The Differences in Health Traditions between Cultures
Each individual has an exclusively cultural heritage attachment that is comprised of a lot of different customs and values. It is almost impossible for anyone or group of people to live everyday by not practicing according to their beliefs or cultural background. Being born to a person depending on whom they are or where they live means so much in some cultures. For example, I was born into a family where my parents were both educated and good practicing Catholics. This automatically puts me in a middle class family or made my statues a little higher than so many people whose parents are not educated. I consider myself fortunate and that is mostly why I am always humble in life.
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“As a catholic, my family and I believe strongly that any problems involving our health that we encounter may be a result of God’s will” (A. Padilla, personal communication, August 17, 2011). As a result of falling victim to illness, a traditional Mexican family would turn to an old-fashioned healer or herbal remedies. “[We] definitely did use Curanderos whenever someone fell sick for a while. When I was growing up in Mexico, it was very common. In fact, I would see at least two or three on my way to school” (A. Padilla, personal communication, August 17, 2011). Curanderos, or traditional Mexican healers, use herbs, aromas, and rituals to treat the ills of the body, mind, and spirit (Latino Culture and Health, 2000).
In addressing the differences in health traditions of these three cultures, it is evident that the economic environment plays a major role. Nigerians, for example, are not used to screening for early signs and symptoms of diseases due to the fact that most people are not aware of the risks. Not enough awareness and most importantly, there is no available resources from the government to assist individuals. According to my friends, Ariana and Marinelle, the government provides enough resources for a good quality health care for people in the Philippines while in Mexico people just walk to the pharmacy to buy any kind of medication without prescriptions. The danger in all this life style includes