respond.

And she played a flute made from a redwood tree, letting the spirit flow through that wood, her slight body weaving under the power as unscored songs soared into the air surrounding her son. Like an opera singer whose notes can shatter crystal, Quartz strove for vibrations that would alter the cancer cells within her boy.

A study by France's National Centre for Scientific Research in the 1970s found that sound could shatter cancer cells while healthy cells would simply absorb the vibrations, Quartz said.

Quartz also used Chinese medicine, which developed over thousands of years to build up the body rather than tear it down. For $93, her Chinese medicine doctor provided herbs to fight the cancer. Before taking the herbs, Quartz and her son would hold them and pray to become one before he ingested them.

Within four months, 120 days as the spiritual leaders had told her, the tumors shrank enough that surgeons could remove them. Now a handsome 21-year-old man, Quartz's son is cancer-free and living life. And Quartz, 43, is giving what she learned about healing to patients around Portland.

The day after I have chemo, she comes to my house bringing the freshness of spring. While I lie on my couch, she plays her flute. It sounds like running water, and sometimes like jagged cliffs. I feel her songs' gentle force.

Chemotherapy floods the body with industrial-strength medicines that kill cancer. But immediately after that intravenous burst of fire power, it's my job to heal my body of not only the cancer but also the treatments. For the first three days after a treatment, I get daily acupuncture which helps my body's energy alleviate the symptoms, boost the immune system and, in turn, fight the cancer. I also take Chinese herbs to tonify my blood.

Perhaps more importantly, I boil specific roots gathered from the rolling brown foothills to the Cascade Mountains and drink their tea. For thousands of years, my tribe has eaten these roots. For more than a decade, we've used their tea to help chemotherapy patients detoxify while boosting their immune systems. We keep our color, our weight and, in some cases, our hair.

I'm not telling you the names of my tribe's plants because they will mean nothing to most of you. As the intellectual property of my tribe, they are not mine to give away. But every tribe has curative treatments and specific prayers that, over many millennia, have healed its members. It's important that you find yours.

The future of Western medicine's cancer treatment is in designer drugs that are formulated to work with the genetic makeup of each patient. We, the tribal peoples of the Americas, already have our own designer drugs: our tribes' traditional foods and medicinals. And they're being quietly used by handfuls of tribal citizens across the continents to turn back diabetes, reverse heart failure and cure cancer.

But for them to work against the new world diseases, it takes more than a pill a day. It takes a meditation, a turning-back from the busy work-a-day world and the complacent remote control TV mindset. Whether you take chemo or you take herbs, it's going to be a long haul.

For Apolonia Santos, a Warm Springs artist who is nearing the end of her cancer treatment, the key is a blending of traditions. Santos, like me, counts chemotherapy as a critical part of her healing plans. But she believes that our traditional medicines and practices are just as critical.

With her medicine woman and her oncologist, she selected the chemotherapy drug Taxol, which is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. Historically, the yew grew in forests from California to British Columbia. Nations like hers and mine, who lived along these mountains, used it medicinally. Clear-cutting has made it all but extinct in the U.S., but it still grows in British Columbia, where Native peoples continue to use it.

Over 100 common pharmaceuticals are derived from indigenous medicines from the Americas.

Another medicine Santos uses is essiac tea. The tea is an Ojibwe recipe, which is commercially available from several companies. It uses senna and other common herbs. It is credited by some for shrinking tumors. It is also a pleasant-tasting tea.

''What we need is a cure or a path for our people,'' Santos said, ''things we can use as our own medicine against the new man-made diseases.''

But what we can't do is separate these old cures from the prayers, the songs and the spirit in which they are given, said Dr. Jeffrey Henderson, a Cheyenne River internist and a Sun Dancer. Nor should we endure cancer and its treatments, Santos said, without deciding to let the experience transform us in positive way.

Quartz made a surprising discovery after months of using her flute to serenade her son's tumor. She found she had developed a respect for the foreign life within him. It, like us, had a desire to survive, she said. When the surgeons removed it, she asked for the tumor and took it to a sweat.

There in the light of glowing basalt, she introduced herself, her family, her tribe in the customary ways. She thanked cancer for teaching her to pay attention to things that really matter. But now, she said, we don't need you anymore.

She laid the disembodied cancer on a bed of sage, set fire to it and sent it forever to the sky.

Kara Briggs is a Yakama journalist from Portland, Ore., where she is currently on medical leave from her job at The Oregonian. She chronicles her battle with breast cancer in this bimonthly series. She is a former president of the Native American Journalists Association and winner of the 2004 Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism. She is interested in the experiences of readers who have had cancer and also remedies, cultural practices or unusual treatments that have helped them. Contact her by e-mail at k-briggs@earthlink.net or by mail through Indian Country Today. Please visit the Indian Country Today website for more articles related to this topic.

************************* Other Useful Information

My email: goldenhawkwolfe@aol.com

_________________________________________________________ "The Cherokee Lady" - Indian Medicinal Herbs - has classes and also sells books. She is a very respected lady with lots of great information. If you contact her please let her know that Patricia Goldenhawk-Wolfe told you about her, please :)

Books: Indian Herbs & Plants

Indian Dyes & Paints

Recipes from Indian Territory

Nature's Grocery Store

Processing Indian Herbs and Plants

The ABC's of Indian Medicine

Formulas from Indian Territory

The Powers of the Ancient's - Survival Guide

Contact Information:

Dr. Lelanie Anderson

P.O. Box 1139

Salina, OK 74365

email: chkelady@sstelco.com

__________________________________________________ Radiant Energy

A wonderful store that has lots of information and gifts as well as stones, does healings and card readings. Owner is Crystal - a good friend - mention my name to her too and I know she will treat you extra special (although she treats everyone special as does her wonderful husband, Joseph)

Contact Information:

738 Bay Street

Port Orchard, WA 98366

Phone: 360) 895-9095

____________________________________________________ Peter Hanfileti, MD - Points of Origin, PLLC

Dr. Hanfileti has an office that integrates Alternative Medicines. I have gone to him for some healing and found him excellent! Please mention my name too :)

Contact Information:

Peter Hanfileti, MD

406 SE 131st Avenue, Ste 109

Vancouver, WA 98683

Phone: 360) 449-4500

website: www.PointsOfOrigin.com

___________________________________________________ Earth Healing Herb Gardens & Retreat Centre

Project Co-ordinator - Jan "Kahehti-io" Longboat

Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan

Six Nations Reserve

329 Seneca Road

R.R. #6, Hagersville, On.

NOA 1HO

Phone: 519) 445- 0486

I met her at the American Indian Physicans Conference in New Mexico where we both spoke and she is truly a wonderful Elder that one could really learn alot from!!Please mention me to her too!

_______________________________________________ Therese Charvet

9333 Holly Farm Lane

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Healer - Midwife - Rituals

Phone: 206) 842 - 7141

Website: www.sacredgroves

Email: therese@sacredgroves.com

EXCELLENT Place to go for Healing!

Lots of great programs at reasonable costs!!

I go there when I can and want to go there every day but I can't make the trip alone :(

_______________________________________________ Tammy Jensen, CN-LMP

Therapeutic Massage

1815 Hudson, Ste. B

Longview, WA 98632

Phone: 360) 423-3399

A great Massage Therapist!!! I go to her when I am able. She is very reasonable and very good. Please mention my name to her.

______________________________________________________ NARA INDIAN HEALTH CLINIC

15 N. Morris St.

Portland, OR 97227

Phone: 503) 230-9875

____________________________________________________ Bead City

Beads - Gifts - Supplies

Beading Classes

205 Commerce Center

11516 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd, Suite 2A

Vancouver, WA 98684

Phone: 360) 253-2256

_____________________________________________________ Raining Beads

Beads from around the world, Jewelry and findings.

Free classes on Saturdays -

Bill & Linda Platt

211 Pine St.

Kelso, WA 98626

Phone: 360) 575-8878

_________________________________________________ Need Slippers??

Check with My Elder and real Auntie - Aimee Edenshaw - 143B Sheridan Rd. - Bremerton, WA 98310 - Phone: 360) 373-7259.

__________________________________________________ Native American Arts

Alfred Charles, Jr. (Wenanua)

Lower Elwah, Klallam

Traditional & Contemporary Coast Salish Art

Silversmith, Wood Carver, Silver/Gold Jewlery

8723 27th NW

Tulalip, WA 98271

Phone: 360) 653-9393

____________________________________________________ Check out www.imp-usa.com to browse their product Library which is great and includes Scent of Serenity, Mind, Body & Spirit and other great programs at reasonable rates.

____________________________________________________ There are lots of places on the internet to check out prices for all kinds of vitamins and beauty and health aids. If you need more information, just send me an email: goldenhawkwolfe@aol.com