Only 6% of psychologists, 8% of counselors, and 11% of social workers are from countries of color.

South East Asia

Cultural beliefs and routines

  • Influenced by Chinese medicine
  • Blood is irreplaceable
  • Concept of family is important so health decisions are likely made collectively
  • Self-medication is common
  • Germ theory is recognized (Vietnam)
  • Belief that blood is retained in the womb if a period is missed and that menstrual blood is seen as pollutant
  • Female genital mutilation is practiced (Indonesia and Malaysia)
  • Some cultures link many problems to the liver (Hmong in Laos)
    • The term liver is idiomatic rather than literal and refers to mental and emotional problems

Concept of health

  • Religion is often seen as an important part of the healing process
  • Physical and mental health is related to the ability to sleep and eat without difficulty (Laos)
  • Health is viewed in terms of a general sense of well being, rather  than the absence of illness (Philippines)

Causes of illness

  • An imbalance between "hot" and "cold" elements
    • Illness is an alteration of the natural balance of "hot" and "cold" elements in the universe
    • "Hot" and "cold" does not refer to actual temperatures but to attributes or conditions based on the yin and yang and other intrinsic properties
    • Foods and beverages, drugs, and herbs are classified as "hot" or "cold"
    • Hot conditions: diarrhea, rashes, hyperactivity, hyperthermia, stroke, seizures, pregnancy
    • Cold conditions: childbirth, illness, depression, hypoactivity, hypothermia, abdominal cramps, indigestion, post-partum
  • The influence of wind on blood circulation (Wind illness)
  • Interference from the spirit world
  • Evil spells
  • Mistakes made or neglected while carrying out rituals
  • Loss of one the 32 spirits thought to inhabit the body and maintain health (Laos)
    • Remedy: soul calling ceremony, amulets, and rituals
  • Forces believed to affect health
    • Examples: over-working, over exposure to natural elements, over-eating, insufficient nutrition, lack of sleep, too much worrying, and unsanitary environment (Philippines)
  • Complementing children can bring bad luck and the evil eye 
  • Usog (Tuyaw): similar to the evil eye, but it can also be transmitted through the hands, fingers, words, and physical proximity to a possessed person who has been exposed to the sun's heat (Philippines)

Traditional remedies and treatments

  • Herbs/roots, animal products
  • Strict diet
  • Balancing hot and cold elements
  • Spiritual rituals: prayer, making amulets, performing ceremonies
  • Dermabrasive techniques
    • Thought to restore balance by releasing excessive air or energy
    • The techniques cause skin bruising and contusions
  • Coining
    • Metal coin or spoon is dipped in oil or mentholated balm (e.g. Tiger Balm), heated and then rubbed briskly over the skin until welts and bruises appear
    • Done on the chest, back, or extremities
  • Cupping
    • Heated cup placed upside down on body to create suction
    • Applied to the forehead or abdomen
    • Results in circular bruising on the skin
  • Moxibustion
    • Pulverized wormwood or other burning incense is heated and applied to torso, head, and neck to produce superficial burns
    • Treats excessive yin (negative energy in the body)
      • Health is a state of harmonious balance between the yang (positive) and yin (negative) energy in the mind and body
    • Sometimes accompanies acupuncture
  • Pinching
    • Applying pressure between thumb and forefinger until a contusion appears
    • Done on the base of nose, between eyes, neck, chest, or back

Wind illness

  • State of illness when the body is out of balance from overwork, lack of food or sleep, or exposure to diverse weather from hot to cold to rain
  • Does not refer to physical wind or air
  • Illness resulting when the four basic elements (wind, water, earth, fire) are out of balance
  • Symptoms: dizziness, weakness, restlessness, trouble eating/sleeping, feeling hot and cold, tightness in chest, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting
  • Treatment: coining most commonly used, but cupping and pinching also used

Pregnancy and childbirth

  • During pregnancy, women avoid exposure to wind and wear warm clothes
  • Taking too many showers during pregnancy is believed to make the baby  fat and increase amniotic fluid
  • Too much rest thought to result in a long labor and a mentally retarded baby (Cambodia)
  • "Heat" is lost during childbirth; therefore, after childbirth, women must be kept warm, eat "hot" foods, and avoid bathing
  • First month after delivery is thought to be a time for women to rest and regain strength
  • Breastfeeding is commonly practiced
    • Some mothers believe that their mood can be transferred through their milk and may refrain from feeding in some circumstances (Philippines)
    • Some women believe that colostrum is bad for babies
  • Male and female circumcision rarely occurs (except among Muslims in Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia)

Mental health

  • Mental illness is thought to be caused by possession, bad karma, or inherited bad luck, and is often associated with spiritual conflict 
  • Mental health issues are associated with a high degree of stigma and are seen as a source of shame to the family
  • People will generally seek assistance from elders or Buddhist monks in the first instance of mental illness 
  • There is a tendency to categorize those with mental illness as being crazy (Philippines)
  • "Hsieh-ping": brief trance when one is possessed by an ancestral spirit (Taiwan)
    • Symptoms: tremor, disorientation and delirium, hallucinations

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