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Women have traditionally held a pivotal
position in healing and healthcare delivery throughout
human history. Set amidst extraordinary cultural backdrops
rich in women’s history, we explore important
issues in women’s health, compare and contrast
cultural approaches to these issues, and discover effective
therapeutic models for improving the health of women
worldwide. |
Samburu
Village Women – Tanzania |
Women’s Issues Programs
Due to the popularity of our Women’s Issues programs,
we are expanding the focus and destination offerings for this
notable international series. They Include:
| ANDES
/ Machu-Picchu
This special journey through the Sacred Valley of the
Inca provides an extraordinarily fertile ground from
which to grow our knowledge of women’s health
care issues. Women have been instrumental in weaving
the rich tapestry of Inca culture. In Cusco, the capital
city of the Inca Empire, we find the Aqlla Wasi
or House of the Chosen Women. The Aqlla Cuna
(chosen women) were selected as young girls and lived
apart from society in their special houses. They learned
arts with a focus on weaving, their culture’s
most honored craft. All were chaste with the exception
of those chosen as concubines for the Inca or his nobles.
Inti, the Sun God, was father of the Inca. Mama Killa,
the moon mother, was Inti’s wife. She regulated
women’s menstrual cycles, and it was by her waxing
and waning that festival dates were set. |
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Women
in Market
ANDES, Peru
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 Machu
Picchu is purported to have been used as one of the
final refuges of the Incas’ “Chosen Women of the
Sun” who made up most of the city’s population.
Archaeological excavations of tombs in the area revealed 109
females and 26 males. The women were buried with gold ornaments
and more extravagant artifacts than the men. The tomb of Mama
Kuna, the supreme princess of the Inca, was found
here. She was interred with many ornaments, the most outstanding
of which was a concave mirror she used to direct the sun’s
rays to light the sacred ceremonial fire. This evidence supports
the theory that Machu Picchu was primarily occupied by the
Sun Virgins, Mama Kuna, their servants and male guards. What
were some of the healing secrets held by these women of the
ancient Inca culture? We explore these ancient mysteries as
well as current therapeutic approaches to a variety of important
issues in women’s health care.
 BELIZE
Lush tropical rainforests, mystical Maya ruins and the largest
barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. No other place in
the world offers such an unparalleled diversity of cultural
and ecological settings from which to illuminate our understanding
of Women’s Health Issues. The ancient Maya
had great respect for the role of the female as healer. This
is reflected in the frequently occurring archaeological renditions
of Ix Chel, the Maya Goddess of Medicine.
Today in Belize, women still have a special place in the hierarchy
of healing. Midwives play such an important role in the local
villages that their houses are usually noted on local area
maps. Through interaction with some of the local traditional
women healers, we expand our understanding of important women’s
health issues from the perspective of the "medicine woman”.
We explore a tapestry of healing approaches and discover effective
therapeutic perspectives to carry us into the next healing
millennium.
Selected sites in the Maya mountains as well as on Ambergris
Caye, offer outstanding opportunities to explore three
of the world’s most intriguing environments. Surrounded
by the healing history and cultural majesty of the ancient
Maya, we invite you to discover a tropical paradise where
Rainforests, Reefs and Ruins come together
to create one of Earth’s most spectacular natural wonders.
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MOROCCO - Behind the Veil / International Health
/ The Berber Pharmacy
SOUTHERN
AFRICA - International Health & Women’s
Issues
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Berber
Mother of the Bride
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Woman
Weaver in the Casbah
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Dr.
Mary Hardy at Women’s Clinic
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ADVISORY BOARD
Richard Blackwell, Ph.D. M.D.
Director of Research & Diagnostics - Professor of Obstetrics
& Gynecology
Department of OBGYN
UAB School of Medicine
Mark Blumenthal
Founder & Executive Director
American Botanical Council
Linda L. Casebeer, Ph.D.
Associate Director/Division of Continuing Medical Education
UAB School of Medicine
Christopher Cullander, Ph.D.
Associate Dean & US Coordinator, US-EC Pharmobility Project
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA San Francisco/School of Pharmacy
Mary Hardy, M.D.
Medical Director/Integrative Medicine CEDARS-SINAI Medical
Center
Gustavo Heudebert, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine & Public Health
UAB School of Medicine
Elizabeth Keyes, R.Ph.
Director Strategic Alliances and Industry Relations AMERICAN
PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION
Gary J. Martin Ph.D. FLS
Director of The Global Diversity Foundation
President of the Society for Economic Botany
University of Kent, UK & Marrakech, Morocco
D. William Schlott, M.D.
Medical Director-Global Access Programs
JOHNS-HOPKINS Medical Center
Kathleen Squires, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
USC Keck School of Medicine
Researcher Women's Health & Aids/Medical Director
LAC & USC Medical Center
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