culture, traditional folk healers may be called medicine men, shamans,kahunas,cur-
anderos,santeros,hatałii,houngan, or a variety of other terms that can be grouped under
the rubric of spirit healers. For their followers, traditional healers are believed to pos-
sess the power to call on supernatural forces. Many Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and
Brazilians follow Santería, a religion with West African origins. When someone is
ill, a folk healer called asanterowill call on anOrisha(a saint-like spirit) for help in
finding a cure. African Americans may resort to prayer for assistance in overcoming
an illness and surround themselves with fellow church members. Adherents of
Christian Science beliefs will also place emphasis on prayer and may eschew medica-
tions. Galanti relates an instance when a young Hmong woman was brought to the
hospital emergency room with severe abdominal pains and diagnosed with acute
appendicitis. However, her parents refused to permit an operation, and the woman
died. The parents believed that an incision would provide an opening for the
woman’s soul to depart and possibly for an evil spirit to enter.^51
While these beliefs and practices may seem strange and at odds with Western
concepts of healthcare, for the believers, they represent a very normal response to ill-
ness. Thus, it becomes incumbent on healthcare providers to find ways to accommo-
date these differences.Holistic Perspective
Theholisticperspective considers an entity not as discrete parts but as an integrated
whole. That is, an entity consists of interdependent, interacting parts. When applied
to the medical profession, an individual is seen as a whole composed of interdepen-
dent parts, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.Mosby’s Medical
Dictionary describes holistic healthcare as follows: “A system of comprehensive
or total patient care that considers the physical, emotional, social, economic,
and spiritual needs of the person; his or her response to illness; and the effect of theCultures differ in their
understanding of the
causes, treatments,
and prevention of
illness.
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