Ethnomedical perspective
The Ethnomedical Approach puts a major focus on how a disease/illness is treated within a context of the culture that is being observed. This approach heavily focuses on who is entrusted to treat illness in a society and what factors facilitate this system of trust. This approach also looks into what kind of care we seek out in what circumstances and why we seek out such treatments. This approach analysis why some groups seek out doctors while others seek out shamans, spiritual leaders or even friends for illness treatment. The approach can be divided into the popular sector, the folk sector, and the professional sector. I will use this approach as a gateway to explain the type of treatment people seek out for HIV/AIDS and why. Culture is an idea, a concept, a series of lifestyles and a value system collected into one overriding state of mind. Culture is important for understanding how we treat AIDS because individual culture is the determining factor in which sector of treatment individuals choose. How our body work is also crucial to the Ethnomedical approach. The body can be viewed in multiple dimensions including an individual body a social body and politic body. The multiple dimension body concept is important because it allows us to further realize that one blanket approach is less than ideal for any person. It is however important to realize that the three bodies are linked. As stated in the article the individual identity (body) and the social identity are part of the same coin, I would also argue the body politic is part of that coin.
The first film I've chosen shows some individuals in Malawi in an AIDS support group. This popular sector approach allows individuals of the same cultural group to share their experiences and move towards a state of higher health. I think it's key to note the composting and tree planting the group uses to raise funds to help other members of the group. This is interesting because in a way it allows interplay between the popular sector which is raising funds to help patients utilize the professional sectors. The self improvement in the support group and the positive impact it has changes the attitudes of the non-infected villagers as well leading to a cultural change not only within the support group but within the community.
The second the video takes a little darker turn looking at interplay between doctors in the professional sector and a traditional healer in the folk sector (witch doctor) in Swaziland. This interplay was much less productive than the one found in the first video. The professional doctors had very little respect for the traditional healers which is an option ingrained in the culture of the Swazi people. Even in areas where which doctors are not prevalent other types of folk medicine abound. The folk sector it would seem may not always be appreciated by the other sectors but remains a key component even in diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
Bibliography
Image Taken From: "Genes Don't Explain African AIDS Epidemic" Keim, Brandon. Wired Magazine Online, July 7, 2008, Image Credit: Jon Rawlinson, http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/genes-dont-expl/
"Tichezerane AIDS Support Group" YouTube video, 10:49, Feb 13, 2007, http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3sFeR5KlA3I
"Witch Doctors Versus MD's" YouTube video, 6.05, April 2, 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= SvWrWq3mNZo
Image Taken From: "Genes Don't Explain African AIDS Epidemic" Keim, Brandon. Wired Magazine Online, July 7, 2008, Image Credit: Jon Rawlinson, http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/genes-dont-expl/
"Tichezerane AIDS Support Group" YouTube video, 10:49, Feb 13, 2007, http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3sFeR5KlA3I
"Witch Doctors Versus MD's" YouTube video, 6.05, April 2, 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= SvWrWq3mNZo