Catherine Attias, Medicine Woman

     “I didn’t realize I wanted to heal people until after I had my triplets” Catherine Attias, acupuncturist and holistic healer says.

           

         After realizing that she would be responsible for the physical, mental and emotional health of her children, as well as taking them to a pediatrician keen on natural methods, she immediately knew it was her calling. Despite growing up in Panama, where she claims natural remedies were the norm, she didn’t realize her passion for holistic methods until later in life, 47 to be exact.

           

            Now, 10 years into her practice, she says she is still stunned by the power of acupuncture and herbal medicines. “It’s always a delightful surprise how people heal unexpectedly. They come in for something like back pain and then find that they are also sleeping, digesting and feeling better” Attias says.

           

            Currently Attias works at The Trauma Resolution Center, a holistic trauma center helping victims with physical ailments that are linked to trauma, and has her own practice where she has found much success helping women with fertility issues get pregnant. She says that many of her clients were actually recommended by a western method fertility doctor by the name of George Attia at the UM center for endocrinology. 

           

            “It’s really difficult because in today's society women have high powered jobs that are really stressful” Attias says. She feels that conventional doctors don’t take such things into account. They tend to treat symptoms instead of the root problem.

           

             “It’s hard to get pregnant when under a lot of stress because the reproductive system shuts down on account of the chemicals the brain is making the body produce” Attias says.

           

            She believes it can be a matter of a few lifestyle changes; exercises, eating habits or simply taking time for relaxation that are key components in eastern/holistic philosophies of healing.

           

            Attias loves the simplicity of natural healing that can at times be more successful than conventional methods. The simplicity could also explain why many people are on the fence about the effectiveness of acupuncture, despite being practiced for roughly over 2500 years.

           

            “It’s always pleasant because one doesn't have to believe in acupuncture for it to work” Attias says, smiling.

           

            She recalls a former patient she treated at the trauma center, a non believer, who had been the victim of a vicious attack. “For two or three weeks she couldn't sleep more than five minutes without jolting awake because of the memory of the trauma” Attias says, who then rid her of this after only one session. The women reported back that she still does not have trouble sleeping through the night.

           

            Although acupuncturist is her primary title, she enjoys learning and practicing other natural methods of healing. She recently went to Panama to study with a curandera or shaman healer. She learned from this woman, who had the gift of botany, how to use tropical plants native to Panama for healing purposes.

           

            “The curandera taught me that one must connect and talk with the plants, ask the plants to do the healing for you, unlike traditional Chinese herbs” Attias says.

           

            She learned how to mix certain species of plants for teas and cleansing baths (used to cleanse negative energy as well as heal certain ailments) and currently is finding ways to incorporate these teachings in her overall treatments.

           

            What are Attias’ future plans? Attias says, without pause, “Open a foundation with many healing modalities under one roof as well as provide education. It will have a sliding scale where people who are more affluent pay more and people with little money pay less, so that everyone can receive quality health care.”

Photo: Debbie Attias