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Purnell's
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Overview/Heritage:
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Family
roles & organization
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Workforce
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Biocultural
ecology
High-risk
behaviors
Nutrition
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Pregnancy
Death
rituals
Spirituality
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Health
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Health
care practitioners
References
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The quality of the person’s blood often signifies the health of
a person.31, 32, 51 "The amount (too much
or too little), color, viscosity (thick or thin), turbulence (quiet
or rushing) of flow, degree of impurities (good/bad or clean/dirty),
and rise and fall of blood in the body are diagnostic of health or
illness in traditional Haitian ethnomedicine" (p. 12).51
Gas or gaz also is notable to Haitians. It can cause pain,
anemia, colic, headaches, rheumatism, back pain, shoulder pain, and
problems for women who have just given birth and their infants. It can
enter the body in a variety of ways and can usually be relieved by the
administration of certain foods and teas.28, 31, 32, 38
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Illnesses specific to Haitians
Séizisman (fright). This illness is the result of extreme surprise, shock, fear, or
indignation. When this occurs, blood is thought to
move from the head into the
body, and can cause headaches, visual disturbances, and
temporary mental problems. Nursing
women are considered particularly prone to séizisman and believe that it can ruin their breast milk.31, 32, 36
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Maldyok
(evil eye). This condition is the result of a person’s envious glance
and could be accidentally caused. Maldyok
affects infants and children
and results in gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and ultimately death. It can be treated by an
herbalist or a voodoo practitioner.26, 36, 56, 58
Often biomedical care is used simultaneously with ethnomedical or
magicoreligious care.26
Although the Haitian belief system is fatalistic, there are
treatments that can be sought to cure the sick of their diseases.
For example, by consulting with a voodoo priest or priestess, you may
be able to change the predetermined illness.26, 60, 63
Family
structure dictates that women usually make healthcare decisions for
themselves and their children.29
In
Haiti, there is no health insurance. Haitians are used to paying out
of pocket for their health care. According to interviews with
Haitian immigrants, in Haiti the concept of no money = no health
care has predominated, even in emergency situations.37,
57, 59, 64, 65,
33
Some Haitians may feel that services
offered at clinics or through Medicaid are inferior, because they
are free.31, 32
Compliance
with a physician's course of treatment depends on the
perceived severity of the illness. Some illnesses are in themselves severe (cancer,
diabetes), while others are perceived to be severe because someone
else has died from the disease. The physician can also tell the
patient the condition is serious. The higher the perceived severity, the higher
the degree of compliance.32
Health Care Practices:
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