Areas Of Fear

Many people are reluctant to seek medical attention due to fear of costs and causing more financial constraints. Most especially for individuals or families who have to choose between paying rent and securing their meals, in which case, diabetes (or other diseases for that matter) is not seen as an imminent threat, therefore it is not a priority. While some may have health coverage, they may not have the advantage to cover co-payments for the visit, medications, diagnostics, or other treatments.  Second, language barrier and other discriminations contribute to health disparity. Because they are unable to communicate their concerns and in fear of judgment, language/discrimination discourages people from seeking medical help— the assumption that they (minorities) will be treated unfairly or not given enough or of equal treatment. Undocumented individuals are also less likely to seek help in fear of being caught. Lastly, the issue of cultural disconnection— in this dimension,  participants admitted to the fear creating a stigma and receiving negative feedback from their providers (who only favor biomedical treatments).  There is fear of being an object of ridicule and rejection if they admit to the use of alternative medicines and remedies. Fear of reporting use of other remedies may adversely affect provider’s recommended regimen. In considering these social and economical factors, people become chronically ill and progressively worse until the situation becomes acute and no longer manageable. These dimensions, and other contributing factors, place limitations and restrictions in individual’s power to make health decisions, and inevitably create health disparities. Page-Reeves and others state, “ although disparity can take many forms, health disparities can be understood as one of the most concrete manifestations of inequity, often  determining who will live and who will die— with the poor and immigrants suffering

Throughout the years there have been two traditions within the practice of medicine. One is the 'art of healing ' which involves its own specialised brand of training. The art of healing is dependent on the prescriber 's foreknowledge and the clients’ viewpoint of the prosperous results. The 'Science of healing ' is based on scientific and technological ideas. This tradition results in a lower liability for practitioners regarding the showing of an original approach to medicine, however the results of this method are more calculable (Kayne 2002). It is believed that the tradition of the ‘art of healing’ is increasing in popularity. The World Health Organisation states ' 'that the terms ' 'complementary medicine ' ' or ' 'alternative medicine’ ' are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries. They refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country 's own tradition and are not integrated into the dominant health care system” (World Health Organization 2000). This type of treatment, is commonly known as ‘Complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM). The word complementary derives from the meaning ‘together with’ established practices and the word alternative refers to ‘in place’ of established practices. Some patients choose to participate in complementary therapies along with the medication prescribed by their general practitioner whilst others prefer complementary therapies as opposed to the medications

It could be considered that conventional medicine has indirectly contributed to the rise of complementary and alternative medicine. A broad definition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is “a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country’s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health-care system” (The World Health Organisation, n.d.). Expanding on this definition it is important to address the variable similarities of CAM modalities. CAM therapies across the various modalities have in common a shared, in varying degrees, holistic approach and subscribe to some form of vitality - a contrast from the science-based view point of conventional medicine prevalent in western society. In spite of CAM therapies empirical nature and efficacies, it is suggested that dissatisfaction of conventional medicine underpins the popularity it has garnered, thus, it will be examined further as to how and why. A further discussion will be made to related dangers of both alternative and science-based medicine; providing an opportunity to constructively educate the public on the differences between the two systems.

The findings of this survey showed that 73.6% agreed with the use of traditional medicines for health maintenance, 79.2% agreed for benign illness, such as colds or sprained ankles, and 90.3% agreed for palliative care (Zubek, 1994, p. 1926). Where they disagreed the most was with the use of traditional healing in the intensive care units, only 16.9% agreed with the use of this treatment for serious illness, such as cardiac or respiratory compromise, whether in the hospital (21.2% agreed) or as outpatients (26.4% agreed). Nearly half (48.6%) agreed with using traditional medicines for chronic illnesses, such as non-insulin dependent diabetes or Parkinson's disease (Zubek, 1994, p. 1926). One instance where physicians were unwilling to allow their patients to use Native medicine was while the patient is in the hospital, because the physician could be held legally responsible for any treatment administered while admitted under their care. There is also the problem of differentiating between legitimate Native healing practitioners and those who would take advantage of anyone not aware of the proper rituals and techniques that need to be performed (Zubek, 1994, p. 1929). This could be overcome by having a formalized licensing organization such as is used by Western practitioners (i.e. American Society of Clinical Pathology [ASCP]). That poses another problem though, as to whether traditionalists would be willing to have such an organization.

An increasing number of medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine for their students, and some hospitals already have alternative medicine departments. The availability of healers and doctors practicing holistic medicine has also increased in recent years, and more and more people are educating themselves in these new fields. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that between 65 and 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional medicine as their primary form of health care.

Immigration trauma has different phases, but generally begins years before the individual leaves the country. The person is usually leaving conditions deemed intolerable; poverty, unemployment, and violence, and fear for one's safety are common. The immigrant then has to endure acculturative stress, the loss of social support, and displacement. A recent study asserts that 11% of all immigrant Latinos reported political violence exposure and 76% described additional lifetime traumas (Foster, 2001). Armed with this knowledge, the clinician assessing Mario and Mary would want to screen Mario for trauma,

Better research on immigrant health and health outcomes would go a long way to shining a light on how to tackle these problems. The current debate in the research concentrates on social determinants of health such as acculturation, which of course influences a lot of other health and healthcare decisions made by immigrants. However, only focusing on social determinants of health undermines the importance of other factors that also heavily affect immigrant health in the United States. Specifically in the case of undocumented immigrants, the debate need to focus on systemic issues impeding access to healthcare as well as pre and post migratory social, political, and economic factors. Some examples that Martinez et al listed include, “specific environmental conditions such as pollution and contamination of water, as well as pre-and-post migration experiences ranging from rape, sexual assault, and abuse to extortion and several other specific geopolitical and economic factors” (966). Social strife, political persecution or famines are real problems that can affect an individuals’ health and specifically their mental health for the rest of their lives. Torres et al urge “those involved in public health research, policy, and practice” to

When address the issue of structural racism as it pertains to health there are two terms that have to be identified and distinguished: health disparities and health inequity. Health disparities can be defined as the overall “differences in the health outcomes of socially

The article Health Disparity and Structural Violence: How Fear Undermines Health Among Immigrants at Risk for Diabetes was extremely informative. The article identified “three dimensions of fear including (a) Cost; (b) Language,

Latino Immigrants who have travelled from their home country often experience social isolation when they first arrive to their new home. This can cause added stress and distress in the person’s life. Housing and employment are of higher importance to attain then social support and this can lead to feelings of loneliness and stress. As providers, we should understand that the culmination of stressors associated with constantly having to adapt to unfamiliar environments, work-related stress, and lack of social and emotional support may take a psychological and physical toll on many immigrants, not just

Due to socioeconomic, cultural, and, after the past few election cycles in the United States, political adversity that immigrants have to endure, it is not surprising that some immigrant populations, namely the working poor, manifest various mental health issues at higher rates than the rest of the population. According to much research, "evidence is overwhelming that certain immigrant groups. . . suffer a greater incidence of schizophrenia" also noting that the "risk increases with length of residence in the host country and the risk is even more severe in the second generation" (Whitley 1073). There are a number of pre-migratory, post-migratory factors that also include factors associated with the process of migration that most likely increase the incidence of mental health issues in immigrants, namely persecution, poverty, violence, famine, drought and other traumatic events that in addition to potentially arduous journeys to reach their destination and post-migratory factors included in the term "marginalization" that make it easy to see why immigrants would have a higher incidence of psychopathology like schizophrenia, developmental disorders in children, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety (Whitley 1073). Many of these issues compound after migration has taken place to manifest what has been called "social defeat." According to Whitley, "social defeat is an umbrella term that refers to various sociocultural (and economic) acute events and

Deportation destroys families, detaches opportunities from individuals, and increases risks for the economy. Undocumented immigrants constantly live in fear of deportation within the United States of America. ("Deportation - FindLaw", 2017) These individuals understand that any slight encounter with immigration officials can lead to being incarcerated or even facing the process of deportation and being removed from the country and sent back to the country of origin. Deportation is often defined as the removal of unauthorized aliens for violation of various immigration or criminal laws. Deportation can lead these immigrants to lose all rights of entering the United States ever again. ("Deportation - FindLaw", 2017)

The downsides of economics alongside immigrants being afraid that they will face deportation or risk being arrested are some of the reasons why the immigrants that are undocumented are forming such a large society in host countries. A statement by Pitt & Marsiglia (23) implied that undocumented immigrants are like oil floating over water and will never mix thus means will never fully participate in the community at large. These fears experienced by undocumented immigrants form art of the reasons why these people have ailing health conditions as they fear visiting health care facilities which might expose their identities of being illegal residents thus risk being reported and ultimately

In this essay a critical assessment of the view that ‘patients use of complementary and alternative medicine, can be understood as part of the individualisation of responsibility for health’ will be made and argued, that there are many aspects which influence the uptake of such therapies. Responsibility for health has changed and this will be discussed by examples of sociological

By examining some of the most popular, enduring alternative medical systems, one can begin to see some general trends of the systems, understand some recurring flaws, and understand the attraction and usefulness of alternative medicine in today's health care system. However, alternative medicine remains controversial. Whether it can be supported scientifically or not, alternative medicine may be useful to encourage both physical and mental well-being via a placebo effect. For this reason, alternative medicine must be considered by physicians as a complement to modern medicine.