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Diseases & Disorders - General & Miscellaneous, Alternative & Complementary Medicine, Alternative Medicine - General & Miscellaneous, Health - General & Miscellaneous
In order to examine the importance of alternative medicine to the African American population, this book focuses on the African American health belief system and the treatment strategies often used and documented. This book includes a cultural-historical view of alternative medicine's use within the African American community and shows how it was an integral part of African American culture.
The author highlights a number of studies that examine alternative and complementary therapies associated with specific diseases among African Americans. Case studies are presented to show the types of alternative and complementary medicines used for specific diseases and to determine whether the alternative and complementary therapy was effective or not. Moreover, the cultural perceptions of the specific disease are presented to provide reasons why African Americans tend to use the particular alternative and complementary medical therapy for the disease. The book serves as a resource guide for students, healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the general public.
About the Author, Eric J. Bailey
ERIC J. BAILEY is Medical Anthropologist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is the author of Medical Anthropology and African American Health, (Bergin & Garvey, 2000).
Bailey (a medical anthropologist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) examines African American alternative and complementary medical therapies from a clinical and cultural relativistic perspective. He argues that for the purposes of public policy and public dialogue, alternative medicine needs to be recognized for its potential to improve public health. He reviews the major alternative medical systems, their origins, and the way these systems have historically been used and are currently used within the health belief systems of African Americans. The ability of alternative medicines to prevent and reduce the damage of hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, stroke, and mental health disabilities is reviewed; and finally the connection between culture and medicine is explored in the context of public health policy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
