f Western Biomedine.Immigrants and refugees, such as the Hmong, are faced with many hardships when seeking health care in the United States. Aside from linguistic barriers, a lack of understanding of the Hmong is also problematic in providing health care. In order for progress to be made concerning this problem knowledge of their cultural beliefs much be known. The Hmong, meaning “free people”, originated in Southeast Asia. In the 1960’s the United States C.I.A. recruited them as guerilla fighters in the Vietnam War. After the loss of the war by the Americans, the Hmong were faced with terrible discrimination and prosecution in their homeland. They were forced to escape and take refuge in the United States. (Lecture notes, 8/28/00)The Hmong are an animistic people, believing in ancestral worship and reincarnation. Traditional convictions of the Hmong center around the body housing many souls, up to approximately 30, within. Illnesses are caused by soul loss, or souls wandering away from the body. Other causes of illness are hostile spirits, known as dabs. (http://www.acithn.edu.aq) There is a strong belief in both herbal and spiritual remedies. Spiritual treatment exists in the form known as Shamanism. In this, an individual is chosen by spirits to have the ability to venture to the underworld and negotiate to bring lost souls back to the land of the living. Sometimes this negotiation consists of sacrificing an animal. (Lecture notes, 8/28/00)Many examples of Hmong beliefs directly conflict with Western Biomedicinal beliefs, as we clearly see evident here at M.M.C. For instance, the Hmong believe that each person’s body contains only a finite amount of blood, which cannot be replenished. This notion has lead to many disputes between patient and health care staff when involving blood drawing. Also, the Hmong believe that to speak of a medical problem is to assure that it will come to pass...
