Hispanic Health Traditions - Essay Example

"Hispanic Health Traditions" is a worthy example of a paper on care.
Research from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health indicates that 65% of Hispanics from 45 years and above believe in herbal supplements and remedies being effective while 70% of them do not consult a medical professional before taking these supplements (National Alliance for Hispanic Health, 2014). These traditional herbal supplements may reduce the effectiveness of western medicine prescribed in health care facilities and may be harmful because of too much consumption. This is so because the quality of these supplements and remedies are not verified and standardized by organizations such as U. S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) that sets the standards for medicines, dietary supplements and even food.

Traditions of the Hispanics indicate that they have remedies for almost all types of illnesses ranging from fever to cough, diarrhea, skin rash, vomiting and even burns whether major or minor. Their supplements and remedies are classified depending on whether the problem is labelled as cold or hot in which case the remedy must be the opposite. This traditional classification of diseases and medicine leads to conflicts with western medicine doctors when prescribing their Hispanic patients with medicine. They cannot take hot medicine for hot disease and vice versa (Smith, 2000).

The doctors, therefore, need to be aware of this culture when treating their Hispanic patients. They need to learn the origin of this classification from the colonization period to which food and medicinal supplements are classified as hot and cold and which diseases and problems are classified in the same manner as well. This will lead to an understanding between the patient and the doctor which is needed if treatment is to be effective.

An understanding of which traditional remedies and supplements the patient has used in the recent past or is still using at the present time is also necessary. This is to avoid the mixing of supplements that are termed as quality and verified with those that are not hence complicating the health of the patient even further. This should be done immediately after the diagnosis is done and before any treatment commences.

It may not be easy to convince the Hispanic patient and especially the elderly ones that have used their traditional remedies from a young age that their remedies and supplements are not verified as quality. It will therefore require the physician to be polite, patient, understanding and display respect to the patient and their tradition (Smith, 2000). If the doctor is not Hispanic or does not understand their culture completely, an intervention can be done by a Hispanic of by personnel from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health that has worked with Hispanic patients for decades.

This intervention will involve explaining how western medicine which is tested and verified will help heal the sick patient faster and better than their traditional remedies will. The patients have to understand that western medicine does not completely disregard their traditional medicine but is simply more effective and especially on serious medical conditions. For those that still want to continue their traditional remedies, they can be advised to do so after they have gotten better and left the hospital.