Ethnomedicine In Hmong Culture
Ethnomedicine has been historically defined as any healthcare system not present in the West; now, ethnomedicine is defined as the any cultural beliefs which surround healing in a community. The Hmong—an ethnic group located within present day Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand—have a particular system of ethnomedicine which is described as personalistic. Within a personalistic system, an active agent is the underlying cause of a disease—or etiology. Humans can be the cause of the disease as well as a number of non-human and supernatural agents. When Lia Lee began seizing at three months of age, her parents understood that the active agent which caused her epilepsy was a door slamming which caused her soul to fly from her body, an illness called quag …show more content…
The MCMC—the hospital where Lia was—agreed to discharge her and allow Lia to return home. Before they were allowed to leave, however, a nurse asked Nao Faso to sign a document which he believed said that Lia would die within two hours’ time—within Hmong culture, “foretelling death is strongly taboo” (Fadiman 1997, 177). They believe that proclamations of death will only bring death closer, so this paper was seen as a threat to the life of Lia. In what Fadiman sees as true Hmong fashion, Nao Kao grabbed Lia and attempted to flee the hospital (1997, 178). This, of course, only delayed Lia’s discharge from hospital; a point which Lia’s second doctor, Neil Ernst, would consistently fling towards Nao Kao after the attempted …show more content…
The case of Lia Lee can be used holistically to showcase the negative effects which a culture and language barrier can produce between doctor and patient. It can reveal how communication and cultural sensitivity can aid in medical practice. Nevertheless, Lia’s case also shows the need for doctors and healthcare practitioners to learn more of about a culture so that treatment may be administered smoothly and without complete comprehension of the patient and their
Burial Practices In The Hmong Culture
190 Words | 1 PagesAfter researching the Hmong culture, I learned several interesting facts about their culture, ceremonial practices, and their views on death and dying of a loved one. Many people in the Hmong culture believe in multiple souls that reincarnate. Although for this to occur, these individuals believe that an honored deceased member must have a proper burial to enter the spirit world in a positive way. Funerals in the Hmong culture last for many days, and the more revered the deceased is the longer the funeral may be. Animal sacrifice is a common ritual performed at a Hmong funeral and the animal is used to provide food for the people attending the funeral (Purnell, 2014, p. 246).
Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman
968 Words | 4 PagesThe parallel medical treatments Lia received reminded me of this article because the illegal Hispanic immigrants received parallel treatment as well because of fear, which is something Lia’s parents mentioned as well. Fear influenced Foua and Nao Kao’s decision to stop treating her with western medicine. They feared Western drugs were making her sick and that the government would take her away again. Their fear and distrust is similar to the fear and distrust the Hispanics in Atlanta felt. Some of the Hispanic immigrants turned to traditional medicine because they feared deportation and distrusted the government.
Analysis Of Dr. Galanti's Article Analysis
206 Words | 1 PagesAfter reading Dr. Galanti 's articles about culturally competent healthcare please answer the following questions: What did you gain from reading Dr. Galanti 's article? Dr. Galanti provides insight into the relationship between cultural diversity and heath care providers. Dr. Galanti’s briefly states the difference between “stereotype and generalization”. The author recognizes that generalization may be a key factor used by workers in the health care community to bring awareness and a better understanding of cultural differences among patients. The article explains that although cultures differ in values, traditions, and beliefs, there are questions (the 4’C’s of culture) that may open up the line of communication, between provider and
How Did You Notice Culture Impacting The Health And Illness Course Of Lia Lee
614 Words | 3 PagesWere some of the repercussions that resulted because of the clash between the use of Hmong traditional practices and the physicians’ biomedical treatment in the care of Lia Lee? Yes. Lia’s parent and the medical professional at MCMC both cared for Lia and wanted the best for her. However, in Hmong’s culture seizure is seen as divine in nature and MCMC’s aggressive treatment did not sit well with Lia’s parent primarily because of lack of understanding and because of this.
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Analysis
674 Words | 3 PagesFadiman believes Lia’s life was “ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross-cultural misunderstanding” (Fadiman 1997). The Lee’s were not the only ones suffering from not understanding, the doctors were struggling with it as well. A clear example is found in chapter thirteen when the doctor has her parents sign a waiver that says if they take her home she will die. In the Hmong culture this is highly offensive and they believed that telling them this would cause evil spirits to get closer to Lia’s soul. This showed readers that it was just as important that the doctors understand the Lees cultural healing so that they could’ve worked together in Lia’s illness.
Misunderstandings In Hmong Medicine
1549 Words | 7 PagesThe doctors kept prescribing endless amounts of medications, and were struggling to keep the family up to date on each change, and what medication needed to be given when etc. Even though the care staff labeled the medication bottles with different lines, colors, and symbols the family could not grasp what was needed. Plus, they go by the ‘cock-crowe’ time, so all of the implied times that the medication should have been given was much different for the Lee’s. I found that this inconsistency allowed the care staff to make judgments before consulting with other people who could help the Hmong through the bizarre medication regime. The professionals could have come together to understand the culture of Lia’s family, and consult more
The Vietnam War: The Hmong Culture
116 Words | 1 PagesSummary: Many people know the Hmongs as “Migrants of the Mountains”, they received this title since they were thrown out of their original homeland, now they move from mountain to mountain inhabiting in the jungle. The Vietnam War started and the Hmongs were secretly recruited by the Americans. Soon after the war, many of those recruited Hmongs were then able to flee the country to America.
Clan Leaders In Hmong Culture
141 Words | 1 PagesWhen people hear about elderly individuals most will assume that they are wise, filled with endless amounts of wisdom, and have stories to pass down. Well, if an individual is an elderly Hmong male, then this is accurate. It has been said “Within the family, the eldest man would traditionally hold the utmost power and control and would possess final say regarding all family decisions” (Tatman 2004). Also, the elder adults are typically seen as clan leaders. Clan leaders make many decisions and approve of any major decisions (Cobb 2010).
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman
1467 Words | 6 PagesThis strong belief against only using medical help was heightened by the doctors frustration towards the Lee family for not following instructions, as well as the difference in perspectives of seeing Lia’s condition as special, the Lee family feeling as if Lia was “like a member of royalty” (Fadiman, 1997, p.22) due to her condition, and the doctors stubbornness to treat it with a multitude of medications with negative side effects. Unfortunately, the combination of not understanding the medication application, as well as conflicting culture beliefs, lead the doctors to think the Lee family was not complying with them, and felt “Lia’s parents were endangering her health” (Fadiman, 1997, p.79) which lead them to contact child services. This process of taking away Lia, which only worsened her condition, could have been handled more appropriately if the doctors had underwent enculturation, being defined as “the process of learning behaviors, languages, beliefs, and roles common to ones first or home cultures” (Barrera et al., 2012 p. xx), this allowing the doctors to not think poorly of the Lia’s parent’s but instead understanding of the cultural beliefs and reasons for them. However, it would be unfair to state the doctors didn’t give the Lee’s the benefit of the doubt, Fadiman (1997) stating that Neil, one of Lia’s doctors, “postponed calling Child Protective Services for as long as he could, giving Lia’s parents every possible chance to reform, talking the case over with his wife every night” (Fadiman, 1997, p.79) and only reported the family under the true impression that he was doing what was in the best interest of
Hmong Immigration
1987 Words | 8 PagesHer father, Nao Kao Lee, was especially enraged on two occasions. One, when the doctors were performing a spinal tap on Lia, he said that was when “Lia was lost”, as the Hmong believed that procedure would cripple her in this life and her future lives . The second occasion was when he misunderstood that he had to sign a paper that stated that Lia would die in two hours, when it fact “released in two hours” was what was written. “In the Hmong moral code, foretelling a death is strongly taboo.”, and so Nao Kao grabbed his daughter and ran. He was caught afterwards, but these scenarios show that the Hmong had a strong sense of values that the doctors weren’t able to understand and both parties were at a disadvantage.
The Importance Of Being A Hmong Woman
302 Words | 2 PagesBeing a Hmong woman living in America, my parents always expected high academic achievements from me. I appreciate my culture because the expectations I receive makes me the person I am . Growing up my parents taught me well and taught me to be a proper Hmong woman in life. However, the twenty-first generation is different now, our thoughts on what we want and what we need are very different from what are parents want and need. When I was a kid, education was important, my parents taught me that if I did not study hard and do well, I would be living the life my parents were.
The Hmong People Summary And Analysis
638 Words | 3 Pages“We used to stack fucks like you five feet high in Korea, use you for sand bags” states Walt with an assault rifle pointed at the gang members laying in his lawn. Walt handled confrontation head on and had no intentions on backing down from this situation of trespassing. In Walts mind Asians were nothing more than the enemy with weird customs which he seen by his neighbors. He was also effected deeply by his time in Korea which he never failed to mention. This created a bias, he saw all Asians the same and spoke stereotypes about them constantly.
Analysis Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman
424 Words | 2 PagesIn The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman made the point that a person's life can be ruined due to "cross cultural misunderstandings. " The text points out many issues between the patients and the doctors. It sheds light on many of the problems that the refugees faced after coming to America due to cultural displacement. From my understanding, the texts of Dettwyler and Fadiman show how medical limitations effects the health of the people whether they are in a foreign country or their own country and also the barriers they face due to lack of resources and knowledge.
Book Review Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman
864 Words | 4 PagesAnne Fadiman, author of the book, ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” reveals the negative effects of no cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. Lia Lee and her family had no previous experiences in an American hospital, America no less. This proved to be difficult, leading both sides (Hmong family and doctors) to misinterpret what both are doing and saying. This book summary summarized the book, the qualifications of the sources used, and critiques the book as a whole.
Cultural Competence Reflection
534 Words | 3 PagesRegarding effective communication, “good interpretation and good translation go a long way toward solving cross-cultural communication problems and language barriers in health care” (Dreachslin, Gilbert & Malone, 2013, p. 289). These services, through interpreters or voice-assisted devices, provide better opportunities to blend cultures and understand the tradition and beliefs of diverse populations. These two topics were just samplings of the information discussed, but they stuck out to me on a personal level, while pushing me to promote cultural competence and understanding beyond this course in all my future workplace
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