Perceptions of Illness

The perception of illness in a culture can be studied through the symptoms and symbols of a particular group of people or individual. Nichter defined ethnophysiology as “…the study of how bodily processes are understood in different cultures and how such understanding influences perceptions of health, physical development, illness, medicines, and diet.” Often times certain physical signs of an illness can be interpreted differently based on the symptoms described by the sufferer and the meaning in the symbols a certain sign has within a culture. Understanding the way a culture views these signs and symptoms and the meaning behind the symbols of these signs is crucial to truly understanding the health of a particular community or culture. The basis of what we consider “normal” and “healthy” is rooted in our culture and the meaning our culture gives these symbols. Our cultural based perceptions of bodily processes determine what we consider normal or abnormal.

The article by Nichter brought up the importance of understanding the enthnophysiology of different cultures and gave several different examples. The article spoke of how different signs and symptoms can be interpreted depending on the sufferer’s age and their culture because of the different perceptions of what bodily processes are believed to be normal at certain ages. The author explained that in many cultures certain illnesses are expected and viewed as a normal part of childhood development, while in other cultures the same illnesses might warrant a need for a doctor’s visit. For instance, one example of enthophysiology given in Nichter’s article was “Diarrhea has been linked to transitional periods such as teething and weaning, and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have been linked to child development, as well as other factors such as changes in diet and the effects of climate. Because such illnesses are expected and related to developmental processes, caretakers may delay seeking medical attention for them.” (Nichter). Certain afflictions are seen as a normal part of childhood development in some cultures, such as diarrhea or a respiratory infection in this case, even though in other cultures a caregiver would take their child to a doctor for medical treatment. Although they may be seen as normal in a particular culture, the disease may result in irreversible bodily harm or possible even death to the sufferer because medical treatment is not deemed necessary. Many cultures correlate certain signs and symptoms as part of developmental milestones.

Personally, I have noticed how my own culture includes symbols that are interpreted as normal in certain stages of development, although they could possibly indicate a serious disease. Symptoms such as excessive sleeping or “growing pains” in young adolescents can often be overlooked and interpreted as normal in our culture where a growing teenager sleeping till noon is nothing out of the ordinary. Also, a cold or cough that won’t go away in the winter can be considered normal because of the cold weather and not deeming need for a visit to the doctors. A child with banged up shins, covered in bruises doesn't cause a caregiver to worry because they reason that the bruises are probably just from the child playing and falling like all normal kids do. Sometimes though these symptoms and signs can have an actual disease causing them and are not just normal for the sufferer to be experiencing because of their age, the climate, or other cultural factors.

In the case of my younger brother his ongoing cold, excessive sleeping, fatigue, night sweats, and growing pains went on for months without causing a worry to anyone. His signs and symptoms were considered normal in our culture for a growing teenage boy. The random aches and excessive sleeping just meant that he was a growing adolescent, the cold and rainy weather probably the cause of his cold, and the night sweats because he had a bad dream. Because his signs and symptoms had symbols in my culture that didn't cause reason to worry, my brother’s leukemia diagnosis was delayed weeks, possibly even months. It is important for most diseases, cancer in particular, to receive medical treatment immediately to restore the health of the individual faster and prevent possibly irreversible damage. The American Cancer Society says that the main symptoms of leukemia include “bone or joint pain”, “coughing or trouble breathing”, “easy bleeding or bruising”, “tiredness (fatigue) and pale skin”, and “loss of appetite and weight loss” (How Is Childhood Leukemia Found?). Many of these signs and symptoms can easily be accounted for as normal parts of development and can continue to occur without causing concern. Similarly to how in other cultures diarrhea is seen as a normal stage of childhood development, signs and symptoms such as growing pains, excessive sleeping, and fatigue are considered normal in our culture, even though all of those are indicators of disease.

Although it is important to recognize that certain signs and symptoms could be caused by a disease, other factors need to be taken into consideration. If not, people will begin running to the doctor with the sign of a slight cough and everyone will begin acting like hypochondriacs. A balance needs to be met in all cultures to help determine when medical intervention is necessary and when it is not. Either extreme produces negative results, whether the necessary medical treatment is not received or a person with headache thinks they need a triple bypass like in the image. The character in the image perceived her simple headache as a dangerous illness that requires serious surgery because of her ethnophysiology. Her perceptions were shaped by her culture, which is the ER TV show in this case, and they caused her to view a headache as need for serious medical attention. We don’t want unnecessary medical treatment, but at the same time it is important to recognize that medical help might be required even if the signs and symptoms may be interpreted as normal in our culture. Excessive sleeping and fatigue could indicate a disease such as Leukemia and not just a normal stage a teenager goes through. At the same time, every teenager that experience fatigue shouldn't be running to the doctor worrying that they might have cancer. This is why it is important to find a balance in all cultures to know when medical treatment is actually needed.

The question of “what is normal?” needs to be addressed. What signs and symptoms should call reason to worry and seek medical treatment? Ultimately, the personal culture and subsequently the ethnophysiology of an individual will determine the answer to this question. Their dynamic culture is constantly being changed based on their perceptions, which will decide how they perceive an illness. The ethnophysiology of a group provides the basis for how bodily functions are perceived. The constantly changing culture of an individual will thus the medical treatment of lack of treatment they will receive.

Allison Binkerd

Bibliography

Article:

"How Is Childhood Leukemia Found?" How Is Childhood Leukemia Found? American Cancer        Society, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemiainchildren/overviewguide/childhood-    leukemia-overview-found>.

Image:

"Self Diagnosis Cartoons and Comics." Self Diagnosis Cartoons and Comics. Cartoonstock, n.d.    Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/self_diagnosis.asp>.