Culture influences health in many ways, particularly in societies of the Indian subcontinent. Cultural factors, which include beliefs, myths, superstitions, and practices have odd medical beliefs and injudicious practices.
- Medical Beliefs in the Olden Times of the Indian Subcontinent: Culture Influences Health
- Behavioral Pattern within the Medical Profession
- Bangladeshi Treatment of Snake Bites, Arthritis, Epilepsy, Neonatal Tetanus, etc.
- Outcome of the Reversed Treatments: Culture Influences Health
- Medical Quackery is a Big Business: Culture Influences Health
- Economic Status Determines the Purchasing Capacity
- Cultural Factors in the Indian Subcontinent
Medical Beliefs in the Olden Times of the Indian Subcontinent: Culture Influences Health
In ancient times, the people of the Indian subcontinent used to believe that some of the dreadful diseases were the outcome of sinful acts or acts of ghosts or evil spirits. Such dreadful diseases are Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Smallpox, Plague, and the new killer HIV leading to AIDS. The inhabitants of a New York apartment building had vacated the building due to an AIDS-affected patient. Although it sounds funny and irrational, this was the fact.
Behavioral Pattern within the Medical Profession
It was not long before that the near and dear ones of the Lepers, sufferers of the disease leprosy, however in most parts of the world, segregated the patients to any nearby lonely islands. Even the affected of the sexually transmitted diseases, particularly the patients of syphilis and gonorrhea were very shy to attend STD clinic in broad daylight. Such practices were present even in the civilized societies of Europe and America in the early years of the ’60s. In the early days, people underrated even the venereal disease specialists. Such was the behavioral pattern within the medical profession.
Bangladeshi Treatment of Snake Bites, Arthritis, Epilepsy, Neonatal Tetanus, etc.
1. Snake Bites
The Bangladeshi even today routinely go to Ozha or Kabiraj for the treatment of snake bites. You can find the famous Bedini woman of the Bedia community known as a snake charmer or nomad in rural areas. She sucks blood from the snake-bite area by puncturing it with a blade or a pointed thorn of a tree.
2. Arthritis Treatment
The Bedini women also suck blood from the multi-punctured knee joints for the relief of chronic arthritis and various forms of arthropathy. The self-induced Gul, a kind of punched-out wound of the lower leg made for the relief of pain in the knee joint and legs is not uncommon even today in the rural communities of Bangladesh.
3. Epilepsy Treatment
In rural Bangladesh, many times, people considered the convulsive fits of the epileptic patient and the schizophrenic madness acts of ghosts or evil spirits. People, at first, think of religious treatment rather than medical. Consequently, the sufferer gets wrong and irregular medical aids. This trend causes great harm to the patient.
4. Tetanus Treatment
The use of cow dung in the cut end of the umbilical cord of the newborn baby in rural Bangladesh at one time was a common village practice, leading to a high incidence of neonatal tetanus and death. Faith healing and medical quackery are common in many Western societies.
Outcome of the Reversed Treatments: Culture Influences Health
With the advent of modern knowledge of medical science and the selfless dedicated services of health professionals, we have reversed such odd practices in rural Bangladesh. This has dramatically reduced the infant mortality and morbidity to a great extent. The brutal self-induced burning locally in any part of the body for the relief of pain and aches was sporadic all over the Arab World, the Middle East, and some parts of Africa.
The cases of burns of rectal and perianal regions to stop diarrhea in children and the case of recurrent attacks of bronchial asthma, a long thread is introduced through a self-induced wound on the back of the chest to get rid of frequent attacks of bronchial spasms.
Medical Quackery is a Big Business: Culture Influences Health
The medical quackery or the odd medical belief is a big business even today to those unfortunate patients, who fail to get cured in conventional drug treatment. Many kinds of diseases nowadays are becoming more prevalent due to poor socio-economic status, ignorance, illiteracy, cultural factors, and indifferent political commitment. All these conditions have aggravated the whole disease pattern in those societies in a very miserable way. Read more
Economic Status Determines the Purchasing Capacity
We know it surely that the economic status of any country determines the purchasing capacity, the standard of life, quality of life, disease patterns, and deviant human behavior. The high rate of malnutrition, infection, and uncontrolled pregnancy are responsible for the ill health of mother and child. Malnutrition and undernutrition are not always due to a shortage of food. Often there is starvation amid plenty. People choose poor diets leaving aside the nutritious diets. It is because of cultural influences. Learn more
Cultural Factors in the Indian Subcontinent
In the Indian subcontinent, cultural factors influence the customs, habits, food habits, and lifestyle. These cultural factors also influence pregnancy, child marriage, infant feeding, and child-rearing. Religion also plays a great role in influencing people’s behavior. No wonder, therefore, in Indian society, you will see a Hindu widow living simply and modestly on white polished rice. A conservative Hindu Society restricts beef consumption.
1. Eating Habits As Culture Influences Health
Muslims generally do not eat pork. A huge section of people all over the world prefer to live on a vegetarian diet. In the conservative Hindu religion, people greatly respect vegetarians. Some other orthodox Hindus and Jains even do not eat meat, fish, eggs, and onions although these food articles are locally available.
2. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Lately, the fear of mad cow disease has adversely affected beef consumption all over the world, particularly in Europe, where it has become a great public health concern. Lifestyle and food habits, particularly the high intake of carbohydrate consumption plus poverty and tension have helped to reduce the incidence of diabetes mellitus in this part of the world. The exact epidemiological survey on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases has yet to come out in some societies to quote the precise figure of non-communicable disease conditions.
3. A Discussion on Diabetes Because Culture Influences Health
Recently it has come to the press quoting a discussion meeting on diabetes that a little above about 5% of the population are suffering from diabetes mellitus. We can see rheumatic heart disease in the poorer section and ischemic heart disease in the richer section of people in increasing numbers these days. Food habits with a high content of spices, chilies, garlic, onions, and excessive beef, etc.; all have contributed to many gastro-intestinal disorders and colonic cancer. Read more
4. Excessive Abnormal Sex Practices: Culture Influences Health
Excessive abnormal sex practices with poor hygiene have contributed to an increased incidence of STDs and cervical cancer. Poor breastfeeding in women of high society along with high consumption of fatty diet have given an increased incidence of breast cancer. The habit of smoking has given a high incidence and prevalence of lung cancer. The tobacco and betel leaf chewing has caused an increased incidence of cancer of the oral cavity. The uncontrolled sex practices by prostitutes or call girls have indicated an increase in STDs, particularly gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydial infection, chancroid, venereal warts, and lately HIV infection leading to AIDS.
5. Personal Hygiene: Culture Influences Health
Socioeconomic and cultural factors profoundly influence personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, and the concept of health and disease of an individual, community, or society. The present-day affluence with increased human tension and anxiety within society have contributed to many unwanted accidents and many kinds of mental disorders. The social factors have also contributed to drug abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, and suicide with many different types of violence, abnormal injuries, and deaths.
6. Berg of Diseases: Culture Influences Health
Besides, the majority of diseases are hidden and they occur due to the increased impact of socio-economic and cultural factors. Most of the public health problems are associated with poor socio-economic status. Therefore, the gigantic task is now left in front of medical professionals to understand the basis of the causation of the diseases. Disease is a morbid state, a feeling of unwellness due to disturbed or altered psychological and psychological functions of the body, which ultimately leads to sufficient pathological reaction and changes within the body, and finally manifests in the form of signs and symptoms of disease.
Conclusion
Physical changes within the body are due to interactions of disease agents and host factors in the presence of ecological imbalance. The multi-factorial causation of disease has virtually made the total picture of the concept of causation of diseases quite clear to medical scientists as well as to people. Simple drug treatment will not be the correct solution. It needs total healthcare for the people. The people of the particular society must be health-conscious. It should be a people’s war in which the entire population must be mobilized permanently.
