Cultural Views

Cultural views, or customs, heavily influence the emotional, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, physical, and mental dimension of individual’s health. I view disease and preventative care as a combination of nature and nurture; I do not believe that it is a genetic issue because all humans share the same set of genes- there is neither an African, nor Caucasian, nor Asian gene. Thus I am inclined to lean towards a social and cultural construct to base my opinion upon this discussion question.

Socioeconomic differences such as limited education, poor or a complete absence of healthcare, and cultural barriers dictates how an individual handles diseases they may become inflicted with. Ethnic foods, lifestyle behaviors, and geographic locations also weigh profoundly on the individual as well. For example, black Americans are at a higher risk for hypertension because of their diet consisting of salty foods. Whereas, people in developing countries such as Asia and central Africa are more susceptible to contracting typhoid fever because it is a strong endemic in those regions. Other diseases, like heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer are results of environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle play an essential role in development of these diseases- take drug and alcohol abuse, for instance

I am of Native American descent; my paternal grandmother is full Cherokee; therefore, she did not believe in doctors and pharmaceutical medicine. When she had migraines, she tied a cloth tightly around her head. But when she married my grandfather and had children, she started going to doctors. I say this because in regards to the intellectual dimension, it is up to the individual to conduct research. I am a Christian, although I believe in medicine, I tend to pray to God upon certain issues because it alleviates the undue stress I place upon myself, both emotionally and mentally. I strongly feel that it is how a person approach their ailments irrespective to...