Culture plays a big role in health, diseases, and healing as well as medical anthropology. Some diseases result from the cultures we adopt, our own cultures as well as our life choices. These cultures and choices may cause the rise of a disease, the healing of a disease or the maintenance of good health. One disease that arises from our life choices is hypertension which involves having a high blood pressure. This paper will aim to compare the different cultures, the choices they make in regard to health care as well as the diseases that arise from lifestyle or cultural choices.
Hypertension is a leading lifestyle disease that affects people from everywhere and can lead to heart disorders. More people have become at risk of hypertension due to the change in lifestyles. This change involves use of drugs as well as pressures to have good living standards and security for the future in the ever increasing challenges of the economy. Its leading causes have been identified as Obesity, cholesterol in the blood and diabetes. Hypertension is common among certain cultures more than others (Moerman, 2000, p. 53).This difference may occur due to the different emotions evoked about certain things depending on the cultural views about the issue (Dressler, Bindon & Neggers, 1998, p. 527).
Many researchers in the medical field view that medicine and social science are inseparable because health involves balancing the environment and the biological functions. Thus, disease occurs from an imbalance in these two aspects. The environment affects conditions of healing when disease occurs and thus treatment (University of Maryland College, 2004, p. 2). An environment filled with positive energy promotes faster healing than one that promotes negative energy, for example, family members and friends giving hope to a patient of getting better (Dressler, Bindon & Neggers ,1998, p. 528).
A relationship between health and social statuses is in existence. Better social statuses ensure better health statuses. This difference is because with higher social statuses, people can afford better quality medical services and thus better health (Dressler, Bindon & Neggers, 1998, p. 529). People with lower social statuses on the other hand are unable to afford quality health services. As a result, these disparities cause a hindrance towards achieving quality health for all and thus increase the spread of infectious diseases (University of Maryland College, 2004, p. 3).
Practices and influences from culture can influence the treatment and eventually healing of a patient. Placebo, complementary and alternative medical practices (CAM) are some treatments that arise from cultural beliefs that healing will be achieved from them. Placebo treatments are fake treatments that do not affect the patient’s health. However, the patient believes that he or she will be fine from this treatment and gets better (Moerman, 2000, p. 53). CAM’s on the other hand mostly involve traditional medicine that helps cope with diseases. They involve yoga, aroma therapy, homeopathy, acupuncture, healing touch, herbs as well as others (University of Maryland College, 2004, p. 4).
Some people from some cultures have been proven to have had positive effects from both treatments. The people from Japan, India, China and Middle Eastern countries are found to commonly practice CAM treatments. European countries practice them more often than the United States. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative medicine categorizes the CAM treatments in five ways. The first is alternative medical systems such as, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy and naturopathy. The second is mind body interventions such as patient support groups, prayer, creative therapies, mental healing and meditation. The third is biological therapies such as herbs, foods and dietary supplements. The fifth category is manipulative therapies and body based methods such as therapeutic massage, chiropractic and osteopathy. The final category is energy therapies such as therapeutic touch and acupuncture (University of Maryland College, 2004, p. 3).
Some physicians refer CAM treatments to patients, the most commonly referred ones being acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, massage and herbal medicine. However, not all doctors who refer patients to these treatments believe in their efficiency. Most common referrals of alternative treatments are adults because of the fear of the effect they would have on children in comparison to adults. Surprisingly, most CAM users tend to be educated, younger and with high income. Despite alternative treatments being beneficial, their disadvantage is that payment is done with the delivery of service making it more expensive. This difference is because it is not included in public health policies (University of Maryland College, 2004, 7).
Cultural preferences and beliefs change over time. This change affects our health because social and cultural beliefs are a vital part of our day to day lives. According to the western historical culture, plumpness was once acceptable but it is not any more. Today, it is a sign of irresponsibility, immorality, lack of self-control and discipline. Slender bodies are associated with wealth and morality. However, African- Americans prefer fuller figures seeing them as desirable and acceptable socially. In cultures where affluence is less prevalent, larger body types are seen as a sign of wealth. Thus, socio- economic classes influence beliefs about beauty. Beauty is seen as an outward expression of inner self (“Thoughts on Alternative Medicine,” 2005, p. 7).
These thin ideals have led to the increased risk of eating disorders to achieve impossible satisfaction which leads to damaged health. Concern for the health of the public by the American Medical Association has led to them adopting a policy to discourage photograph altering to promote unrealistic body image expectations. The media is powerful and can influence people’s health negatively by instilling ideologies of preferred body images, the thinner body type being preferred (“Thoughts on Alternative Medicine,” 2005, p. 14).
In conclusion, our way of life can indeed affect our general health because it affects the treatments we incorporate and the disease prevention strategies we use. Thus, we should be careful the choices we make. The ideologies we have about various aspects also can affect our health as seen in the beauty ideals by western cultures. The media is seen as a major player in spreading these ideas which may lead to a great spread in poor health among women. This effect shows that the society greatly affects what we do as individuals. CAM therapies have been shown to produce great results; however, they can be expensive. This problem can be solved if public policy makers can incorporate them in public health systems. Also, educative programs can be developed to teach communities on how to incorporate them in home health management (“Thoughts on Alternative Medicine,” 2005, p. 15).
References
Dressler, W.W., Bindon, J.R., and Neggers, Y.H. (1998). Culture, Socio- Economic Status and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in an African- American Community. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21(6), 527-544.
Moerman, D.E. (2000). Cultural Variations in the Placebo Effect: Ulcers, Anxiety and Blood Pressure. Medical Anthropology Quaterly, 14(1), 51-72.
Thoughts on Medicine. (2005). Arizona, US: University of Arizona.
