Anthropology Archive

Mexican American Ethnomedical Traditions

• Natural Technique That Ends Morning Sickness
• Get Pregnant Quickly and Naturally Within 2 Months
• The Secret of How To Grow African American Hair

Core aspects of traditional Mexican ethnomedical folk specialists involve the curandero (curer), yerbalista (herbalist), sobador (masseuse), partera (midwife), and espiritualista (spiritualist healer). These health care systems involve a synthesis of Indian and Spanish influences and sometimes biomedical traditions. Mexican Americans' traditional healing practices are in decline, but the beliefs may still play a conceptual role in shaping health behavior (Trotter and Chavira, 1997; and e.g., Chapter Two on illness concepts). Most are familiar with traditional treatment concepts, although they may not utilize them; some may even reject them as superstitions if they are highly accultur-ated. Only a small percentage of Mexican Americans still regularly use traditional practitioners because of their decline in the United States, but most of the populace has positive perceptions of curanderos and similar practices and is willing to use these ethnomedical resources for appropriate conditions (e.g., see Chavez, 1984).

The Curandero . Curanderos are folk healers who blend centuries of influences from European, Native American, Catholic, and international traditions. Curandero, meaning "one who cures," is a general term applied to virtually any Mexican-origin ethnomedical practitioner, including those listed below. These other Mexican practitioners may reject the term curandero, feeling the more specific term is more appropriate. Curanderos use charismatic power and rituals along with herbal treatments. They are primarily used for folk illnesses and appear effective for dealing with mental and emotional illness, resolving psychological and social problems, and strengthening social ties and relationships (Trotter and Chavira, 1997).

Self-Care and the Yerbalista. At the basis of Mexican American self-care are a variety of remedios caseros, "household remedies." These are largely herbal remedies but also include oils, ointments, natural substances, and patent medicines. The lay use of these substances is complemented by recommendations from professional herbalists known as yerbalistas. Chavez (1984) found that 70 percent of respondents had used herbs as medicines for treatments of gastrointestinal and cardiac problems, diabetes, respiratory illness, nerves, and psychological problems (see Kay, 1996). Medicinal plants are widely available in Hispanic communities in gardens, grocery

People's concepts of the body include internal differentiations in essences, emotions, and self-structures (soul, spirit, and other entities) that play a role in human understanding of their drives, emotions, behaviors, and needs. Chapter Six discusses this as part of an "indigenous psychology," cultural concepts of the person, and illustrated in Hmong concepts of souls.

0 -1

Average user rating: 1 stars out of 1 votes