Modern American Medicine is very simple unlike Traditional Hmong Medicine. In America, when a person becomes sick, the regular person would go to a doctor, either at a clinic or the hospital. Usually this would be the first thing a person does after counter-top medicine (tablets, pills, or a liquid) fails, but Hmongs are different. First of all, Hmongs who follow the old traditions are most likely to believe in shamanism. This means that going to the doctor would actually be their last resort. (1)
1. Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Health On the Net Foundation. 4 September 2012. Web. 2 July 2013.
Bibliography:
Hillmer, Paul. A People's History of the Hmong. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010. Print.
Heinz, Carolyn. Asian Cultural Traditions. Illinois: Waveland Press, 1999. 91-115. Print.
Wilson, Jim. A CULTURAL APPROACH. 2009. Photo. In "A Doctor for Disease, a Shaman for the Soul." New York Times 19 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 July 2013.
Because of the cultural and religious differences, there are many problems doctors have to cope with every time they get a Hmong patient whose religion is Shamanism. The biggest problem of the cultural differences is the fact that Hmong religion requires animal sacrifices, especially when it comes to the attempt of trying to retrive a lost or trapped soul, and fixing damaged souls. (1) Killing animals within hospitals are illegal but for the sake of treating Hmong patients, hospitals must make an exception to this religious conflict. (2)
1. Hillmer, Paul. A People's History of the Hmong. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010. Print
2. Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Merced: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
Beehunnie. "Grey's Anatomy Hmong." Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 8 June 2008. Web. 17 July 2013.
These pages are intended to be informational and not meant to be directly cited. Please use the articles, books, and websites listed.
Hmong Medicine is a combination of herbal medicine and shamanism. Herbalists in Hmong communities play a big role in healing people. (1) They are relied upon and their existence is a crucial part of life. Their knowledge is valued and most of the time they are the first thing a Hmong person would turn to for a remedy. A Hmong herbalist would be the equivalent of an American pharmacist.
1. Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Health On the Net Foundation. 4 September 2012. Web. 2 July 2013.
Hmong Medicine partially originated from China. Hmong Shamanism itself is not the first religion Hmongs followed, but it is the main practiced religion today. Shamanism is a widely practiced religion dating back thousands of years.(3) Shamanism was first introduced to Hmongs in southern China during the Ming and Qing dynasties when the Chinese people tried to civilize the Miao, which is now the only branch of Hmong people left in China.(1)
Hmong herbalism is common due to the lifestyle Hmongs follow. Hmongs are not nomads, but they do follow some of the same traditions such as gathering and hunting. (2) The most recent Hmong Americans are from Thailand or Laos, and in such environments, the jungles that with hold the villages are perfect for scavenging. This lead to villagers using the jungles as a resource for remedies, therefore most Hmong women become herbalists supporting their family, friends, and community. (3)
1. Heinz, Carolyn. Asian Cultural Traditions. Illinois: Waveland Press, 1999. 91-115. Print.
2. Kathleen A. Culhane-Pera et al. Healing by heart: Clinical and ethical case stories of Hmong families and Western providers. 2003.
3.Hillmer, Paul. A People's History of the Hmong. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010. Print.
Zamora, Eric. 2010. Photo. In "Hmong-American youths struggle to maintain their heritage." Fresno Bee 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 15 July 2013.
Hmong Shamanism is ancestor worship, which involves spirits, ghosts, and animism. (1) It consists of rituals and ceremonies with animal sacrifices. The animals are sacrificed to replace the souls of the suffering. (2) Hmong people believe that the body is a shell consisting of three to seven souls and if one is lost then everything is out of balance. (3) Therefore the animal is sacrificed to take to the place of the lost soul so the lost soul can return home to its body. (3)
1. Heinz, Carolyn. Asian Cultural Traditions. Illinois: Waveland Press, 1999. 91-115. Print.
2. Quincy, Keith. Hmong History of People. Washington: Eastern Washington University Press, 1995. Print.
3. Hillmer, Paul. A People's History of the Hmong. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010. Print.
Hmong Medicine is important because it has a deep relationship with religion and culture. Much of it has to do with spiritual beliefs that revolve around shamanism. For example, within Hmong Culture, the secret to perfect health is the balance between the body and spirit. (1) This is a strong belief and it usually requires the help of a shaman, as the shaman is the center of Hmong culture. (2) This is why the most significant factor relating to Hmong Medicine is shamanism. A shaman's everyday role is to be both healer and oracle. As a healer, a shaman is required to either perform a long, tiring ceremony or a quick, easy ritual to heal the sick.(3)
1. Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Health On the Net Foundation. 4 September 2012. Web. 2 July 2013.
2. Heinz, Carolyn. Asian Cultural Traditions. Illinois: Waveland Press, 1999. 91-115. Print.
3.Culturally Appropriate Geriatric Care: Fund of Knowledge. Stanford School of Medicine. 2013. Web. 17 July 2013.
Today, more and more doctors are learning new ways to negotiate with patients of different beliefs in order to reach an understanding between medical differences. An article states that there is a new medical policy requiring medical doctors to go through a training program to learn more about shamanism. This is becoming a nationwide movement, with more and more medical institutions adopting this new policy in order to remove the mistrust Hmongs have with Western medicine and teach medical doctors how to communicate and understand the needs of Hmong patients. (1)
Vice versa, Hmong Shamans are also going through programs to educate themselves about the elements of Western medicine, including the germ theory. This included the fact that they visited operation rooms and looked through microscopes for the first time. Dr. John Paik-Tesch, director of the Merced Family Medicine Residency Program, says that these programs are designed to defuse the mistrust Hmongs have of Western medicine. (1) In 2013, there will be a conference held for the new generation of hmong shamans to hold a panel and bring awareness of the issues with western medicine. (2) During this conference, the shamans will discuss solutions to the problems and future issues that may occur. (2)
1. Brown, Patricia. “A Doctor For Disease, a Shaman for the Soul.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 19 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 July 2013.
2. Thao, Elizabeth. "New Generation of Hmong Shamans to hold a panel at Hmong National Development Conference." TC Daily Planet. Cruiskeen Consulting LLC, 2 April 2013. Web. 15 July 2013.
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