Folk Beliefs: Health and Healing
There are many different kinds of “folk”—and they are typically defined by regional or geographical background, which determines to some extent their heritage, culture, traditions, norms, customs and beliefs. For example, the Appalachian folk have different customs and beliefs when it comes to health and healing than “folk” from Deep South or “folk” from the rural Eastern European countryside.
Some similarities in cross-cultural folk / traditional healing practices are the tendencies to self-medicate and to use homeopathic drugs—i.e., home-made ointments or treatments for illnesses that more modern patients would go to a doctor for. These include using an onion for an ear ache or using food to treat an illness of the body. Food is actually a treatment method that spans many cultures and can be found in traditional Asian culture as well as in folk culture in the U.S. Variations exist but they are also informed by regional factors. For example, Asian cuisine for illness will consist of ingredients common to the Asian culture, such as spice, certain vegetables, etc., whereas folk cuisine for illness in the U.S. will use completely different ingredients. There is also an element of the spiritual involved in folk healing, such as Sacred Therapies, which focuses on using prayer as part of the healing process.
Important folk healing practices that should be incorporated and used in Western medicine include holistic healing, which focuses on the whole body. In India, for instance, this is known as the Ayurvedic tradition and the aim is to provide treatment to both the mind and the body. By focusing both on diet and on rest and easing the body’s tension, this tradition is a good one that could be incorporated into Western medicine to help patients cope with stress, depression, or other problems.
