Qimovers annual meeting was held in beautiful Havana, Cuba over the winter break 2016. The travelers with our tour group formed friendships that could last a lifetime on our people to people tour.
The healthcare system in Cuba is focused on wellness and prevention, in order to keep costs down in a relatively poor country. Health care is universally guaranteed as a right for the citizens in their constitution, and people are covered from cradle to grave. All aspects of wellness are include: medications, rehabilitation, prosthetics, mental illness, diagnostics, contraceptives, abortions, and even open heart surgery, sexual reassignment, and cosmetic procedures.
The system is set up with local doctors in neighborhood clinics being responsible for around 1,000 people. Each patient gets a comprehensive wellness assessment annually. Anyone who is at risk, i.e. diabetics, pregnant women, or those with any chronic illness are followed more closely. The patients’ families are trained on how to manage the disease. Medical records are organized by family. House calls are common. If a patient must go to a specialty clinic, their primary doctor will go with them to the consultation. Hospitalization is a last resort.
The training of physicians and other specialists is free for all students. The Cuban government even educates doctors from other countries for free if they will promise to work in underserved areas. The curriculum includes extensive exposure to natural medicine techniques, including nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicines, homeopathy, energy medicine, tai chi and qigong, meditation, trigger point injections, massage, heat therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, magnetic therapy, pyramid therapy, moxibustion, fangotherapy (mud), cupping, laser/photograph therapy, flower essence therapy, yoga, exercise training, and music and art therapy, often taught by experts from other countries. 60 percent of the country's 30,000 primary care doctors are trained to use such methods.
Herbal medicines are fully integrated into the system. After the Cuban revolution, traditional plant based remedies were abandoned for more modern Western style therapies. Cuba developed their own pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and embraced other technological advances. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the economy collapsed, and Raul Castro encouraged returning to the older methods. Many manufactured drugs are in short supply and patients are encouraged to use natural alternatives.
The state now operates farms which grow organic herbs for distribution to local pharmacies in the form of either teas, tinctures, ointments or creams. These farms produce many commonly used herbs including oregano, calendula, Japanese mint, German chamomile, aloe vera, eucalyptus, banana leaves, turmeric and more. For example, Cuban doctors will prescribe oregano extract for epileptic seizures, sassafras tree bark tinctures for joint pain, or garlic for hypertension. A traditional remedy called Imefarma, made from eucalyptus and banana leaves, is used in place of expensive inhalers for asthma.
The vaccination schedule is similar to what we have in the USA. The Cuban children appear to have lower rates of autism, allergies, autoimmune illnesses, or neurological insults that vaccination critics worry about.
Our attendees speculate that this lower rate of industrialized diseases is attributable to the food supply being close to nature. 90% of Cuban food is produced organically. There are no fast food chains. Most meals are prepared daily from fresh foods grown locally, so no exposure to preservatives and artificial colors or flavoring. Sugar is much less predominant in the diet. There are some sodas available, but they are considered a special treat. Ice cream and cakes are seen, but again they are made fresh from scratch, right before consumption.
The classic Cuban diet in the past was primarily fried pork, fried plantains, fried vegetables, rice, and beans, with a few fresh fruits and rarely vegetables. Beef and dairy consumption is rare. People are starting to eating lots more homegrown vegetables and fruits, due to government incentives, and heart disease has dropped by at least 25 per cent. In our casas, the breakfast typically included coffee, milk, fruit juice, bread, eggs (or omelette), and a variety of fresh fruit including papaya, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon.
We were also able to tour a local organic farm, the Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso in the Vinales Valley. We learned about their production methods, specifically composting, complementary crops, natural pest control, raised beds, and natural fertilizers. The farmers are trying out new vegetable crops to see if they will grow well in the region, to add variety to the Cuban diet. Later, at their lovely highly rated hilltop restaurant, we sampled a family style menu dishes including tilapia, lamb, shrimp, and chicken, soups, greens, rice, beans, and 2 different deserts. We were also treated to their famous anti stress drink containing coconut milk, honey, mint, anise, basil, lemon grass , cinnamon, and pineapple juice - Of course, VItamin R (rum) was placed on the table for us to add freely to the concoction.
Carla Toth and Susan Mosley introduced the participants of the Educational Adventures tour group to the benefits of Medical qigong, with a lesson in the moving meditation exercise called the ba duan jin.
Near our casa, in the heart of the city is the Johnson & Johnson Pharmacy (also known as the Farmacia Drogueria Spanish) museum on the iconic Calle Obispo. Johnson & Johnson specialized in the preparation of medicinal oils and B-complex elixirs. We were able to see many beautiful old porcelain apothecary jars, old microscope, scales and an prescription book.
