1. Latino Health Care Approaches / Issues and Traditional Healing Arts

2. United States: Hispanic Population 2000 Census Results

3. United States: Hispanic Population Latino Healthcare Task Force  “In 2003, Latinos became the largest ethnic minority group in America, surpassing African- Americans and numbering nearly 40 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”  “By 2004, there were more than 41 million Latinos in the U.S., representing 14.1 percent of the total population [emphasis added].”

4. Latino Health Care: Related Issues Barriers to quality healthcare  Lack of English and literacy skills  Cultural differences in communication styles –Personalismo or “formal friendliness”: the Latino patient expects to develop a warm, personal relationship with the clinician  Low-income rates  High cost of healthcare resulting in: –Limited to no insurance coverage –Under-use of preventative services –Limited access to dental care –Limited to no coverage of prescription drugs

5. Latino Health Care: Related Issues Traditional healing arts  Roots of Curanderismo: –Greek humoral medicine (ideas of balance; the influence of the hot and cold on the body) –Early Judeo-Christian healing traditions –Europe in the Middle Ages (utilizing Old World medicinal plants) –Magical healing practices from Medieval witchcraft –Moorish influences (folk illnesses such as mal de ojo, homeopathic concepts and common home remedies for conditions such as earaches, burns and stomachaches) –Native American traditions (folk illnesses from pre- Columbian times such as fallen fontanel also known as caída de la mollera) –Extensive pharmacopeia of the New World

6. Latino Health Care: Related Issues Traditional healing arts  Three healing practices: 1.Material approaches to healing (physical and supernatural healing) – nivel material 2.Spiritual healing and spiritualism – nivel espiritual 3.Psychic healing – nivel mental

7. Latino Health Care: Related Issues Use of curanderismo  Characteristics predicting use of a curandero/a –Age (≤ 39 years) –Bilinguals are more likely –Household income (>20,000)  Low (<10,000)  Middle (10,000-20,000)  High (>20,000) –Education (post-high school)  Elementary school  Middle school  High school  Post-high school

8. Latino Health Care: Related Issues Traditional healing arts –Herbs –Crucifixes –Holy water –Pictures of saints –Candles –Alters –Prayers –Eggs –Fire –Chickens –Incense –Etc.  Objects used for ritualistic “cleansings” (limpias o barridas): barridas): http://ojinaga.com/martincito.html

9. References Casey, M.M., Blewett, L.A. and Call, K.T. (2004) Providing health care to Latino immigrants: Community-based efforts in the rural Midwest. American Journal of Public Health, 94 (10), 1709-1711. Padilla, R., Gomez, V., Biggerstaff, S.L., and Mehler, P.S. (2001). Use of Curanderismo in a public health care system. Archives of Internal Medicine, 161 (10), 1336-1340. Ramirez, R.R. (2004). We the people: Hispanics in the United States census 2000 special reports. U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Census Bureau. Trotter, R.T. (2001). Curanderismo: A picture of Mexican-American folk healing. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 7 (2), 129-131. Valdez, J. and de Posada, R.G. (2006). Strategies for improving Latino healthcare in America: Report of the Latino healthcare taskforce. http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_hispanicpop.html http://staff.washington.edu/kfreeman/Freeman-STC2002- Latinohealthcom.PDF http://staff.washington.edu/kfreeman/Freeman-STC2002- Latinohealthcom.PDF