For the second essay in this course, I decided to choose the book titled "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures," by Anne Fadiman. The reason for choosing this read was my interest and fascination with the Hmong culture. I had never heard of the Hmong culture before until a couple of years ago when I wrote a research paper about sleep paralysis, in which I wrote about how the Hmong interpret their experience. Although writing about sleep paralysis was stemmed from my own experiences, it nonetheless sparked my interest in the Hmong culture and their beliefs and traditions. Anne Fadiman's book does not discuss the topic covered in my research paper. However, it is a fascinating
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Lia Lee was born in the United States, and she was a daughter of Foua and Nao Kao Lee. When she was about three months old, Lia Lee developed seizures, which quickly turned into a severe neurologic disorder. The first time that the little girl's parents brought her to the local hospital, they hoped that the American doctors would give her antibiotics to help cure her. Antibiotics were the only Western medicine that the Hmong trusted. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, Foua and Nao Kao were not able to precisely describe their daughter symptoms, which resulted in misdiagnosis. As the Lees continued to bring their daughter for the hospital visits, the doctors eventually realized that the little girl had epilepsy. Unfortunately, the first hospital visit was not the only miscommunication that occurred between the American doctors and the Hmong parents. Subsequent treatment of Lia's seizures also became jeopardized due to the cultural barriers. To the doctors, Lia Lee was seriously ill and needed to be treated with a cocktail of Western medicine administered precisely and consistently. To the Lees, their daughter was suffering from soul loss, and therefore it was not necessary to heavily medicate her. The lack of proper understanding of each other's cultures …show more content…
In healthcare, understanding patients from other cultures is viable to obtaining successful outcomes and results. In the Lees case, learning about the Hmong culture would have allowed doctors to better understand Foua and Nao Kao's perspective and their comprehension of illness. To the American doctors, illness is a physiological phenomenon that must be treated with sophisticated technology and prescription medicine; illness is a matter of the body. For the Hmong, however, illness is a matter of the soul. It is a supernatural event caused by evil spirits called tlan (Beghtol). The symptoms of soul loss include loss of appetite, increased thirst, weakness, tiredness, and insomnia (Hmong cultural). Such animistic views and beliefs result in many cultural practices designed to cure various ailments. One of the practices used by the Hmong to cure illness is called Cao Gio or ‘coin rubbing,' which is applied to the area affected by the illness. For example, in cases of a chest cold, oil is applied to the chest and the back and then rubbed in until it is worm. Following back massaging, a coin or a spoon is firmly massaged up and down on the oily skin until it is irritated and bruised (Beghtol). The Hmong also often resort to the services of a shaman. Shamanism is a crucial
Lia Lee was born in the United States, and she was a daughter of Foua and Nao Kao Lee. When she was about three months old, Lia Lee developed seizures, which quickly turned into a severe neurologic disorder. The first time that the little girl's parents brought her to the local hospital, they hoped that the American doctors would give her antibiotics to help cure her. Antibiotics were the only Western medicine that the Hmong trusted. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, Foua and Nao Kao were not able to precisely describe their daughter symptoms, which resulted in misdiagnosis. As the Lees continued to bring their daughter for the hospital visits, the doctors eventually realized that the little girl had epilepsy. Unfortunately, the first hospital visit was not the only miscommunication that occurred between the American doctors and the Hmong parents. Subsequent treatment of Lia's seizures also became jeopardized due to the cultural barriers. To the doctors, Lia Lee was seriously ill and needed to be treated with a cocktail of Western medicine administered precisely and consistently. To the Lees, their daughter was suffering from soul loss, and therefore it was not necessary to heavily medicate her. The lack of proper understanding of each other's cultures …show more content…
In healthcare, understanding patients from other cultures is viable to obtaining successful outcomes and results. In the Lees case, learning about the Hmong culture would have allowed doctors to better understand Foua and Nao Kao's perspective and their comprehension of illness. To the American doctors, illness is a physiological phenomenon that must be treated with sophisticated technology and prescription medicine; illness is a matter of the body. For the Hmong, however, illness is a matter of the soul. It is a supernatural event caused by evil spirits called tlan (Beghtol). The symptoms of soul loss include loss of appetite, increased thirst, weakness, tiredness, and insomnia (Hmong cultural). Such animistic views and beliefs result in many cultural practices designed to cure various ailments. One of the practices used by the Hmong to cure illness is called Cao Gio or ‘coin rubbing,' which is applied to the area affected by the illness. For example, in cases of a chest cold, oil is applied to the chest and the back and then rubbed in until it is worm. Following back massaging, a coin or a spoon is firmly massaged up and down on the oily skin until it is irritated and bruised (Beghtol). The Hmong also often resort to the services of a shaman. Shamanism is a crucial