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The ethnomedical approach looks at a disease based on the cultural context and even considers how cultural factors deal with the treatment of such diseases. For pancreatic cancer the cultural context can be just as important as the biomedical context. The concept of culture is very important for understanding any disease, because often times the same disease can be interpreted differently between different cultures. I am defining culture as a group of like minded individuals who have a similar belief system and similar goals. This definition may vary based on context, but I feel that this definition is the most appropriate for understanding disease from the ethnomedical approach. People understand and seek treatment differently based on various sectors. The three sectors discussed by Kleinman's explanatory models are folk, popular, and professional. The three sectors form a hierarchy in the eyes of most patients and patients usually start with popular, then folk, and then finally seek professional care. This hierarchy is called the 'the hierarchy of resort' and can tell a lot about how a person views their disease in regard to their cultural beliefs. The first sector, the popular sector, is seen when an illness is first recognized. After this occurs, the person seeks advice from friends or family and look for treatment outside of other medical systems. For pancreatic cancer this is somewhat common and often times people often exhibit loss of appetite as the first symptoms of the cancer. My grandfather used the popular sector when he first started losing weight and looked for advice from friends about what he should do. He did not think much of it, because it was a common symptom of many minor diseases. The next sector is the folk sector; this sector is in between the popular and professional sectors and usually involves a holistic approach from a third party healer. My grandfather briefly went through this sector and his son (my uncle) read Quran on him for beneficial effects. The Quran, shown above, is the holy text in Islam and in many Middle Eastern countries it is considered a form of therapy to read verses on the person that is ill. The understanding of this sector is very important for knowing how cultural medicine works in Saudi Arabia. In Islam it is believed that there are certain Quranic verses that are therapeutic if read directly upon the person that is ill. There is also a belief that following certain practices outlined by the Hadith, teachings and actions of the prophet Muhammad (S), can lead to the easing of certain ailments. The third sector is the professional sector, and this is the organized and legally sanctioned health system with professionals. My grandfather is currently in this sector and started to venture into the professional sector when he started to have jaundice and increase stomach pain. He is now in Jordan undergoing chemotherapy and I would consider this to be part of the professional sector.
The Three bodies: The Individual, The Social, and The Body Politic
The individual body is what most people think when we hear the word 'body.' It is the physical manifestation of the body and concerns how different parts of the body relate with each other. It stresses the importance of individual body parts and looks at body imagery. The individual body also looks at how psyche, soul, and matter work together in perception of things. In pancreatic cancer, the individual body can look at what is physically causing the harm and what can stop it. The individual body can also look at how a person perceives the disease that is affecting himself or herself. The image below shows the importance of balancing body, mind, and spirit. The social body concerns the representations of the body as a natural symbol. It reflects the values of a certain culture and the body changes from culture to culture. My grandfather's case of pancreatic cancer, for example, is a little bit different than a westerner's case of pancreatic cancer. His cultural beliefs are different and religion plays a big part in how the body is viewed in the Middle East. He believes that there is a soul in every body and that God is the only entity that can give true freedom from a disease. His social body led him to undergo different types of treatments for a period of time before he pursued the traditional biomedical approach that is preferred in western society. The body politic is regulation and control of bodies, and it concerns public health. It goes further than the individual and views health as a goal for a whole population. It mixes cultural, political, and moral ideologies with health and applies it to the individuals that belong to that specific area. In Saudi Arabia, health is seen as a nationwide goal and is similar to the western view of health care. The only difference is that there are religious practices that are combined with healthcare.
Bibliography:
The Three bodies: The Individual, The Social, and The Body Politic
The individual body is what most people think when we hear the word 'body.' It is the physical manifestation of the body and concerns how different parts of the body relate with each other. It stresses the importance of individual body parts and looks at body imagery. The individual body also looks at how psyche, soul, and matter work together in perception of things. In pancreatic cancer, the individual body can look at what is physically causing the harm and what can stop it. The individual body can also look at how a person perceives the disease that is affecting himself or herself. The image below shows the importance of balancing body, mind, and spirit. The social body concerns the representations of the body as a natural symbol. It reflects the values of a certain culture and the body changes from culture to culture. My grandfather's case of pancreatic cancer, for example, is a little bit different than a westerner's case of pancreatic cancer. His cultural beliefs are different and religion plays a big part in how the body is viewed in the Middle East. He believes that there is a soul in every body and that God is the only entity that can give true freedom from a disease. His social body led him to undergo different types of treatments for a period of time before he pursued the traditional biomedical approach that is preferred in western society. The body politic is regulation and control of bodies, and it concerns public health. It goes further than the individual and views health as a goal for a whole population. It mixes cultural, political, and moral ideologies with health and applies it to the individuals that belong to that specific area. In Saudi Arabia, health is seen as a nationwide goal and is similar to the western view of health care. The only difference is that there are religious practices that are combined with healthcare.
Bibliography:
- "Quran." Oddity Central. http://www.odditycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Quran-550x412.jpg (accessed July 31, 2014).
- "Body, Mind, and Spirit." Personal Coaching. http://3wpersonalcoaching.com/uploads/3/1/5/4/3154436/9979645_orig.jpg (accessed July 31, 2014).
- Karim, Taz. "Week 3: Lecture 1." ANP 204 Introduction to Medical Anthropology Summer 2014. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-3-lecture-2/ (accessed July 31, 2014).
- Karim, Taz. "Week 3: Lecture 2." ANP 204 Introduction to Medical Anthropology Summer 2014. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-3-lecture-2/ (accessed July 31, 2014).