Mexican Immigrant Culture

Traditional healers are individuals that are a part of the community and it is less expensive. Money is not the only factor that deters people away from seeking out western medicine, culture is the other. Traditions of the family are respected and a combo of western and traditional medicine are used (Smith, 2000). Of the Mexican immigrant culture, a little more than half of the population self-treat their symptoms and conditions while the other forty-nine percent seek folk healer or western health care professionals (Smith, 2000). Although it is in culture to use folk healers, many do not tell their health professionals about their traditional healer (Smith, 2000). Health professionals may not agree with the methods and treatments of the healers

Their traditional medical practices originate from Spain and brought to Mexico during the Spanish colonization (Smith, 2000). The focus of disease causation and treatments is the balance between hot and cold and supernatural forces (Smith, 2000). The traditional diseases reflect their beliefs. Cold diseases have invisible symptoms that include earaches, arthritis, stomach cramps and a chest cold; while hot diseases have visible symptoms, which include empacho (indigestion), stomach ulcers, fever, headaches, and sore throat (Smith, 2000). They treat these diseases and symptoms by using cold and hot methods, for example penicillin is considered a hot medicine while vitamin C is cold (Smith, 2000). In western medicine, they treat some of the conditions the same way but do not considered the treatments as being hot or cold. Some of their remedies for certain diseases are like home remedies in the United States. For instance, to treat a fever they use cold eater compresses over the body, tepid baths, alcohol rub or bath, lots of liquids, give teas, and remove clothes (Smith, 2000). These are the same remedies used in the United States. The similarities are strong between cultures in the sense imbalances of the body, however for the diseases that are caused by supernatural forces differ from majority of the cultures in the States. An example is mal puesto which is caused by someone hexing them by using witchcraft (Smith, 2000). The symptoms are varied and cures involve prayers, massages, herbs, making crosses on the arms with oil and chili powder, and medicinal enemas (Smith, 2000). In western medicine, several people use prayer and herbs along with biomedicine to treat their disease despite its