The Critical Approach in Medical Anthroplogy
The Critical Approach in Medical Anthropology critically analyzes different medical systems and healthcare practices. In this section I will be critically viewing biomedicine and its use to treat epilepsy. In biomedicine human biology is the main focus which means a great deal of emphasis in understanding and treating epilepsy will center around the brain and the neurological factors that go along with understanding what causes epileptic seizures.
Epilepsy has been around for quite some time. Since epileptic seizures don’t always happen in a private setting, there have been accounts written about them throughout history. These records help medical anthropologists study the social, political and economic influences that have shaped how western culture views epilepsy today. In the first millennium B.C., accounts attributed seizures to be sent by gods and even after Hippoccrates time when he explained that epilepsy was a natural disease, like many others occurring at that time, religions had their own views of the illness that overshadowed his view. The belief that possession by spirits dominated not only Christian beliefs regarding epileptic seizures, but that of other societies and cultures continued throughout the middle ages. Even today the belief that epileptic seizures are caused by spirit possession is still present in some societies and cultures (Wolf). We know religious orders soon gave way into many political structures, but this did not necessarily hinder the views on epilepsy for some time. In moving toward the present society we live in now, the stigma about epileptic conditions that had come about in the 19th Century quickly began to shape some of the stigmas we still see today regarding epilepsy. Even though in biomedicine there is an understanding of how epileptic seizures occur and what causes them there still needs to be greater awareness to the public in order to get rid of sigma. Legislation and laws to protect those who are handicapped have been enacted in many countries, but epilepsy organizations are still fighting for more specific laws protecting and helping those with epilepsy. The pictures in this section are of the Epilepsy Foundation and epilepsy therapy projects logos as well as an ad for the “End Epilepsy” campaign.
Like other illnesses, epilepsy has become medicalized to a certain degree. Like mentioned before the biological reasons why epilepsy occurred were not always known. In some cultures spirit possession wasn’t always a bad thing either like it was in some western cultures. For these western culture though, having a drug that could possibly cure or help with epileptic seizures was a life changer in some regards. Those who had epilepsy were now able to have more normal life, with less seizures or be completely seizure free. In no way is the ability to control seizures through the use of medication a wrong or bad thing, but it is important to take a critical approach to viewing this biomedical treatment. With varying conditions not all kinds of seizures are effectively controlled with medication. As mentioned in the Ethnomedical section of this site medical cannabis use is becoming an increasingly more popular choice over other drugs in the treatment of certain forms of pediatric epilepsy. It is also important to realize that there are still risks associated with pharmaceuticals.
As I have also mentioned in Ethnomedical section of this site, Anne Fadiman’s book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures provides insight into how biomedicine sees and treats epilepsy and how it is seen and treated in the Hmong culture. This book gives us both the perspectives of the biomedical doctors that treat Lia Lee and her epilepsy and her family and their use of traditional healing methods. This book is a popular text when searching for ways to understand how biomedicine and cultural beliefs can clash. It has even received media attention across the globe. Analyzing biomedicine and its use in the book gives a greater sense of how biomedicine feels it must undertake responsibility for everyone’s health and since its based in human biology and that of “facts” it must be reliable and have successful results. Just from this analysis anthropologists using the critical approach can begin to reveal other values of our society. The book makes it strikingly clear that the Lee’s are in lower socioeconomic status from the doctors who treat their daughter and have faced social stigmas because they are from a community made up of refugees. Even looking into the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of forms of pediatric epilepsy there is a great deal of shock and stigma placed around it by American popular culture because of the way society views medical and non-medical marijuana.
Viewing epilepsy from the critical approach allows medical anthropologists to further understand the history this illness has had with biomedicine and how it has effected how it has been viewed over time.
Epilepsy has been around for quite some time. Since epileptic seizures don’t always happen in a private setting, there have been accounts written about them throughout history. These records help medical anthropologists study the social, political and economic influences that have shaped how western culture views epilepsy today. In the first millennium B.C., accounts attributed seizures to be sent by gods and even after Hippoccrates time when he explained that epilepsy was a natural disease, like many others occurring at that time, religions had their own views of the illness that overshadowed his view. The belief that possession by spirits dominated not only Christian beliefs regarding epileptic seizures, but that of other societies and cultures continued throughout the middle ages. Even today the belief that epileptic seizures are caused by spirit possession is still present in some societies and cultures (Wolf). We know religious orders soon gave way into many political structures, but this did not necessarily hinder the views on epilepsy for some time. In moving toward the present society we live in now, the stigma about epileptic conditions that had come about in the 19th Century quickly began to shape some of the stigmas we still see today regarding epilepsy. Even though in biomedicine there is an understanding of how epileptic seizures occur and what causes them there still needs to be greater awareness to the public in order to get rid of sigma. Legislation and laws to protect those who are handicapped have been enacted in many countries, but epilepsy organizations are still fighting for more specific laws protecting and helping those with epilepsy. The pictures in this section are of the Epilepsy Foundation and epilepsy therapy projects logos as well as an ad for the “End Epilepsy” campaign.
Like other illnesses, epilepsy has become medicalized to a certain degree. Like mentioned before the biological reasons why epilepsy occurred were not always known. In some cultures spirit possession wasn’t always a bad thing either like it was in some western cultures. For these western culture though, having a drug that could possibly cure or help with epileptic seizures was a life changer in some regards. Those who had epilepsy were now able to have more normal life, with less seizures or be completely seizure free. In no way is the ability to control seizures through the use of medication a wrong or bad thing, but it is important to take a critical approach to viewing this biomedical treatment. With varying conditions not all kinds of seizures are effectively controlled with medication. As mentioned in the Ethnomedical section of this site medical cannabis use is becoming an increasingly more popular choice over other drugs in the treatment of certain forms of pediatric epilepsy. It is also important to realize that there are still risks associated with pharmaceuticals.
As I have also mentioned in Ethnomedical section of this site, Anne Fadiman’s book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures provides insight into how biomedicine sees and treats epilepsy and how it is seen and treated in the Hmong culture. This book gives us both the perspectives of the biomedical doctors that treat Lia Lee and her epilepsy and her family and their use of traditional healing methods. This book is a popular text when searching for ways to understand how biomedicine and cultural beliefs can clash. It has even received media attention across the globe. Analyzing biomedicine and its use in the book gives a greater sense of how biomedicine feels it must undertake responsibility for everyone’s health and since its based in human biology and that of “facts” it must be reliable and have successful results. Just from this analysis anthropologists using the critical approach can begin to reveal other values of our society. The book makes it strikingly clear that the Lee’s are in lower socioeconomic status from the doctors who treat their daughter and have faced social stigmas because they are from a community made up of refugees. Even looking into the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of forms of pediatric epilepsy there is a great deal of shock and stigma placed around it by American popular culture because of the way society views medical and non-medical marijuana.
Viewing epilepsy from the critical approach allows medical anthropologists to further understand the history this illness has had with biomedicine and how it has effected how it has been viewed over time.
Citations:
Fadiman, Anne, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Later Printing edition (April 24,2012).
Karim, Taz. “Week 5: Lecture 5.1 Culture of Biomedicine,” ANP 204: Introduction to Medical Anthropology. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-5-lecture-1/
Karim, Taz. “Week 5: Lecture 5.2 Trends in Biomedicine,” ANP 204: Introduction to Medical Anthropology. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-5-lecture-2/
Wolf, Peter. “Sociocultural History of Epilepsy,” Atlas of Epilepsies, 2010, pp. 35-43. http://www.epilepsiestiftung-wolf.de/resources/10+Sociocultural+history.pdf
Picture Citation:
Figure 3: “Epilepsy Foundation- Resources for Educators and Parents,” Discovery Education: Education Network, accessed August 14, 2014.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/09/EpilepsyFoundation-merger_graphic-transparent.png
Figure 4: “The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles,” Epilepsy Foundation: Greater Los Angeles, accessed August 14, 2014. http://www.end-epilepsy.org/public/image/photogallery/7568.jpg
Banner Citation:
“Health topics: Epilepsy,” WHO, accessed August 5, 2014. http://www.who.int/topics/epilepsy/en/
Fadiman, Anne, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Later Printing edition (April 24,2012).
Karim, Taz. “Week 5: Lecture 5.1 Culture of Biomedicine,” ANP 204: Introduction to Medical Anthropology. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-5-lecture-1/
Karim, Taz. “Week 5: Lecture 5.2 Trends in Biomedicine,” ANP 204: Introduction to Medical Anthropology. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/schedule/week-5-lecture-2/
Wolf, Peter. “Sociocultural History of Epilepsy,” Atlas of Epilepsies, 2010, pp. 35-43. http://www.epilepsiestiftung-wolf.de/resources/10+Sociocultural+history.pdf
Picture Citation:
Figure 3: “Epilepsy Foundation- Resources for Educators and Parents,” Discovery Education: Education Network, accessed August 14, 2014.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/09/EpilepsyFoundation-merger_graphic-transparent.png
Figure 4: “The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles,” Epilepsy Foundation: Greater Los Angeles, accessed August 14, 2014. http://www.end-epilepsy.org/public/image/photogallery/7568.jpg
Banner Citation:
“Health topics: Epilepsy,” WHO, accessed August 5, 2014. http://www.who.int/topics/epilepsy/en/