In ancient Greece, the god Asklepios (Asclepius) was a powerful deity related to medicine who, according to Greek mythology, had the power to bring people back from the dead – a power that many ancient gods possessed. pronouns many different myths get. He was one of the sons of Apollo.
In some way, we are all familiar with Asclepius, for the symbol used in medicine, the rod wrapped around the snake, is the rod of Asclepius – a tool with which he was probably used by the gods. god bestowed. Asclepius was raised by the mysterious figure in ancient Greek mythology, the centaur Chiron, who raised Asclepius and taught him the art of medicine. Because Asclepius had used his power to bring people from Hades (that is, to bring them back to life), God Hades complained to Zeus because Asclepius had turned many people from human to immortal. As a result, Zeus used thunder to kill Asclepius.
The Asklepions (Asclepeion) were sacred temples dedicated to Asclepius, but at the same time they were also the first known hospitals in the history of Western civilization. There were about 320 Asklepions (hospitals) in ancient Greece. It is important that to heal the patient, Asclepius used a comprehensive method. Illness is considered to be the result of many social, environmental, psychological, mental, emotional, and physical interactions. And for health to exist it is necessary to balance and harmonize all those factors and as an additional measure medical intervention (surgery or medication) will be applied. It is the perfect balance between science and spirituality.
At Asklepion, patients will be in a pleasant environment and enjoy theater, music as well as dietary changes, hydrotherapy and psychotherapy. Once the therapists decide that the patient is ready, he will be taken to the temple to pray and sleep in the temple. The next morning, the patient would tell the doctor about the dreams he had experienced – it was believed that they recounted a visit from Asclepius, who held the key to curing all diseases. After that, the patient will be instructed on how to heal according to dreams.
It’s interesting to see that in 1,000 BC, the approach to healing was not only completely different but also much more effective. And today, 3,000 years later, we are slowly starting to consider returning to the methods used in ancient Greece. Many of the rituals used by the ancient Greeks at Asklepion were later incorporated into the Christian religion (but Asclepius was replaced by Christian Saints and deities). In the last few years, a number of alternative healing centers have emerged around the world, including those that use dreams as a healing aid.
Why has a valuable holistic approach in which patients are treated humanely and cared for disappeared over the years? And how did we come up with powerful pharmaceutical companies and drugs that do not cure disease but only delay it? It doesn’t matter whether Asclepius was a real God or not, or whether he could actually cure patients. Importantly, ancient medicine was more natural, more comprehensive, and more effective in getting to the root of the problem and treating patients thoughtfully.
