Diarrhea is the leading cause of infant and child death in Pakistan. Appropriately, the development of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) programs has become a major priority of the Pakistan Ministry of ...Health and of international funding agencies. Paradoxically, however, there is virtually no published anthropological literature on diarrhea-related traditional health beliefs and practices among the rural and illiterate people who make up 90% of the nation's population. The study reported on here focuses on these matters and suggests important implications for the multimillion-dollar ORT programs currently being launched. Mothers' ethnomedical models of diarrheal disease and concepts of appropriate treatment are discussed, as are practical problems relating to the effective implementation of ORT in such a setting. The results underline the need for anthropological studies as an adjunct to health interventions involving behavioral modification.
There is a global need for family physicians to serve as cornerstones of comprehensive primary health care systems. In order to meet this need, it is necessary for each country to provide these ...physicians with a thorough education focused on the relevant health care problems of the population being served.
A Visit With a Curandero Mull, J. Dennis; Mull, Dorothy S.
The Western journal of medicine,
11/1983, Letnik:
139, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
One author visited a Mexican-American folk healer in the Los Angeles area, not as a patient but as a fellow health professional. Information was obtained from this healer, a curandero, regarding his ...background, his clientele, the illnesses he treats, the therapeutic techniques he uses and his relationship with the official health care system. This information was generally consistent with statements about curanderismo that have appeared in the social sciences literature. It also provided additional insight into practices that have been alluded to in that literature but not described in detail. With few exceptions, curanderos would seem to be talented healers whose efforts often benefit their patients and whose continued popularity has important implications for physicians, especially those serving large numbers of people of Mexican descent.
Objectives To describe the cultural context of type 2 diabetes mellitus among Vietnamese immigrants in the United States, including people's ideas about cause and proper treatment; and to suggest ...ways in which better control of the disease can be achieved in this population. Design The method was ethnographic. A native speaker used a structured interview guide to talk with 38 Vietnamese patients, and family members of 2 other patients, being treated for type 2 diabetes. In addition, 8 Vietnamese health providers—5 physicians, 2 nurses, and an herbalist—were interviewed. Setting A low-income area of southern California populated by a large number of Vietnamese. Participants Forty patients being treated for type 2 diabetes and 8 health practitioners. Results Three quarters of the patients had not achieved good control of their diabetes. Ideas about the cause and proper treatment of the disease were culturally shaped. Many patients used eastern (herbal) medicine and described a strong aversion to insulin injections. Patients stopped taking their oral medications when using eastern medicine, and a quarter lowered their dose whenever they felt “out of balance.” Almost two thirds had used traditional home remedies for diabetes. Two had received nonstandard medical care from neighborhood physicians trained in Viet Nam; 1 of these patients died during the study. Conclusion The Vietnamese community and physicians serving that community need culturally appropriate education about type 2 diabetes and modern therapy for the disease.
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