medical anthropology is at the junction between culture and medicine
Medical anthropology is a much broader subject than I had realized. Before I took Anthropology 204 at Michigan State University, I assumed that medical anthropology involved the study of the way different cultures treat illnesses. While it is definitely that, it is also much more. The basic anthropological theories described on this website show that medical anthropology is not just the study of medical treatment, but also the analysis of many different factors that shape the way people treat health around the world. Obviously biomedicine is a part of that examination, but anthropologists must also look at the ways that politics, traditional ethnic healing practices, and patient perspective all influence the state of "health." Medical anthropology is at the junction between culture and medicine as we know it in the Western world. Taking this course has taught me that medicine is not just about taking a pill to feel better. Healing is many things to different people. By gaining a perspective in many different areas, anthropologists are able to see solutions to our social problems that others cannot see.
The ways I will look at illness in the future
As a future medical professional, I hope to use many of the anthropological approaches that I have learned in this class. Before this course I probably would have been inclined to look at every illness as having a simple biological solution. Now I definitely understand many of the subtleties that impact health and illness. In particular, I have found the ecological and experiential theories to be the most helpful in understanding illness. I believe that I have always had a critical eye and have always understood biological and ethnomedical implications. However, I do not think that I saw the full effect of politics and the global landscape on human health. I also do not think I would have given the patient's illness story enough weight in future diagnoses had I not learned about the illness narrative via the experimental anthropological method. Culture is such a broad concept that I think we forget the impact of each part of it. In the future I hope to consider as many cultural facets as possible before diagnosing a patient or simply assuming that I have the solution to a health problem.
some surprises along the way
There were definitely some surprises along the way while learning about medical anthropology. Specifically, I was surprised to learn that the rituals of shamans are encouraged in some hospitals ("A Doctor for Disease."). I knew that many clergy are sent to hospitals to discuss things with patients, but I had no idea that shamans were beginning to be so accepted in Western hospitals. I also did not realize the amount of illnesses that are difficult for doctors to pinpoint biologically like fibromyalgia. The frustration of the patient in trying to get people to understand all of her symptoms in that article "Fibromyalgia + The Type "A" Personality" is apparent. Without her perspective, the illness narrative, there is no way a clinician would be able to properly diagnose her and improve her condition. I feel like these two articles in particular really reinforced who I will be as a health professional.
Medical anthropology in Other media
I have included some other forms of media that relate to the understanding of medical anthropology.
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The first is the short video to the left produced by the University of Washington. While I realize it might be strange to refer to another school's work, the video is well-produced and seems to help the viewer understand medical anthropology as a whole. It also offers some very specific examples of anthropological work. One example is a professor who visited a group of people in Mozambique living with HIV and found that the people were hoping for material assistance even though they said they were hungry. Another example is a doctoral candidate who helped adapt a children's book into a project that allows children to draw out how they think other people see them. The video also ends with some generic statements that describe anthropology nicely overall.
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Another thing that I believe would greatly enhance the understanding of students in the realm of medical anthropology is the use of maps. Although we did not talk about a large number of specific cultures, we did talk about a few. I think most students tend to forget about how small the world is. For example, people may remember that Cuba is very close to Florida, but they may not remember that Haiti is right next to it and not far from the U.S. at all (see the map to the right). Reminding students that these social problems exist in our current world very close to where we live might spark a desire to learn that was not there before.
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The value of medical anthropology
If someone asked me a couple months ago about the value of medical anthropology, I would tell them that it is probably a good way to study how people get better around the world. Today, I would tell them that medical anthropology is a way to study people, specifically how they understand health and illness. I would tell them that medicine is not black and white. A broad understanding of the human race is needed to properly practice medicine and medical anthropology provides exactly that.
Brown, Patricia Leigh. "A Doctor for Disease, a Shaman for the Soul." New York Times, September 19, 2009. Accessed August 14, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/us/20shaman.html_r=2.
Caito, Edwina. "Fibromyalgia+ The Type "A" Personality= Chaos, Frustration and Near Insanity!" Accessed August 14, 2014. http://www.blogher.com/fibromyalgia-type-personality-chaos-frustration-and-near-insanity?page=full.
"Art + Science = Medical Anthropology," YouTube video, 3:58, posted by "UW College of Arts & Sciences," May 27, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aL7aTW5R1s.
Google Maps. Accessed August 14, 2015. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Haiti/@19.0558462,-73.0513321,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8eb6c6f37fcbbb11:0xb51438b24c54f6d3.
Caito, Edwina. "Fibromyalgia+ The Type "A" Personality= Chaos, Frustration and Near Insanity!" Accessed August 14, 2014. http://www.blogher.com/fibromyalgia-type-personality-chaos-frustration-and-near-insanity?page=full.
"Art + Science = Medical Anthropology," YouTube video, 3:58, posted by "UW College of Arts & Sciences," May 27, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aL7aTW5R1s.
Google Maps. Accessed August 14, 2015. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Haiti/@19.0558462,-73.0513321,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8eb6c6f37fcbbb11:0xb51438b24c54f6d3.