Doctor in Little Belize, Corozal
I lay on my side on a narrow bunk, sweat pouring down while goats bleated outside and an old windmill clunked farther on, wondering what would happen next.
I had heard about this wonderful herbal doctor in the Old Colony Mennonite community of Little Belize in the northern district of Corozal who could cure just about any sickness. Since I suffer from a sciatic nerve and plantar fascitis, I decided to find out for myself. In a few days I had found a young couple who was also going there for treatments and caught a ride.
We spent the night in the town of Orange Walk, with a relative who had left the Old Colony 30 years ago and married a Mestizo (an unpardonable sin among the Old Colony Mennonites, apparently).
By 6 the next morning we arrived at the doctor's farm. He welcomed us in and almost immediately began preparing for our treatment even though we had not made any appointment. The young couple went inside the clinic. Not knowing what to do, I went for a walk, met with old friends, heard a sad story, hitched a ride in a horse-drawn buggy, and returned to the clinic to find the doctor frowning at me. Being a rigid Old Colony Mennonite, he disliked wasting time waiting for someone and thought I was simply trying to avoid medication. I explained my problem and was ushered into a stuffy room, ordered to drink half a quart of some strong thick oil, given a massage, another cup of oil, some sort of black bitter tea, told to lie very still for awhile, and so forth.
I survived. At least, I think I did. For three days I ate nothing and practically did nothing. The only thing going in my mouth were oil, sugarless tea, and a water. My time was spent either sitting on the toilet or laying in bed receiving massages. My arms, back, legs and feet were pulled and twisted, my stomach was squeezed and pressed until I actually gasped. At night, I was told to sleep on one side for 4 hours without getting up, then turn and sleep on the other side for the same amount of time. There were no fans and the heat was intense due to the time of the year and also due to our pampered lifestyle of AC and fans. During the day I could only sit a certain way and stand a certain way, I was allowed to walk around the farm. It was during this time I learned more about him and his pharmacist wife.
Although well past 50, he's lean and nimble, even climbing trees to bring down fruits. He showed me his goats and explained the benefits of goat milk and cheese as compared to a cow's. He himself talks fluently in Spanish but his wife is actually North American and speaks flawless English besides Plautdietsch. Pointing out and naming various ordinary herbs in Plautdietsch and Spanish, he praised each and explained their uses.
Their home is strictly plain however their clinic is allowed a few modern amenities for the sake of their customers. For example, indoor toilets (thankfully). Both of them prepare and package much of the medication in their pharmacy. We talked about the changes happening among the Old Colony people. He sighed and spoke grimly about the "satanic and wordly" young generation of the modern Mennonite colony of Spanish Lookout in the central west which was influencing the Old Colony teenagers to leave their homes.
I had heard about this wonderful herbal doctor in the Old Colony Mennonite community of Little Belize in the northern district of Corozal who could cure just about any sickness. Since I suffer from a sciatic nerve and plantar fascitis, I decided to find out for myself. In a few days I had found a young couple who was also going there for treatments and caught a ride.
We spent the night in the town of Orange Walk, with a relative who had left the Old Colony 30 years ago and married a Mestizo (an unpardonable sin among the Old Colony Mennonites, apparently).
By 6 the next morning we arrived at the doctor's farm. He welcomed us in and almost immediately began preparing for our treatment even though we had not made any appointment. The young couple went inside the clinic. Not knowing what to do, I went for a walk, met with old friends, heard a sad story, hitched a ride in a horse-drawn buggy, and returned to the clinic to find the doctor frowning at me. Being a rigid Old Colony Mennonite, he disliked wasting time waiting for someone and thought I was simply trying to avoid medication. I explained my problem and was ushered into a stuffy room, ordered to drink half a quart of some strong thick oil, given a massage, another cup of oil, some sort of black bitter tea, told to lie very still for awhile, and so forth.
I survived. At least, I think I did. For three days I ate nothing and practically did nothing. The only thing going in my mouth were oil, sugarless tea, and a water. My time was spent either sitting on the toilet or laying in bed receiving massages. My arms, back, legs and feet were pulled and twisted, my stomach was squeezed and pressed until I actually gasped. At night, I was told to sleep on one side for 4 hours without getting up, then turn and sleep on the other side for the same amount of time. There were no fans and the heat was intense due to the time of the year and also due to our pampered lifestyle of AC and fans. During the day I could only sit a certain way and stand a certain way, I was allowed to walk around the farm. It was during this time I learned more about him and his pharmacist wife.
Although well past 50, he's lean and nimble, even climbing trees to bring down fruits. He showed me his goats and explained the benefits of goat milk and cheese as compared to a cow's. He himself talks fluently in Spanish but his wife is actually North American and speaks flawless English besides Plautdietsch. Pointing out and naming various ordinary herbs in Plautdietsch and Spanish, he praised each and explained their uses.
Their home is strictly plain however their clinic is allowed a few modern amenities for the sake of their customers. For example, indoor toilets (thankfully). Both of them prepare and package much of the medication in their pharmacy. We talked about the changes happening among the Old Colony people. He sighed and spoke grimly about the "satanic and wordly" young generation of the modern Mennonite colony of Spanish Lookout in the central west which was influencing the Old Colony teenagers to leave their homes.
Well, eventually our three days were up. After paying several hundred dollars per person, (the price included 3 months worth of pills, herbs, oils, and other liquids), we left with new determination, no energy, no money, a bright future, less weight and heads full of hope that our ills were permanently gone.
Perhaps not permanently after all. My chronic pain came back, my heel stills bothers me now and then, but my spine was greatly improved and the advice he gave me about certain excercises and foods has tremendously lessened my suffering.
This happened before the whole coronavirus situation.
A. Mendoza
