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The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Analysis

820 Words4 Pages

Abstract

This paper examines two theoretical perspectives, the humanistic perspective and the systems theory. Later, these perspectives/theories are applied to conduct a micro and macro level analysis of Lia’s life and her parents’ Foua and Nao Kao’s relationship/cultural belief to the Western healthcare system in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Furthermore, the implications of various empirical research are incorporated and used to guide potential methods that could be applied to relevant stories of the book. Moreover, the studies discussed different social issues and elements of cultural competence in the Western Healthcare system. In essence, the Hmong cultural medicinal beliefs versus Western medicine is analyzed from the two …show more content…

The Vietnam war of 1955-1975 had an immense effect on the Hmong population in Laos. Traditional Western medicine is commonly held as the gold standard of medical care worldwide, while in recent days, the Western approach is attempting to gradually recognize the values of alternative medicine used in diverse cultures/populations. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (2012), is a prime example of the clash of two cultures and two opposite medicinal approaches. This paper discusses the humanistic perspective in clinical/medical social work and the systems theory in macro/administrative social work. Based on the humanistic perspective, a micro analysis is conducted on the main character of the book (Lia Lee). In addition, the systems theory is used to perform a macro analysis on the relationship between Lia’s parents’ (Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee) attitude on their cultural beliefs to medical treatment versus Western medical system/approach/protocols. The following pages also explore the impact of the clash of cultures between western healthcare systems and the medicinal beliefs of the Hmong

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This book proved that in the end, neither way of thinking was completely wrong or completely right. Both the medical community and the Lees should have sought out ways in which they were able to better come to an agreement. For instance, the medical community could have tried to find a translator for the Lees which could have helped them both determine proper medical procedures. They also could have decided to learn more about the Hmong culture to have some understanding of where the Lees were coming from and avoid any barriers for them to better treat Lia. A big drawback that the medical community made was having a pessimistic outlook to Lia’s critical condition.

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‘The spirit catches you and you fall down’ was published in 2012 by essayist and reporter Anne Fadiman. This introductory book review analyzes the way in which different cultures perceive illnesses and diseases. It focuses on the story of the Lees a Hmong family, who moved to the United States and experiences difficulties with language, culture and biomedicine method of healing, which contradict to Hmong’s way of healing. The chapters describe the differences between the ways childbirth is conducted in Hmong society compared to the western society. As well as the struggle the Lees family has with the cultural differences in diagnoses and treatment of their ill daughter.

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Anne Fadiman’s professional background is that of the Hmong lifestyle with its cultures against the entire American culture. In his background, there is miscommunication resulting from the refusal of the give medical dosages and other medicines due to the misunderstandings and mistrust. According to Barnsteiner , (p.71), there is also the inability of the US doctors to treat those people deeply rooted in the Hmong culture and they are also unable to learn that culture in the most helpful. Hmong is a refugee family in the US and that is where Ann Fadiman comes from. They come from provinces such as Laos and Sainyabuli which have tried to interact with the healthcare system in California and Merced.

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Lia’s parents spoke the Hmong language, which was a barrier during the treatment of Lia Lee. During the hospital stay at Merced County Medical Center, the doctors tried to explain the procedure of her treatment and provided the medications to cure Lia’s epilepsy. But since Lia’s parents had language barrier, the doctors and Lia’s parents were confused on the medications of what is supposed to be given for the betterment of Lia Lee. They even tried to send a nurse to their home to help with the medication regime. They soon realized that her parents did not want to give the medications to Lia.

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In Anne Fadiman’s, A Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, there’s a conflicting battle going on between cultures. While it might never be specifically stated, Anne Fadiman attempts to convey a neutral understanding to her readers of the Hmong beliefs and culture alongside of the culture of biomedicine western society is mostly familiar with. While the Hmong beliefs and practices in medicine are taboo to western society, readers gradually see that Hmong medicine is just as equal or more powerful than biomedicine that we’re so familiar with. It’s an important concept to understand in this book is that the doctors are there to treat Lia’s disease, not precisely concerned with Lia as a person. Hmong medicine seems to be more related to in helping

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The fear of the unknown aides in fueling the imagination with picturing the most lucrative reasons for how the Americans practice medicine. To those educated in the ways of the western world, the scenarios described by the Hmong are outrageous, the eating of internal organs and the selling of dead

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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, explores cultural competence, ethics in medicine, and the provision of culturally competent health care in the United States by following a family of Hmong culture in their struggles with mainstream U.S. society and healthcare. Fadiman has implemented her studies to highlight the differences between Hmong and Western practices and perspectives on health care, illness, spirituality, and the body. Through her extensive research, Fadiman is able to express cultural differences and the impact ignoring this crucial piece can have. Healthcare in the U.S. is described as the best in the world, but Fadiman is able to highlight the weaknesses this healthcare system has in regards to culturally

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Western medicine could have easily allowed Lia a healthy life, but the cultural differences and misunderstandings resulted in death for her. This paradox poses serious risk, especially in the act of assimilation. The Hmong has one solid foundation of how someone gets ill, the soul is lost, and how that person can get better, by gaining its soul back. The paradox of Western medicine, in which it can help and harm their family members, is very concerning to the Hmong culture, resulting in their lack to

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Over the progression of the book the view points and relationships between the Lees and the doctors develops slightly. The medical staff was not prepared with a translator or a cultural understanding of the Hmong and how their beliefs would not match up with their medical practices. “Not only do the Hmong fail resoundingly to improve the payer mix- more than eighty percent are on Medi-Cal- but they have proved even more costly than other indigent patients, because they generally require more time and attention, and because there are so many of them that MCMC has to hire bilingual staff members to mediate between patients and providers” (Fadiman 25). This theme in the story was immensely eye opening for all of the cultural gaps that exist throughout the United States. The solution to this problem is for both sides standing on opposite sides of the gap to take the time to bridge the gap together.

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The book represents the Hmong and western medicine as being static. Throughout the book the Hmong are depicted as being very hard headed and not willing to adapt. It however also shows mainstream western medicine being just as stubborn to change. Historically the Hmong have faced many challenges, from being used by the American Army as cheap labour and soldiers to becoming refugees but they never gave up their cultural beliefs (Fadiman 1997). A specific example of this can be seen she talks about the tensions the Hmong faced in China, and how the Chinese government tried to change the Hmong community, and make them wear Chinese clothing, cut their hair short etc, however the Hmong responded to this by first fighting and eventually migrating(Fadiman 1997:16).

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