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Asclepios, M.D.? The Ancient Greeks And Integrative Medicine, Anna T. Wiley

Honors Bachelor of Arts

The healing at the Sanctuaries of Asclepios in antiquity was thought to occur due to divine intervention, so it is often assumed in modernity that any healing which took place was product of ancient spirituality or had no legitimate medical foundation. The practices in the temples are cloudy, with Pausanias, Aristophanes, Aelius Aristides, steles, and votive offerings providing the bulk of the evidence. Due to the limited evidence available of what occurred in these sanctuaries, evidence of healing at Asclepieia is analyzed through a modern Integrative Medicine lens, specifically showing how techniques similar to optimal healing environments, hypnosis, and imagery …