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Photo Credit (Below): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/SpiritCatchesYAYFD.jpg
The Spirit Catches You
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" is a book written by Anne Fadiman in 1997 about cultural beliefs and barriers as well as communication between two different cultures and their effect on health. The book is about the journey of Lia Lee, a Hmong child and her parents Foua and Nao Kao Lee. The Lee’s had fled Laos during a time of war to start a new life in Merced, California. They had suffered a great deal there loosing children to starvation and witnessing war, devastation and death. Once in Merced they had Lia who at the age of three months old began suffering from seizures.
Lia was hospitalized over 20 times from the age of 3 months to 4 years. The physicians caring for Lia believed in Western medication and the treatments of the body using medication and medical procedures. Meanwhile the Lee’s due to their culture and beliefs being Hmong believed in the treatment of the soul with the combination of Western medicine. They associated Lia’s disease with a spiritual imbalance they did not like exposing Lia to too many medications and procedures, instead they preferred to treat Lia with herbal remedies and animal sacrifices.
Neither culture understood each other. The doctors did not take the time to try to understand the Hmong culture. Instead they criticized and judged Lia’s parents. They did not make sure the Lee’s understood what was happening with Lia because overcoming the language and cultural barriers took extra time they did not have. The clash of cultures led to a lack of communication and misunderstanding.
Lia was under medicated due to the belief of her parents and the lack of communication by the health care workers about the importance of being compliant with anti-convulsant medication. She endured a great deal of medication and procedures during her many hospitalizations that upset and offended her parents. Finally, due to a long lasting seizure Lia ended up brain
dead and in a vegetative state.
The events that took place occurred in the 1980’s at a time when cultural competency and medical anthropology was not well known. Today there is a greater focus on understanding culture in relation to disease and illness.
(Fadiman 1997)
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" is a book written by Anne Fadiman in 1997 about cultural beliefs and barriers as well as communication between two different cultures and their effect on health. The book is about the journey of Lia Lee, a Hmong child and her parents Foua and Nao Kao Lee. The Lee’s had fled Laos during a time of war to start a new life in Merced, California. They had suffered a great deal there loosing children to starvation and witnessing war, devastation and death. Once in Merced they had Lia who at the age of three months old began suffering from seizures.
Lia was hospitalized over 20 times from the age of 3 months to 4 years. The physicians caring for Lia believed in Western medication and the treatments of the body using medication and medical procedures. Meanwhile the Lee’s due to their culture and beliefs being Hmong believed in the treatment of the soul with the combination of Western medicine. They associated Lia’s disease with a spiritual imbalance they did not like exposing Lia to too many medications and procedures, instead they preferred to treat Lia with herbal remedies and animal sacrifices.
Neither culture understood each other. The doctors did not take the time to try to understand the Hmong culture. Instead they criticized and judged Lia’s parents. They did not make sure the Lee’s understood what was happening with Lia because overcoming the language and cultural barriers took extra time they did not have. The clash of cultures led to a lack of communication and misunderstanding.
Lia was under medicated due to the belief of her parents and the lack of communication by the health care workers about the importance of being compliant with anti-convulsant medication. She endured a great deal of medication and procedures during her many hospitalizations that upset and offended her parents. Finally, due to a long lasting seizure Lia ended up brain
dead and in a vegetative state.
The events that took place occurred in the 1980’s at a time when cultural competency and medical anthropology was not well known. Today there is a greater focus on understanding culture in relation to disease and illness.
(Fadiman 1997)