Latin American Folk Medicine

A curandero is a Mexican-American folk healer that heals physical, mental, and spiritual illnesses. The folk healer uses prayer, faith, and herbal remedies to heal. People associate repeated healing with healthy relationships between people, culture, and the environment. In the poem, “Curandera”, by Pat Mora and the novel, “Bless Me, Ultima”, by Rudolfo Anaya portray the curandera in different and similar ways. The literary works consist of common characteristics and qualities that the curanderos possess irrespective of the different genders. In both poems, the curanderos are knowledgeable. Besides, they have a close connection with nature, and the people from their towns respect them greatly.

A curandero is a Mexican-American folk healer that heals physical, mental, and spiritual illnesses. The folk healer uses prayer, faith, and herbal remedies to heal. People associate repeated healing with healthy relationships between people, culture, and the environment. Mora and Anaya portray the curandera in different and similar ways. The literary works consist of common characteristics and qualities that the curanderos possess irrespective of the different genders. In both poems, the curanderos are knowledgeable. Besides, they have a close connection with nature, and the people from their towns respect them greatly.

Appalachian folk medicine is a system of healing made up of beliefs and practices that are transferred by oral tradition through families and communities. It was developed in response to a lack of access to modern medical care and combines homemade remedies with superstition and religious beliefs. A general definition of folk medicine is a collection of cures that are handed down by oral tradition and other similar means of heritage and are considered outside of mainstream medicine. Appalachian folk medicine sprung up from the need for health care. In pre-industrial Appalachia, doctors and modern medicine were rare and inaccessible as well as expensive, so people relied on traditional home remedies and superstitious practices to alleviate pain and to cure disease. Practices such as using turpentine and brown sugar to cure worms and the use of magnetism to stimulate the body to heal itself are common for many minor illnesses. The most common aspect of Appalachian folk medicine, however, is the widespread use of herbal and homemade medicines that are believed to have healing powers. It relies on local roots, flowers, fruits, bark, leaves, and seeds that could be gathered and then combined or treated to make them suitable for healing.

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

As a Mexican from the countryside, I experienced many forms of traditional medicine, from “amuletos” (protective pendants against every evil), to a “cura de espanto” a serious exorcism to take out bad evils from a person. But one of my favorite practices was to get a “limpia” performed on my regularly. This practice of rubbing the body by herbs and passing a row egg around a person body is a common practice in my country. This practice is more a ritual than cure, is used to “diagnose” persons illness by “reading the egg inside” before the “limpia” is performed. Sun after, the treatment begins with use of different plants like rosemary, “yerba santa” (sacred leaf), ruda (rue), albahaca (basil), and even tabaco (tobacco) leafs that the “curandero”

I agree with you, Hispanics do have an endless list of home remedies. I too make use of many Hispanic herbal remedies that were passed on from my mother. Some of the remedies, I believe work, while others I use for the placebo effect, nevertheless, I believe it is important to keep some of these practices alive and pass them on to our children.

Furthermore, the Nacirema seek help of the “temple” or “latipso” for other serious illnesses, comprised mainly of medicine men and other female specialists. The culture’s devotion to rituals is undeniable as a considerable sum is required for the service of the “temple,” although “these temple ceremonies may not cure, and may even kill the neophyte, in no way decreases the people’s faith in the medicine men” (173). This belief of the “temple” constitutes checking in to the hospital to treat diseases in the American culture. Often times a significant hospital fee needs to be paid for even a short visit and it is not guaranteed that one would be healed as a result. The American culture’s “ fundamental belief…human body is ugly and its natural tendency is to debility and disease” can help explain the society’s faith in hospitals

These religious and spiritual influences play a major role in the Hispanics health, illness and daily life. In much a similar manner, the Native American Indian family adopts the cultural beliefs to associate with illness and health. They believe that a person’s state of exists when he or she exists in harmony with nature and sickness occurs when an imbalance between the natural or supernatural forces and the sick individual exists (Askim-Lovseth & Aldana, 2010). Traditional health believes and practices involving healing ceremonies and rituals restore balance when illness happens. “These can be conducted by their traditional medicine men or women, who are thought to have compelling powers, the ability to read minds, and know-how in concocting medicine, drugs and poisons.” For the white young family, the cultural belief of invincibility and youth are the driving force behind health prevention (Askim-Lovseth & Aldana, 2010). “Focus on the temporary is regularised, while thinking about health is assigned to an adult person where family accountabilities pertain.” Protecting against illness or disease does not feature into their daily lives. Disease or illness is something that is insubstantial and distant, and unimaginable to their young, resilient bodies and thus irrelevant (Edelman & Mandle, 2010).

In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.

Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States. From Christmas carols to holiday parties, this celebration seems to be deeply embedded in American Culture. How has this holiday and its traditions become so prevalent in the United States? Historian Stephen Nissenbaum attempted to answer this question and in doing so challenged the old assumptions about Christmas and its traditions in his book The Battle for Christmas. In this book, he discussed how historians have previously studied Christmas in an isolated manner away from culture (page xii).

In the Dominican culture, when it comes to illness and health, there is no real explanation as to why people get sick. Some believe illness is caused by natural factors such as a dysfunction in the body; others believe illness is due to supernatural causes such as punishment from evil ancestral spirits or somebody sends the evil spirits after them to harm them. When asked about views of health and illness, she stated that most Dominicans interpret health as being up, active and not being in bed where one is unable to take care of his or her self. Many Dominicans believe that if you are not in bed, therefore you are healthy. Many Dominicans believe in folk practice to promote health, for example: a problems that are seen as natural and spiritual are treated with prayer and ritual. Problems that are believed to be supernatural are treated with the help of a witch, healer, or a voodoo priest. For instance, the Catholics practice Spiritism and Santeria by praying the saints to grant them favors and heal them. Some may consult a healer who usually enters in contact with the saint spiritually to ask the saints

What is the latipso used by Nacireman medicine men? The medicine men have an imposing temple, or latipso, in every community of any size. The latipso ceremonies are so harsh that it is phenomenal that a fair proportion of the really sick natives who enter the temple ever recover. Sick adults are not only willing but eager to undergo the protracted ritual purification, if they can afford to do so.

Native American traditional medicine and spiritual healing rituals go back for thousands of years, these traditions often focus on different variations of alternative medicine. This knowledge is passed on throughout generations, many of the tribes learn that by mixing natural plants such as herbs and roots they can make remedies with healing properties. It is believed that being healthy is when people reach a state of harmony not only spiritually, mentally but physically. To be able to overcome the forces that cause illness people must “operate in the context of relationship to four constructs —namely, spirituality (Creator, Mother Earth, Great Father); community (family, clan, tribe/nation); environment (daily life, nature, balance); and self (inner passions and peace, thoughts, and values)” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.453). In this research paper I am going to show evidence of the tremendous influence that Native American medicine and spiritual healing have over modern medicine in the course of healing

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." –Macbeth Act two, scene one. Guilt, insanity and the everlasting evil within human nature haunts Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s main character in his play Macbeth. From Shakespeare’s play, the themes and ideas have been interpreted on film as PBS and director Rupert Goold filmed “Macbeth” in their own ideas and interpretations.

With the increasing immigrant population a third barrier affecting access to health care is a cultural barrier. Culture barriers can include values and beliefs, language and race and ethnicity. Health beliefs and behavior can become a barrier when patients decide not to seek medical treatment and instead turn to home remedies and healers when treating illnesses. Approximately 10% of Americans speak a language other than English and can be classified ad being limited in their proficiency. For these patients language becomes a barrier and they are less likely to receive optimal medical treatment (Flores, 2006). Horton and Johnson (2010) stress the importance of communication in reducing disparities and increasing the trust of patients in the health care system. As reported by the American College of Physicians, evidence reveals that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to receive inferior care when compared with non-minorities. This occurs even when minorities have access to insurance and adequate income (Racial and ethnic disparities in health care, 2010).