Week 3 Reading Thoughts- Elena

In chapters 6 and 18 of The Spririt Catches You and You Fall Down I was struck by how difficult of a situation there is for both parties- the Hmong patients and their doctors. On the Hmong patients' part, there are enormous difficulties as far as a lack of understanding of Western medicine, an inability to communicate their worries and desires, and the racial and class discrimination that they face in the health care arena as well as outside of it. On the part of the doctors, there is a lack of cultural sensitivity education, similar communication difficulties, and the huge conflict between doing what they have been taught is good for the patient versus satisfying patient demands that conflict with what they have been taught. After reading about these difficulties I find it no surprise that tensions run so high in hospitals where there are a large number of Hmong patients (or patients of any other different cultural background). It was shocking to read about the one doctor who spoke so distastefully about his Hmong patients- I found it hard to believe that someone so invested in the well-being of others could show such disrespect. It was definitely sad to read about the case studies in which the cultural barrier between the Hmong patients and the doctors directly prevented improved health. However, I found it uplifting to read in this book about the success stories. Along the same lines, the article "A Doctor for Disease, a Shaman for the Soul" gave me hope for the future of breaking down cultural barriers. It's great to know that there are people out there dedicated to that endeavor, and it got me excited to work with some of these people firsthand over our spring break trip!