
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
June 5, 2006
Successful Folk Healing Course Returning for Fifth Summer at UNM
Beginning June 19, traditional Mexican clothing will be seen on the University of New Mexico campus. Curanderos from Mexico – practitioners of an ancient craft, using herbal medicines and knowledge of ancient healing rituals – will participate in a popular two-week course that enrolls nearly 50 students from New Mexico and from around the U.S. “Traditional Medicine without Borders: Curanderismo in the Southwest & Mexico” has been taught at UNM every summer since 2002.
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| Sergio Gomez, a Mexican curandero, demonstrates acupressure on Ellen Klaver during a course at the University of New Mexico . Photo by Greg Johnston. |
Thirty or more Mexican healers come to participate in the class and offer instruction. The course is led by UNM's vice president for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, a noted international authority on curanderismo, traditional Mexican folk healing.
A series of Ferias de Salud, or traditional health fairs, will be offered in conjunction with the class, including one on the main campus scheduled for Friday, June 30, outside the Student Union Building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The contingent of Mexican healers is under the direction of La Tranca Healing Institute in Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. The Healing Institute specializes in bringing together conventional medicine and traditional healing practices.
Folk healing is a primary avenue of health care for the poor because it is based on ancient cultural traditions that continue to exist in cities and especially in outlying rural areas of Mexico. Many villages have curanderos who are the primary caregivers for whole areas of the country, and who charge relatively little for their services. In some cases, people in these villages seek both conventional and traditional, holistic forms of medical care.
“Much knowledge is contained within the curanderismo tradition that is either unknown to conventional medicine or has been lost to western science, and this knowledge may prove one day to be a highly effective component of modern medical practice,” Torres said.
The course brings a higher profile to UNM nationally and internationally, Torres said, which helps with student recruitment and with name recognition for UNM beyond New Mexico.
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The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.
www.unm.edu