Healing by Heart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Healing by Heart - Essay ExampleLike many Asian communities, herbal medicine is still very important, and many of the Hmong nation prefer traditional medicines to the conventional options. This can cause conflict between those working in the American healthcare industry and the patients who wish to retain their traditions, non least because traditional medicine could cause problems that would lead to healthcare providers breaking the Hippocratic Oath. Healing by Heart Clinical and Ethical Case Stories of Hmong Families and Hesperian Providers gives details of the issues facing both healthcare providers and the Hmong patients in society and how these whitethorn be explained and discussed from a clinical and ethical perspective. Young Woman with Kidney Failure and transfer The story of Mai Neng Moua is an excellent theoretical account of how the Hmong people struggle to come to terms with aspects of the American healthcare system. Moua suffered from end-stage kidney disease and th us was forced to deal with the consequences of this debilitating unsoundness at a very young age. Moua was forced to wait for a kidney transplant for a long time as her family refused to get tested to agree if they were a match her mother suggesting that it was better to have one person sick than two. Moua also struggled with explaining her choice to use dialysis (an example of conventional medicine) rather than the traditional Hmong remedies for her condition to her family and mavins, as this was seen as breaking with traditional cultivation. It is clear from Mouas writing that she suffered greatly from the consequences of her end-stage renal failure and her choice of conventional medicine was a sensible one it is quite likely she would have died without it. Her choice to undergo a transplant was not supported by her family, although the decision was supported by her church. One of the most interesting things about this case is that Mouas final kidney donor was a Caucasian frie nd, rather than any member of her community. This could be considered an example of direct diffusion as her choice reflects an adoption of the American culture she was interacting with. Moua also notes that her choice to accept the donation of a kidney from a Caucasian friend surprised the Hmong community, and helped break down some of the stereotypes of white people, because it showed generosity. It could also be seen as an example of ethnocide, particularly from the perspective of the Hmong people, as it is an example of how American culture has perhaps predominated over the traditional, particularly amongst the younger generations. Reflections The case of Mai Neng Moua is interesting from a medical anthropology perspective because it shows how traditional medicine and conventional medicine can a good deal be at odds. It also illustrates how members of the community can ostracize those who choose the American health system over their own culture, as shown by the particular that Moua describes herself as a loss to the family, to society in general. Her mother seems to be the character in this story that is most confused and hurt by Mouas decision to undergo dialysis and the eventual transplant, and is also against many other Western ideas that Moua has, such as moving in with her college roommate. Again, this shows how those among the Hmong communities in the United States may feel that their culture is being lost or destroyed (ethnocide) or becoming amalgamated into the American cult