The Culture of the African American Woman and Health Problem - Essay Example

al of Affiliation Health is not only the physical well being of a human but also involves the mental state of mind. Culture has a way of influencing someone’s way of life, decisions they make and the general ailments that they are exposed to due to their way of life. There are cultural hospitals in every community that are supposed to be in a better position to understand the health disparities of the community. They are however affected by a number of issues that the government needs to looks at. The African American woman is mostly affected by her gender and place in society when it comes to achieving medical care. In this paper we look at mostly the culture of the African American woman, how it affects her medical care and the possibilities of her improving her health standards by changing her lifestyle. In general, health can be defined as the efficiency in the functional or metabolic levels. However health is not only the absence of disease therefore it can be defined as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of a person is referred to as health. This is the ability of human beings to adapt and manage themselves when they are faced with physical, mental or social challenges. Key factors that contribute to the health of a person includes, income and social status, genetics, health care services, gender, working conditions and culture (Baarksdale, Farrug, & Harkness, 2009). How people perceive illness has been proven to be associated with disease outcomes, quality of life and (Suzanne M.Wright, October2012)self-management behaviors. An African American woman is at risk of developing hypertension which is a cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle is a key determinant in developing cardiovascular disease, in addition to the environment and biomedical aspects. Family history of cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, age, obesity, unhealthy diet and environmental pollution are some of the risk factors of hypertension. Culture of the African American woman plays’ a huge role in her risk of hypertension ailment. Culture is characterized by the imparted examples of practices and connections, cognitive develops, and understandings that are found out through a methodology of socialization in different societies. These imparted examples distinguish the individuals from a society while likewise recognizing those of an alternate society. (Linton, 1945) Basically it’s the behavior, ways, and culture that a certain group of people live by. This is shown through things like music, religion accepts, dialect, art, traditional attire, life occasions, names, holidays observance, food among others. Through the years because of distinctive elements impacting movement like slave exchange, hunt down better pastures in different nations far from our own way of life, political and religion contrasts developing in our social orders, ailments among others have seen huge quantities of individuals abandon their social orders to live in better places, however this has not had an effect in the disintegration of our social ways. Society is essential enter in our lives and sees us through numerous things. The sexual orientation of somebody likewise influences their spot in the public arena of society with particularly their method for conduct. Men and ladies do have a distinction in their spot in the public eye of society sadly in many social orders ladies are less advantaged. Slave exchange had a gigantic effect on constrained movement in Continents, for example, Africa. This saw the constrained migration of people particularly the men into subjection in different Continents especially into America. This left most ladies to fight for themselves and their families without their men. This development of the African people into America did not result in the passing of their conventions and society that they had grown up honing or living by. All the African slaves did meet up and as a method for reassuring their souls to feel a piece of their society, that they had been forced to leave behind, they began to practice their cultures that interweaved with one another conceiving the African – American society. The African-American culture is different since regardless they do hone most of the esteemed African ways (Geneviève Fabre, 1994). These are fundamentally; fashion their dresses are made with components from advanced design from traditional West African conventional attire to make a remarkably African-American customary style. These attire examples, which exist in various mixed colors and designs, were initially made by the Ashanti and Ewe people groups of Ghana and Togo. Traditional African attire has been famous amongst African Americans for both formal and casual occasions. Other appearances of customary African attire are like manner proof in African-American society are lively in which they use African beads in making ornaments and to decorate fabrics. Another normal part of design in African-American society includes the fitting dress for love of appearing smart in church on Sundays. African-American ladies specifically are known for wearing Sunday hats, following in the African society norm that states women heads are to be secured while in the presence God. African religion is basically protestant Christianity and this is likewise the pattern that has taken course in our African American society. Our ancestors likewise began museums in America like the  African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland  to help safeguard our Culture and demonstrate our different methods for lives to eras to come; this is a method for safeguarding our African American society as well as doing more research into our African American ways and their origins. Our ways music and especially dancing still take course in our African society. Thou the ascent of cutting edge music, for example, Jazz, hip hop music have taken course in the majority of our souls and we have wound up delivering the greater part of that sort of music, regardless we do convey our way of life alongside it by utilizing the drumbeat rhythms as a part of our music just like our forefathers beat the drums during their music evening by the fireside in Africa. The African dance moves are also much incorporated in most of the dance moves currently seen in most dance floors. Our progenitors who came as slaves into America used to tell stories like in their countries in Africa consequently affecting a considerable measure of the African American Literature that is being perused today immeasurably over the world. Thou through living in America for quite a while the greater part of the things they observed occasions, for example, weddings, funerals, child naming services have basically been westernized, a large portion of them thou do still happen in present day. Amid weddings in the African American society the wedded couple used to jump the broom ,holding hands in the meantime, as a soul changing experience to demonstrate that they have now started a life together as one is still being practiced. Funerals are spiritually religious functions in Africa and are seen with such a great amount of appreciation for the dead so as to a peace their dead soul. This admiration for the dead and providing for them a fair function is still rehearsed in the African American culture in which we do have the clergy ministry managing the service of the dead. The demise of an individual is fundamentally treated as a festival of his life and all his accomplishments in life. The Childs naming ceremony is a bubbly occasion to commend the newborn child in a family, with most names having an African origin, to thank God for giving the mother a safe conveyance and to favor the kids new name into bringing a brighter future for the infant. Numerous Agricultural items, such as, yams, rice, okra, sorghum, maize, peanuts, watermelon, and cotton, farmed in the United States of America, do have their root in Africa. Thou the vast majority of western cooking styles are predominant in our homes; we practically do also prepare a large portion of our African dishes in America excessively safeguarding our African American foods. Like all other American and racial ethnic societies living in America we do excessively have our vacation observances. A large portion of these occasions are really celebrated as national occasions all through the region; Black history month, in the month February, is additionally watched broadly and it essentially there to check the stories of the African American history. Its prerequisites are really a law in many States. Black music month, in the month of June, which was proclaimed by Jimmy carter and has since been watched, huge numbers of the African-American artists are generally praised for the most part facilitating shows and music occasions for them. We additionally do have the informally observed Kwanzaa celebration, which comes as a counter to the greatly marketed Christmas, which is a harvest celebration got from the harvest of people like in the African history. The spot of an African American lady in her society has dependably been of question. The spot of a lady in the public eye is capable. It remains for respectability, obligation and remaining as a wellspring of quality to her society and family. Amid the slave exchange period and the beginning of flexibility for slaves in America, unlike the white American ladies who did structure their own associations far from the men to battle for their rights and gender equality, the dark African American lady composed her battle for her rights inside effectively existing associations like the houses of worship, schools, common help associations, and political social occasions (S.Jones, 2007). Throughout the years, her battle for her rights has taken diverse structures, she has kept on battling for her spot in the public eye, her rights to have a say over her body particularly in marriage and sex and her entitlement to partake in the voting. This was dissimilar to the male kid who was on a superior position with choice making in the general public. Right now the females have an awesome position in the public arena, has figured out how to get her rights and sexual orientation fairness. Culture has an awesome impact on therapeutic human services assets accessible to people of distinctive ethnicity, culture, vernacular and race. Culture based medicinal services frameworks do have the position to understand the edginess of health disparities among the diverse ethnic groups. Language, absence of decently prepared or sufficient staff is a typical issue in these cultures healing facilities (Laurie M. Anderson, 2003). However by and large in America medical care consideration is for the most part offered to everyone except much of the time accompanies race separation. It is an immense issue where the greater part of the African American individuals by and large have no restorative spread to deal with hospital expenses because of several circumstances, for example, unemployment, low wages of pay at work regardless to them having the same capabilities as their other white workers, the manager really declining to pay their therapeutic protection among, poor private protection strategies within insurance companies that do not cover the majority of the African American ladies due to poor pay among others (survey, 2004).The African American lady by and large has a higher danger to most perpetual sicknesses, hypertension, distinctive types of cancer and general poor body quality because of physical ailments and is usually limited to access of health care resources due to poor knowledge on the symptoms of diseases she could be exposed to and poor cultural centers that basically have racial discrimination when it comes to referral in cases of serious medical issues (Health, 2012). There are several methods for treating hypertension as described by ( (Todd K. Whitehurst, 2006). There are several kinds of hypertension but the major ones are; essential hypertension where the cause of increase in blood pressure is undetermined; secondary hypertension where the cause is determined and can be controlled. There is also isolated hypertension; malignant and resistance hypertension. These are administered in relation to the kind of hypertension the particular patient is suffering from and their blood pressure readings to avoid cases of heart failure, dementia or death due to cardiovascular complications. Medication mainly involves antihypertensive drugs that are administered using a Catheter or electro codes that are usually put on the tissue that is to be injected with the medication. Calcium channel blockers are also used in treatment of hypertension. These are most suitable for reducing the chances of patients’ stroke during medication. Hypertension could also be treated using various drug combinations in the cases of resistance hypertension. Many patients actually do require a variety of these drug combinations to keep their high blood pressures in check. Lack of responsiveness to treatment of hypertension could result to damaging a lot of your body organs leading to brain damage, seen as dementia, quick loss of concentration and focus, a lot of personality change and the person constantly losses consciousness; stroke is often a sign; cases of heart attack; patients do also encounter an enlarged portion of the left side of their heart; chest pains; acute renal diseases; shortness in breathing due to lung failure. There has been a development of health promotion models over the years for hypertension control. A health promotion model is can be characterized as the methodology of engaging individuals to settle on sound way of life decisions and inspiring them to wind up better responsible of oneself. To get this done, this health advancement systems ought to spotlight on patient instructions to take care of themselves through education, seminars, health conferences, guiding and help components. This is done through helping them learn on how to spot diseases or prevent them trough a change of lifestyle, avoiding harmful things that cause body toxins like alcohol, smoking or unhealthy eating which could lead to obesity. Obesity occurs due to a number of factors genetic, social, physical and environmental but in most cases it’s mainly due to lack of physical exercise and poor eating habits especially fatty foods which seem to be the unhealthiest and cheapest way to feed. It could also occur as a result of lack of enough insulin in the body to digest food at a normal rate or lack of enough consumption of body energy in relation to its intake ( (Suzanne M. Wright, 2012)Obesity brings about cardiovascular diseases in relation to High blood pressure which is an aftermath of hypertension. Obesity could be easily prevented through regular physical exercises to output the dietary energy intake as a way of reducing hypertension. Precede/ proceed is a form of health promotion model available in my community. Precede means you are able to prevent the disease, while proceed means you are in a position to identify early symptoms of the disease and seek medical attention without delay. This essentially helps you to recognize the indications of hypertension ahead of time and change your way of life. This is a fundamental mode of changing the mentality from treatment of the ailment into anticipation of the infection. It helps us to know the manifestations excessively to which to pay special mind to, the sort of solid way of life to live so as to keep away from this illness. They do give donning exercises to both adolescent and old, hold gatherings to instruct individuals on solid healthy ways of life and offer a check advancement unit that gives free check of the blood pressure of people. They keep these records with them and if they perceive a change in the levels of blood pressure, sugar levels and such side effects they contact the individual being referred to and help you look for restorative counsel quickly. I truly do discover this specific precede/proceed model being helpful to me, since I am at a high danger of hypertension, they have completely instructed me on indications of the infection, educated me to a solid healthy method for living by showing me on good dieting propensities by having a sound dinner at any rate once a day with bunches of dietary fiber, perfect measure of potassium, leafy foods and diminishing the admission of liquor, cigarette smoking and too much sodium (Cook, et al., 2007). It has especially changed my way of life and helped lessen my danger of misery from this disease. There are different all encompassing treatments that an individual inclined to hypertension ought to dependably hone or live by. Circulatory strain frequently increments with the increment of weight. The loss of weight frequently brings down the pulse and subsequently helping hold it within proper limits. In the event that you excessively are a hypertension person, understanding the loss of weight frequently helps medication to be in better control of your condition. Staying in shape through exercising is likewise exceptionally supportive. It helps build your digestion system and help in aiding in blazing additional cholesterol in the body that could assemble around the heart arteries expanding shots of cardiovascular ailments. A solid eating regimen while exercising truly helps in keeping up a sound healthy body for evading hypertension or rather holding it under control on the off chance that you are a patient. These incorporate expanding the vegetables in your diet, decreasing the measure of sodium taken while expanding the measure of potassium taken since it aides decrease the impact of sodium in the body, dairy foods and fresh fruits are great in keeping a solid healthy life. Attempt to in any event consume a solid supper once a day. Constraining the measure of liquor taken ought to help decrease risks of hypertension or holding within it in proper limits in the event that you are a patient. Expanded admission of liquor causes an increment in hypertension patients. Smoking also could be exceptionally unsafe since it debilitates the lungs through the diminishment of oxygen getting into the lungs henceforth expanding trouble in breathing which could inevitably prompt cardiovascular confusion. Stress administration is an incredible method for keeping up a sensible level of circulatory strain by lowering blood pressure. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in 1948 as a “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” This goes nearly into characterizing that the social, psychological and spiritual parts of a patient must be well dealt with to guarantee complete and fast recuperation. This is fundamentally seeing a patient in their family, church and also a decent personality outline. These three variables are vital in the brisk recuperation of a patient. These variables that could impact an extraordinary situation for the recuperating procedure of a patients well being incorporate expressions like music, move, theater and dramatization visual expressions, fundamentally including the patient’s brain to keep him from considering his ailment. The physical environment in which a patient is hospitalized likewise assumes a real part in the psychological healing of a patient. The environment should be quiet, relaxed, have enough exposure into sunlight or daylight and support social interaction among patients. This helps the patient not to feel bereft and have individuals they could trade thoughts with or fundamentally have a social discussion with. These are truly good in the exchange it impacts in the patients’ profound being. In instances of socialization with different patients, they trade thoughts on their religious convictions and on the off chance that he is fortunate to discover somebody he imparts a religion or conviction to, this makes a solid bond in which they can both help fortify their confidence together in accepting on a recuperating procedure for them (Foyle, 2011).These profound, spiritual, psychological and emotional changes do make a difference for my situation since I live in an exceptionally comprehensive group with a community of individuals who think about the prosperity of one another. I do live in an extremely roomy and green range with heaps of trees and regular vegetation around me providing for me an exceptionally colossal space to appreciate nature and the light of day that brings with it persuasion for every day and the desire that things improve particularly in the Spring where all blossoms bloom and give the zone a truly splendid and lovely air. Characteristically I do love arts and I truly appreciate exercising and outdoor activities, this likewise provides for me an opportunity to meet and socialize with different people. Hypertension commonly known as the ‘silent killer’ could be prevented in most cases that it has occurred through early education of preventive measures. Its truly a sensible thing to control your blood pressure through different courses for instance, adhering to a good diet and abstain from purchasing a considerable measure of garbage nourishment that is truly destructive to your well being. Exercising truly serves to keep the body fit through smoldering of in abundance vitality in the body that could result in development of fats around blood vessel veins which could in the end lead to cardiovascular ailments. Abstaining from drinking liquor or in the long run decreasing its admission helps a great deal to balance the blood pressure and this keeps one exceptionally healthy. Smoke and cigarette smoking additionally builds the increase of blood pressure and ought to completely be dodged. I would when all is said in done in my specific case suggest a ton of exercising or going to the exercising center no less than three times each week for normal working out. I might likewise want to join a wellness dance studio pretty much as a method for working out. The admission of sodium is something I would firmly suggest since all processed foods we purchase contain handled salt in them. I might want to change my eating diets to incorporate in any event at least healthy fresh fruits and intake of homemade processed juices unlike the bought ones. I might likewise want to go to a greater amount of clinical courses on hypertension education just to keep me in the ability of the creating sickness manifestations that are growing in patients with hypertension. I might want to keep up a well being health checks at regular intervals a year with a clinical officer just to guarantee my well being. I have so far overseen in the few months I have exercised the loss of a few pounds in weight and kept up a steady sound weight. I am making a decent attempt to keep my exercise center activity sessions in spite of the hecticness of life. Health checks ought to be a steady thing that all individuals ought to attempt to keep up to evade interminable diseases that can be dodged. Being an African American lady who have a considerable measure of confinements in the matter of medicinal services given as a result of limits in protection strategies by private insurance companies, low salary payments consequently absence of cash to pay hospital expenses and poor cultural hospitalization facilities. I would like to request the government to probably counter check on the availability of free medical facilities for all so as to save the numerous numbers of women dying due to lack of education on potential diseases that they could be facing and poor medical care that they receive. Communities being a key into someone’s life also should help provide holistic therapy through various means so as to help heal those who are already suffering from this ailment. Finally lets all try to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid all unhealthy behaviors that we can in order to live a long glad life. References Alm-Roijer C, S. M. (2004). Better Knowledge improves adherence to Lifestyle changes and medication in patients with coronary heart disease. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs , 321-330. Appel, L., Brands, M. W., Daniels, S. R., Karanja, N., Elmer, P., & Sacks, F. M. (2006). Dietary approches to prevent and treat hypertension. Hypertension , 47, 296-308. Baarksdale, D. J., Farrug, E. R., & Harkness, K. 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