Transcript Folk Medicine

Folk Medicine
Folk Diseases and Folk Remedies
What is Folk Medicine?
Folk Medicine is the healing that roots itself in
the traditional practices of the culture or the
society.
It can best be described as being comprised of
two different and interrelated subjects:
Folk Diseases and Folk Remedies
The Four Common Folk Diseases
1. Evil Eye (or Ojo)
Cause: Ojo occurs when a person with a “powerful”
gaze looks at someone or something without
touching them.
Symptoms: Sudden high fever, vomiting, headache,
fainting, and sometimes convulsions. In the case of
objects, the object is either lost or broken.
Diagnosis: Is done by passing a raw egg over the
patient’s body and then cracking it. If the egg
appears cooked, the patient suffers from Ojo.
Prevention: Carry an Ojo de Venado (buck eye) amulet.
2. Empacho (or Tripida)
Cause: Empacho occurs by eating soft food or difficultto-digest substances. These substances supposedly
“stick” to the stomach wall.
Symptoms: Anorexia, stomach ache, vomiting, painful
Diarrhea, and general abdominal fullness.
Diagnosis: By a healer noting the symptoms and
checking for direct abdominal tenderness. More
positive diagnosis is made by rolling a chicken egg
over the abdomen. If the egg appears to stick to a
particular area, the patient is considered to suffer
from Empacho.
3. Caida de Mollera (or Fallen Fontanel)
Cause: Mollera Caida is commonly felt to be caused by
maternal neglect. It is considered to be caused
“mechanically” by having the nipple be pulled from
the baby too suddenly and therefore causing a
suction. Sometimes it is also attributed to a sudden
jolt, bump or fall.
Symptoms: Dehydration, crying, inability to achieve
sufficient suction while nursing, fever, and diarrhea.
Diagnosis: Noting the baby’s fontanel position in
association with any of the more common
symptoms.
4. Susto/Espanto (or Fright)
Cause: Susto is supposed to be caused by a sudden
frightening experience such as an accident, a fall, a
sudden death, or supernatural experience (ghost
apparitions). Susto is considered to be highly
dangerous because it is causes the separation of the
soul from the body.
Symptoms: Nervousness, anorexia, insomnia,
listlessness, involuntary muscle tics, and diarrhea.
Diagnosis: Noting the symptoms and then correlating is
to the viewing of a frightening experience.
Prevention: When away from home carry a whole
nutmeg.
What cures have you heard of
for these diseases?
Cures for the Four Common Folk Diseases
Ojo:
a) Have the perpetrator touch the person.
b) When that isn’t an option, you should pass a
fresh egg over the person’s body, and then
broken into a bowl of water and covered by a
cross of palm leaves, or straw; and put under the
head of the patient’s bed. In the morning the egg
is examined, and if it looks curdled, the patient
is cured.
Empacho:
To cure Empacho you need to rub the patients
stomach or back, and then pop the skin on the
back. Sometimes teas are useful.
Cures (continued)
Caida de Mollera:
Pressing upwards on the soft palate with the thumb,
sucking the anterior of the fontanel, holding the
baby upside down over water with or without
shaking, and other possibilities include applying
raw egg, oil, or warm water to the fontanel.
Susto:
Oral remedies can include orange and chamomile
teas, while the most effective (and common)
treatment is the barrida. During the barrida, the
patient is recounts the frightening experience
while lying down on the floor. The healer
sweeps the body with fresh herbs while reciting
Christian prayers. This returns the soul.
Causes of Folk and Mainstream Diseases
Natural causes:
Injuries, physical decline, stress and virus/germs
resulting in physiological changes which are
scientifically unchallenged.
· Mystical causes:
Karma, destiny, taboo, soul lost or putatively mediated
conditions as a response to violations.
· Supernatural causes:
Gods, ancestors, spirits or ghosts who vengefully react
to provocation.
Magical causes:
Sorcery and witchcraft with the intent to harm the
victim.
Folk Remedies
Depending on the perceived cause of the disease (or
affliction), the folk group discovers remedies that directly
impact the cause, not just the symptoms. Generally, this is
where Folk Medicine and Mainstream Medicine come into
conflict.
Folk Remedies can include:
Prayer
Herbs
Foods
Lifestyle Changes
My grandma used to…
This is how many of today’s commonly used folk remedies
are passed down. For example, how many remedies can
you think of for the common cold?
Drink lots of fluids
Eat Chicken Soup
Drink Mint Tea
Drink Echinacea Tea
Gargle with Salt Water (for sore throats and cold symptoms)
Eat lots of oranges (for the Vitamin C)
Lather your chest with Vick’s and bundle up (congestion)
Links and Credits
Folk Remedy Links:
http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_indx.htm
http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnstewar/folk.htm
http://about-the-web.com/shtml/reports/13-038.shtml
Credits:
Some information was gathered from Dr. Ari Kiev’s book
“Curanderismo”; lectures by Dr. Nancy Neff (Baylor College
of Medicine); and from Dr. Robert Trotter, PhD.