WALK (to wellbeing) LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

Explore the many secrets of ancient Egypt and get the inner goddess glow, writes Libby Hakim

With magnificent tombs, ornate burial rituals and a focus on the afterlife, it would be easy to think the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death. Don’t be deceived, Dr Ronika Power, an Egyptologist and lecturer in Bioarchaeology at Macquarie University in Sydney, says.

“They made these efforts for the opposite reasons – they had a great love of life and sought to preserve and continue the best aspects of their earthly life in the hereafter,” she says.

“Healthcare and wellbeing were extremely important to the ancient Egyptians.”

Medical papyri, tomb walls and archaeological evidence contain the secrets to their rituals – many of which we continue to use (or are just rediscovering) today.

WORSHIP

Ancient Egyptian life revolved around religion and ritual, with more than 2000 documented gods. This extended to healthcare, with rational medical practices used alongside incantations, amulets or healing shrines.

While we tend to scoff at these complementary practices, Power reminds us that “we must not underestimate the curative value of suggestion and expectation in the healing process as well as management of pain – a phenomenon we refer to today as the placebo effect.”

Can faith move mountains when it comes to health? There’s extensive research examining the impact of religiosity or spirituality on mental wellbeing, with faith consistently associated with better mental health.