What if the path to healing isn’t just through Western medicine, but through tradition, spirit and community? In this episode, Dr. Denise Millstine hosts a powerful conversation with author Aaron John Curtis and Dr. Patricia StandTal Clarke, exploring traditional Native healing through Curtis’s debut novel Old School Indian. As they unpack the journey of protagonist Abe Jacobs — a man navigating a mysterious autoimmune illness and rediscovering his voice — the episode dives deep into the role of spirituality and cultural identity in healing. 

This episode was made possible with the generous support of Ken Stevens.

We talked with: 

• Aaron John Curtis is an enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, which he’ll tell you is the white name for the American side of Akwesasne. Aaron has judged for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance prizes, the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, and the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Since 2004, Aaron has been Quartermaster at Books & Books, Miami’s largest independent bookstore. 
• Patricia StandTal Clarke, M.D., who is part Eastern Band Cherokee (Wolf Clan), is a founding diplomat of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, an ordained Protestant minister, and a physician specializing in an integrative medical approach to treating patients. In her practice she interweaves prevention with treatment, working toward a full, happy, healthy life for individuals, families, and community.

Purchase OLD SCHOOL INDIAN.

• From Bookshop.org.
• From Barnes & Noble.

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The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.