It occurred to me that I probably should write the first blog on Making Big Medicine.

The idea and the name for this website came to me  about 12 years ago while I was in the Northwest Territories about 250 air miles north of Yellowknife.

 I was the guest of the native people from the Dogrib Indian tribe. My guide was a young energetic fellow. We were there to harvest caribou for the tribes meat supply for the winter. To this day the Dogrib tribe still carry out subsistence hunting.

During the course of this adventure I had a medical problem. My guide was very concerned about me, asked me many questions and became convinced some other “Indian” had placed a spell on me. He wanted to take me to his “doctor”, a Shaman or Medicine Man in his village of Rae near Yellowknife to rid me of this spell.

He cautioned me that if we went to this man I should not try to pay him with cash, as this would be an insult. However, any gift of my choosing would be looked upon with favor. 

 Of course, I thought my host was joking with me, as after all, this was 1995. But he was not joking and I could see he had a strong belief system. As it turned out, I did not get a chance to see the shaman so I will never know if he could really help me.

I came back to the United States and for the first time in my life as a practicing osteopathic physician I became a recipient in a system where I had been a provider for 35 years. I received excellent medical care with a good outcome and began on a journey as a patient rather than a physician, which has continued to this day. As part of my treatment plan I personally chose to use a form of alternative medical therapy as I had some serious side effects from some of the prescribed medication I received. I have no scientific proof the treatment caused my marked improvement, but I did make great strides following the treatments. 

 All of the above life experiences made me wonder if there is a place for alternative medical care in our medical system. What is the role of alternative health care practices? What about home remedies, vitamins, minerals, supplements and diets? 

These entities need to be explained to the layman as well as health professionals.

This website will try to answer these questions. In addition we will try to answer questions regarding serious medical problems for the layman. We also offer helpful tips for treating common medical problems-see tick removal as an example.

In summary, MBM is your online resource for understanding medical problems, advice for a healthy lifestyle and a resource for alternative health care choices. 

C. R. Leidheiser, DO Founder Making Big Medicine.