Health and Medicine of the Hmong People
Medicine
Hmong believe that illnesses fall into 3 different categories: natural causes, spiritual or religious causes, and other causes such as curses. If one individual of the Hmong culture were to fall sick it would fall into these categories. According to Hmong beliefs many illness such as depression or mental illnesses may be caused by having a lose soul. Therefore, one must treat both the illness and the soul to cure the person. Lastly, a Hmong patient may refuse withdrawal of blood because it weakens the body.
When taking care of someone in the medical field it is important not to judge someone based off of their beliefs. It is also important to not assume that all Hmong people are the same. Since the immigration of Hmong people in America, the Hmong beliefs have changed and are more Americanized. Therefore, it is important never to assume that all Hmong people are the same, but rather treat them as an individual.
"Modern medicine may be able to substitute for a soul-calling ritual as an effective remedy for a headache. But Western medicine can never satisfy the deep spiritual yearnings of the Hmong to participate in sacred dramas that make life meaningful... Whether the sickness abates or lingers, the shaman's real accomplishment in every performance is that she or he establishes the world."
-Dwight Conquergood, I Am a Shaman
Childbirth
The Hmong culture believes highly in traditional herbal treatments. Hmong typically eat only warm foods a month before the child born to prevent anything that would negatively affect the birth from happening. When the fetus is about to be born it is a normal tradition for the women to stand or be in the squatting position while only accepting warm liquids. During this time the husband is the only non-medical personal allowed in the room. After the birth of the baby the parents will keep the placenta and umbilical cord of the first born and could be used to cure ailments.
The first 30 days after the birth the mother will only eat hot chicken with rice to ensure that she will regain her optimal health quickly and it is believed that any other foods would be poisonous to her. Also the new mother should not visit others homes nor allow other pregnant women to enter her home during this time because it could jeopardized her and her baby's health. This belief comes about because the mother is at her weakest state in both the physical and emotional state.
Death
When a person dies there body is kept inside the house for 3-10 days after or even longer. This is because all the children of the deceased must arrive before the burial. Once everyone comes there is a ceremony that is held after and usually takes around 5 days. This ceremony includes speeches, drumming, chanting, which guides the spirit to heaven, and crying which is a sign of their love. The corpse is buried in the ground with sticks on top to protect their body from other animals. This burial occurs in the afternoon so that the deceased spirits can depart as the sun sets. Then a year later a ceremony is performed to allow the deceased soul to become reborn. This is an important aspect that should occur after death because if it is not preformed the soul will be trapped and will never be reborn.
Hmong believe that illnesses fall into 3 different categories: natural causes, spiritual or religious causes, and other causes such as curses. If one individual of the Hmong culture were to fall sick it would fall into these categories. According to Hmong beliefs many illness such as depression or mental illnesses may be caused by having a lose soul. Therefore, one must treat both the illness and the soul to cure the person. Lastly, a Hmong patient may refuse withdrawal of blood because it weakens the body.
When taking care of someone in the medical field it is important not to judge someone based off of their beliefs. It is also important to not assume that all Hmong people are the same. Since the immigration of Hmong people in America, the Hmong beliefs have changed and are more Americanized. Therefore, it is important never to assume that all Hmong people are the same, but rather treat them as an individual.
"Modern medicine may be able to substitute for a soul-calling ritual as an effective remedy for a headache. But Western medicine can never satisfy the deep spiritual yearnings of the Hmong to participate in sacred dramas that make life meaningful... Whether the sickness abates or lingers, the shaman's real accomplishment in every performance is that she or he establishes the world."
-Dwight Conquergood, I Am a Shaman
Childbirth
The Hmong culture believes highly in traditional herbal treatments. Hmong typically eat only warm foods a month before the child born to prevent anything that would negatively affect the birth from happening. When the fetus is about to be born it is a normal tradition for the women to stand or be in the squatting position while only accepting warm liquids. During this time the husband is the only non-medical personal allowed in the room. After the birth of the baby the parents will keep the placenta and umbilical cord of the first born and could be used to cure ailments.
The first 30 days after the birth the mother will only eat hot chicken with rice to ensure that she will regain her optimal health quickly and it is believed that any other foods would be poisonous to her. Also the new mother should not visit others homes nor allow other pregnant women to enter her home during this time because it could jeopardized her and her baby's health. This belief comes about because the mother is at her weakest state in both the physical and emotional state.
Death
When a person dies there body is kept inside the house for 3-10 days after or even longer. This is because all the children of the deceased must arrive before the burial. Once everyone comes there is a ceremony that is held after and usually takes around 5 days. This ceremony includes speeches, drumming, chanting, which guides the spirit to heaven, and crying which is a sign of their love. The corpse is buried in the ground with sticks on top to protect their body from other animals. This burial occurs in the afternoon so that the deceased spirits can depart as the sun sets. Then a year later a ceremony is performed to allow the deceased soul to become reborn. This is an important aspect that should occur after death because if it is not preformed the soul will be trapped and will never be reborn.