Cultural Comparison of the Muslim African and Catholic Mexican cultures related to Healthcare - Research Paper Example

? Cultural Assessment II Lizbeth Guerrero Northern Arizona Cultural Assessment II Cultural Bio and Ethno variations Biocultural variations in health and illness In African Muslim culture, one will find that they also look upon good health as luck or success, while illness represents bad luck or fate. Health is believed to be a blessing from God and it is promoted and enhanced by following religious teachings such as abstaining from matters that are harmful to health including alcohol, drugs, excessive eating, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and pork products. It is also believed that illness is a sign of love form God, a test of faith and a blessing in disguise to obtain forgiveness for sins from the past; it is considered a wake-up call for self-reflection and enhanced spiritual connections. Since illness is considered to be God’s will; therefore God is the ultimate healer. Mexicans have several illnesses in their healthcare culture that have varied meanings among them. While others are of the idea that health is as a result of good fortune or comes as a recompense for good conduct, others believe that illnesses have either natural or supernatural causes. For example, Mexicans have an illness in their culture known as humoral imbalance that they believe that mental and bodily sickness results from an inequality between the sick person and the surroundings. In Muslim culture, health is often believed to be lost through a lack of balance and moderation in one’s lifestyle and this creates a situation where it is difficult. Mexicans generally have three meals per day with dinner and lunch larger than the breakfast and the family takes their meals together especially when they have a large extended family and the meal is usually prepared by grandmothers. Food in the Mexican culture can be traced to the Galen’s (1916) humoral theory that is based on the notion that the body is composed of four humors that is the blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile which in order to have the best health must be balanced using the qualities of heat, cold, moisture or dryness Ethnopharmacology The African Muslim culture has a long history of pharmacology and this includes the use of knowledge from the ancient world as well as newly developed medicines. Today, African Muslims use both traditional and modern western medicine for the purpose of treating various medical afflictions. This is the same for Mexicans who use both traditional healthcare providers and Western medicine and the Mexican medication is prevalent in the urban areas though the poor who cannot afford the often expensive Western medicine resort to long-established practices in healthcare. Traditional medicine may be through home remedies such as taking herbal teas or if home medicine is ineffective, the Mexicans consult herbalists known as yerbero or massage therapists (sobador) or partera(midwife). Treatment can also be through religious rituals that may include prayers or the use of religious symbols worn on the body or kept in the house, making promises or commitments or visiting religious shrines. Mexicans can purchase prescription medicine anywhere without necessarily having to consult Mexican pharmacies but in some instances such as a person suffering from tuberculosis (TB) will purchase the drugs back in Mexico for fear of divulging their status that may result into stigmatization in a Western healthcare provider. Ethnonutrition When African Muslims deal with the matter of diet, they often follow the Islamic teaching on moderation, and when defining self-control, the Prophetic direction on the best of common diets is one-third food, the other third is composed of water and the final third should be air (Books, LLC 2011). This is because of the belief that when the stomach is overfilled with food, it will not be able to consume water, and when food and water go beyond their required level, one may experience from pulmonary problems. Therefore, this leads to anxiety and fatigue from lungs being incapable of easily delivering blood with oxygen to the left vestibule of the heart. Moderation is considered to be the path of good physical condition and the body profits from reasonable and nourishing meals. In Mexican culture, disease is often thought to be caused by an imbalance in the body and, in order to correct this imbalance, the Mexicans consume food or herbs that have an opposite characteristic or quality of the illness suffered for example “hot” conditions are treated with “cold” medications. Cultural and Disease Prevalence Mexicans as well as the African Muslims use both traditional healthcare providers and Western medicine. The medication is prevalent in the urban areas though the poor who cannot afford the often expensive Western medicine resort to traditional practices in healthcare. Traditional medicine may be through home remedies such as taking herbal teas or if home medicine is ineffective, the Mexicans and African Muslims consult herbalists known as yerbero or massage therapists (sobador) or partera (midwife). Generally, the prevalent diseases to the African Muslims are usually respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and Malaria while amongst the Mexicans, there is an illness known as susto which is sickness caused by fright in simple terms. To them, susto causes loss of a person’s soul and the soul leaves the body to wander around freely. Women are considered more at risk of suffering susto as compared to the menfolk though it attacks both gender. Susto is treated through herbal teas, techniques aimed at relaxation, covering of the face with a cloth and the sprinkling of water considered to be holy on the face of the sick person or the spitting of a mouthful of water or in some cases alcohol on the face of the sick person unexpectedly. Mexicans have an illness by the name Mal de ojo (“bad eye”) which affects a person when someone else looks at you with admiration or jealousy and the person looked at experiences fatigue, sleepiness, severe headache or malaise. Culturally, a person suffering from this illness is treated through the prayers as an egg is passed over the body of the victim and thereafter placing the egg in a bowl under the bed of the victim overnight. Cultural Variation in Development across the Life Span  Childbearing Muslim teachings encourage women to breastfeed their newborns up to two years of age and according to Islamic teaching, many believe colostrum to be extremely helpful to the baby (Holmes and Lumsden, 2011). Therefore, it has become necessary for a modest environment to be provided for Muslim mothers so that they can be encouraged to breastfeed their children, especially in hospitals. The Mexican culture, on the other hand believes in breastfeeding the baby that is believed to provide protection from pregnancy and use of the bottle. Most believe in natural birth as opposed to caesarian section, which is feared, and the defects that may result from the birth are described as the will of God. During labor, the Mexican women tend to have a fear of needless or hazardous medical interventions and parting from other members of the family as well as the loss of privacy. This culture also bars pregnant women from caring for patients who are almost dying and attending funerals but accepts the use of folk medicine. After giving birth, the Mexican culture dictates that the woman does not leave the bed or the taking of showers and the belief is to cover the back of the woman and wear a wide cloth over the abdomen. Sick babies may be baptized urgently if the prognosis is deemed to be grave (McIntyre, 2008; London, 2011). Children In both African Muslim and Mexican cultures, children are raised in a protective environment where respect known as Respetoin the latter culture, is an important part of the culture. The respect is accorded to the adult members of the society including parents and other persons to ensure a smooth running of the community and it is expected in return. Because of the communal authority implied by the healthcare providers as healers, the failure to show respect to the Mexican patient is alleged as repressive, classist or prejudiced. Children are expected to work harder and do better than their parents and it is expected that once their parents get sick or burdened by old age, they are expected to be taken care of by their children by having them move into their homes (Harry, 2008). The family provides a sense of community with the relatives and other members of the community such as nursing at times of illness and emotional support in healthcare provision. Adults Parents in African Muslim culture are supposed to set the best example that children can have. If and individual talks to his parents rudely, it is believed that that individual should expect the same from their children. If one is disrespectful to others, one’s children will also do the same. African Muslim culture is filled with divine advice on the best ways to bring up one’s children and that makes it an obligation upon parents to be good Muslims so their children will try to emulate them. If one does not take Islam seriously, neither will his or her children. In Mexican culture men tend to have more power in the home than the women, as the men work to provide for the family while the women stay back at home to take care of the children in what is known as Machismo and Marianismo. Machismo denotes that the man is the bringer of the family and is directly accountable for the welfare of every member of the family and must be sensitive and romantic. This requires the men be tough, based on reason, scholarly and authoritarian. Marianismo on the other hand is based on the Catholic veneration of the Virgin Mary and states that women are spiritually better as compared to men and can endure the distresses perpetrated by men (Bost and Aparicio, 2012). Cultural variation in Religion/Spirituality Birth In African Muslim culture, childbirth is one of the most important events for the family (Orshan, 2008). This is the reason why this event is treated with great respect so that the mother can feel comfortable when having her child. In order to create a comfortable environment, while male physicians are allowed to preside over the birth, this is only allowed when there are no female doctors available to carry out the task. Furthermore, no men, except the father of the child, are allowed in the delivery room to ensure the modesty of the mother (Creehan and Simpson,2008). Childhood illness This is a common condition that affects children in both Mexican and African Muslim cultures and this has created a situation where different remedies have been devised to deal with the different illnesses involved. In both cultures, it is normal for mothers to first attempt traditional means to cure childhood illnesses. However, it is only when these traditional remedies do not work that many then seek modern medicine as a last resort, hence one will see a preference for the former means of treatment. Religious Practitioners Muslim men and women have an obligation to recite prayers five times each day, beginning early morning until nightfall and they pray facing the bearing of Mecca – in Mexico, facing the Northeast. It is a fact that before they pray, Muslims have to participate in a cleaning procedure called ablution, and this includes washing their limbs, using flowing water. Religion forms an essential component of treatment within the Mexican family in that God has the last words on any illness and a person’s religious belief is irrelevant and as medical practitioner or therapist it is important to apply ethical or professional tools and machinations to recover to the previous level of health or functioning. Most Mexicans practice Catholicism and believe that the Virgin of Guadalupe is the mother of Christ and most Mexicans direct their prayers through her. The tenets of the religion here is that religion is perceived as a confidential affair centering on the dedication to marriage and fruitfulness, inviolability of mothers and the denunciation of premarital sex, abortion, the use of contraceptives, and homosexuality (Harry, 2008). Celebrations and Rites of Passage Friday is the day of people attending worship, when male Muslims are obliged to attend a group ritual prayer at midday and an imam or well-informed member of the society also delivers a sermon. The Mexican culture respects the role of religious leaders for example priests who officiate lifecycle celebrations in the community for example baptism ceremonies, offering communions, weddings and the initiation of 15-year old Mexican girls into adulthood, a ceremony known as quinceanera. This culture also appreciate that illnesses and death as a rite of passage are the will of God and may perform a Rite of anointing of the Sick if the prognosis of a sick person is found to be grave. Death and Dying/Grief Death in the African Muslim culture is parallel to that of Mexican culture in that they both believe that when one dies his body ceases to live, and are buried with the visionof a final Day of Judgment, when all the faithful will be brought to heaven and those who are not will go to the equivalent of hell. Death, in Mexican culture is taken as an important spiritual event and when the person dies a relative or a member of the extended family may be called upon to help in washing the deceased’s body and the family takes time with the body before it is taken to the morgue. As concerns the special needs of the patient when he is almost dying, the Mexican culture provides that prayers are performed at the bedside of a dying patient and pay respects to the patient too. Cultural Variation in Alternations in Health Chronic Illness Chronic illnesses in African Muslim culture are viewed as a way for individuals to atone for their sins and are generally received with a lot of acceptance (). Those who are ill will often recite their prayers in addition to undergoing treatment, be it traditional or modern. The same applies to Mexican culture where such diseases are accepted as a part of the natural occurrence of the life of individuals and should be taken with great fortitude since it is the will of God. Pain African Muslims believe that going through pain and sufferings erases some terrible deeds, and that having pain is because of the Will of God, and, in addition, Muslims are not permitted to use or apply drugs that affect the mind and thus they might object to some pain prescriptions. The Mexican culture believes that pain is an encompassing experience of suffering in that the pain is synonymous with physical experience that is personal, interpersonal, social and spiritual. Pain is also an established responsibility in life and of one’s role within the family and one must put up with it so as not to inflict it on others. The culture also dictates that pain should be borne stoically as is expected and esteemed and the family is expected to care for the other members who are undergoing pain. The expression of pain in the Mexican culture is identified through the civilizations brought about by the Aztecs and the Mayas and within this culture pain must be acknowledged, predictable and form a necessary part of life and man has an responsibility to suffer or undergo pain in the performance of his duties. Moreover, the pain suffered by man is a consequence of morally wrong behavior and is prearranged by the gods. This requires that man must maintain a balance to alleviate pain (Marshall Cavendish Reference, 2011). Mental Health African Muslims who have psychological health complications are frequently highly denounced and are most likely segregated; creating a situation whereby these individuals may not want to share this information with their family members or associates and are often timid of looking for help. In Mexican culture, mental health matters are often treated with great stigmatization especially against those who have been affected by mental problems. This creates a situation where individuals are afraid to admit to their having any form of mental illness, instead choosing to hide it from all the people around them for fear of being discriminated against. Acute Illness/Hospitalization With the advent of modern medicine, it has become normal for those with acute illnesses to be hospitalized, there being a decline in the homecare for patients. In both Mexican and African Muslim cultures, it is normal for family members to visit a patient and these are not normally restricted by visitation hours. This is because of the fact that in both cultures, family is extremely important to individuals’ healing process, especially when they are acutely ill. Cultural variation in Healthcare Provision Nursing In most African Muslim cultures, men and women are separated by gender, except in the most recognizable of family surroundings hence, in a healthcare setting, there may be a strong preference for treatment by providers of the same gender (Ricci, 2009). Therefore, womenfolk to a higher degree often appreciate to be treated by another female in the course of reproductive exams and when giving birth. The Mexican culture allows the use of traditional folk healing measures as well modern biomedical treatment. In matters of health, illnesses death among the Mexicans, there is a requirement of consent of the patient exhibited in the clear explanation of the situation to the patient in order that he makes a clear choice of the intervention he prefers. The patient must be made to holistically understand the emotional, social and spiritual factors of the situation as the illnesses are often perceived as a crisis to the entire family. Invasive procedures in healthcare may only be accepted if the patient or his family trusts the medical practitioner. Family Both the Mexican and African Muslim cultures value the family and they both stress family unity, welfare and honor in the group and not on the individual. This means that if a decision is to be made, it must involve the whole family as a unit and in most cases it is the father or the oldest male that holds the ultimate decision making authority though the mother also has an influence on the children throughout their lifespan (Lamanna and Riedmann, 2008). The Mexican as well as the African Muslim cultural norms affect the healthcare system and must be evaluated as failure to assess the norms accurately may end to the loss of a patient. The family therefore comes into play in the support of the patient as a major contribution in the well-being of the patient. In recent study by it has been found that ancestral and communal patterns in responding to the needs of a patient influences the course of the illness in that families who respond to the needs of the ill patient with forbearance and approval contributes to a more compassionate course of the illness. In patients with mental illness or schizophrenics, intra-familial behaviors account for different prognosis or outcomes. The family plays an important role as an influence and power in the treatment of the ill members as family therapy is applied in the treatment of patients. Non-allopathic Health Care Practitioners such as a medicine man/woman In both Mexican and African Muslim cultures, it has, for a long time, been normal for individuals to consult non-allopathic healthcare practitioners as an alternative to regular medical practitioners. In choosing this method, there are several treatment choices for various medical conditions but the most effective way to tackle them is through a combination of medications and psychological interventions. The specific type of treatment that should be administered on a patient depends on various factors, and these include; how severe the symptoms are as well as the type of disease that the patient has. Legal Systems The legal systems in both the Mexican and African Muslim cultures recognize the importance of healthcare and because of this; laws have been put in place to guide the proper care of the sick. These legal systems recognize that the sick have to be provided with care in order to heal and guidelines have been provided on how to handle the sick. Critique of Prevailing Health Care Systems Perspectives on Diagnosis In African Muslim culture, there is often concern about the diagnosis of diseases and the differences between the causes of these diseases. One may say that those within this culture often look upon disease as atonement for their sins, while those in the prevailing healthcare systems refer to microbial creatures as the main cause of disease. Cultural Competence Those who subscribe to cultural healthcare in both Mexican and African Muslim cultures believe that it is the best for of achieving cures for diseases. In fact, it is stated that since cultural remedies have long been in practice, they have been better tested and their ability to cure diseases is more reputable than modern forms of medicine. Cultural Assessment Mexican Muslims like other Muslims consider Muhammad to be an example to be emulated in his deeds; therefore, they follow his traditions and the instructions from the Qura’n. The teachings have affected attitudes and practices of Mexican Muslims regarding the different phases of life including birth, death and illness. Thus, these factors frequently impact policies concerning health care and form Muslim attitudes regarding medical conduct from non-Muslim society. Education Health Care Interventions Informal and Formal Education Combining formal and informal education in Mexico offers a chance for learners in healthcare to combine their knowledge and interaction. It is incumbent for every Muslim regardless of gender in Mexico to pursue knowledge; since, acquisition of rudimentary knowledge is mandatory to African Muslim. Health care interventions on the education systems of these states Quran offers no certain medical interventions concerning physical illness moreover in Islam the disparity between health and illness is considered in terms of balance and imbalance. Muslims seek Qura’n as a basis of healing during psychological and spiritual distress; however, in physical illness Muslims are open to ritual and medical interventions even those of non-Muslims. Learning Styles Contemporary Muslims in Mexico approach to healthcare bases on preventative measures; moreover, patients seek curative processes through surgical means nevertheless, they still seek religious and cultural heritage in addressing social, spiritual and cultural needs. Occupation and Socio-economic Level Mexican women Muslims who are patients choose female doctors to pursue the norms of modesty regarding the opposite sex. To exhibit respect, healthcare workers have to request Muslim women for permission to reveal parts of their body during injections or other medical reasons. Putting a sign on the doors of female Muslim patients asking the staff to knock before they enter offer patients time for wearing their Hijab. Change theory/Culture Conflict/Culture Lag Felt Need Since Muslims follow strict dietary requirements, these requirements affect compliance with prescription; Muslims avoid taking pork and alcohol and are forbidden from taking medicine that have alcohol or pork derivatives except if it is life-saving drug without an available substitute (Books, LLC., 2011). Muslims in times of necessity seem to embrace the rule that necessity states exception, however, this should not be the case. Heart Language Devout Muslims pray 5 times in a day, which is mandatory and has to be performed in the morning, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and late in the night. Therefore, Mexican Muslims like other Muslims direct the bed of a fatally ill patient who is a Muslim facing Mecca for spiritual reasons. Moreover, Muslims ritually wash before engaging in daily prayers, which includes the washing of face, arms, ears, mouth and feet every time prior to their engagement in prayers. Cultural Taboos and Myths Muslims even those in Mexico seek to maintain religious practices like fasting during Ramadan, sticking to dietary restrictions and observing prescribed as well as optional prayers (Books, LLC., 2011). Muslims believe Abraham conducted Hajj although with time it became corrupt till Muhammad came and restored its purity. This is a myth since Hajj had a pagan history before Muhammad thus he took the pagan practices and gave them new meanings, which the Arabs have perpetuated as myths. Ethnocentrism and Stereotyping There are unfavourable attitudes toward Muslims which originate broadly from terrorism and cultural out groups. For instance, Americans evaluate Muslims less favourably compared to other social groups with negative stereotypes regarding Muslims as violent and untrustworthy (Sides & Gross, 2011). Ethnocentrism powerfully emphasizes support for war against terrorism even though its significance on politics in Mexico relies on circumstance (Kam & Kinder, 2007). Conclusion Both the African Muslim and Mexican cultures are heterogeneous in the provision of healthcare and there are many factors considered in the taking care of patients. Religion plays an important role in the provision of healthcare as God has the last word in all illnesses as well as the role of the immediate and extended family. Both of these cultures also that the healthcare professional is only second to the priest or the religious leaders. In the provision of healthcare, the family may use herbal remedies for illnesses that are found to originate from folklore (Holtz, 2008). It is important that the healthcare provider inquire about the treatment to ensure that it does not interfere with the medication provided or make the health situation deteriorate. Ethically, healthcare practitioners or therapists are not expected to take gifts. References Books, LLC. (2011). Religion-Based Diets: Islamic Dietary Laws, Ital, Taboo Food and Drink, Word of Wisdom, Unclean Animals, Ritual Slaughter, Jhatka, Kapu. New York: General Books. Lamanna, M. A. and Riedmann, A. (2008). Marriages and Families. London: Cengage Learning. Ricci, S. S. (2009). Maternity And Pediatric Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Creehan, P. and Simpson, R. K. (2008). Perinatal Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Orshan, S. A. (2008). Maternity, Newborn, and Women's Health Nursing: Comprehensive Care Across the Life Span. 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