The author was trying to show how the difference between two cultures can influence in health care. The author showed how the difference between illness and disease also affects the forms of treatment. It is important to recognize the patient’s cultural beliefs because this may help us to recognize how effective the given treatment can be and in what ways we can enhance the treatment without sacrificing the patient’s cultural beliefs. The author also showed how both the parents and the doctors care about Lia but what they thought was best for Lia varied. The doctors thought that the parents were harming the treatment by not being compliant and the parents thought that the doctors were hurting Lia by giving her so much medicine. The Lee family had a different culture and spoke a different language than that of the doctors, and this lead to misunderstandings. The Lee family thought that sickness is caused by a dab (evil spirit) and the doctors thought of it in a biological manner. The biggest health issue the Lee family faced was Lia’s Epilepsy, or how the called it qaug dab peg. According to Fadiman …show more content…
According to Fadiman (2003), “the Hmong have responded to persecution and to pressures to assimilate by either fighting or migrating” (p. 13). They tried to migrate to America to get away from the mess that had been done by the Vietnam War. When they immigrated to Thailand and applied to come to the U.S. as refugees, many were declined and had to return to Laos. Many people died on the way to Thailand. According to Fadiman (2003), The Hmong were trying to migrate not for a better life but rather to find peace. The Hmong are strong people who, despite the fact that they have lost many family members in the conflicts they’ve had, are still standing and fighting for a life in which they can find