The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

The Spirit Catches You and You fall Down

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The book, The Spirit Catches You and You fall Down by Fadiman (1998) is a case study of a severely stricken epilepsy young refugee girl living in California. The story tells of how the girl cultural background played a major role in her search for treatment. This was because her family’s cultural background, that of the Hmong people advocated for different treatment than that offered by the Californian doctors and or western medicine. The girl, Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy, however culturally the parents believed that she suffered from quag dab peg “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. The doctors went ahead to try explain the malady to the parents to no avail and attempts to prescribe medicine to her were countered by alternative medications of applying shaman, which involved sacrificing of chickens and pigs in their living-room and rubbing of coins on Lia’s body in an attempt to fix her spirit.

The book, The Spirit Catches You and You fall Down, is an extensively researched on paper giving a reader a deep understanding as to the effects of cultural classes as was the case in this case. The book goes to lengths to explain the different notions borne by Eastern and Western medical ideologies with reference to health care. What is thus elucidated is the holistic approach by the Hmong towards their ultima Thule as opposed to the fission system employed by the Americans.

Safe for their health care systems and beliefs, Fadima went on to even address the general beliefs and ways of life of the Hmong people in the book. A perusal of the book will reveal that the Hmong people do not take it lightly being ordered around. The Spirit Catches You and You fall Down notes that the Hmong would rather flee or fight to death than surrender. This was noted in the way they react to the medical staff at Merced County Community Hospital. This was also...