The use of magical plants by curanderos in the Ecuador highlands

Although the use of plants for treating supernaturally caused illnesses (e.g., soul loss, evil wind, witchcraft) has been documented in the Ecuador highlands, so-called magical plants have received much less focused attention than plants used for treating naturalistic disorders. Drawing on interviews done in 2002 and 2003 with 116 curanderos residing in the Ecuador highlands, this paper examines the characteristics of plants identified as magical, how they are used, and how the study of magical plants provides insights into the mindscape of residents of the highlands

Engaging conceptions of identity in a context of medical pluralism: explaining treatment choices for everyday illness in Niger

A virtual abstract for this paper can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_979cmCmR9rLrKuD7z0ycAInternational audienceThis article uses ethnographic research to reflect upon how the treatment of ‘everyday’ illnesses in Niger engages concepts of social identity. Inspired by Bourdieu's concept of social distinction, as well as Appadurai's edited volume on the ‘social lives’ of ‘things’, I present an analysis of how medications are understood by their users in terms of social and ideological meaning in one rural Hausa village. Decisions about medication choice were framed by three main themes: belonging to the ‘modern’ world, ‘traditional’ Hausa culture, and religious identity. This article does not argue that these notions of identity fully explain medication use, nor necessarily predict treatment choices. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the dynamic meanings given to treatment decisions after they have been made, attributed to the medications themselves and negotiated through their circulation in a context where multiple medical systems are drawn from to manage illness. Producers and sellers of medication also engage these meaning‐centred concepts, which have theoretical and practical interest for the social sciences and public health

Staying Well on the Margins of the Formal Economy: Exploring Occupational Health and Treatment among Peruvian Vendors in the Urban Marketplace

With a growing percentage of the world's population living in urban areas, many people in cities are increasingly participating in economic activities on the margins of the formal economy. Many such workers generate income by vending goods on a small-scale level in and around traditional open-aired marketplaces. As a setting for health, marketplaces have been studied largely in the interest of consumer safety but less in terms of occupational health. This study explores the health of market vendors with a health promotion lens. It assumes health to be a holistic concept that considers the physical and psychosocial affects that vendors experience as a result of their work. Situated in the Andes, I describe how traditional concepts of health and well-being related to social reciprocity and ritual payments to the natural surroundings inform vendors' everyday health practices in a market located in the city of Arequipa, in the southern Andes of Peru. Data interpreted through socio- economic frameworks describes how one's social status, inside and outside the market, as well as social networks, affect health and rationale of treatment choices, largely in terms of biomedical and traditional methods. It was found that the nature of vendor's work represents a challenge to maintaining health in relation to both biomedical and traditional health practices. Findings suggest that treatment decisions may be motivated by demands of work, but also made as a means to re-enforce social relationships that go on to support one's economic well-being

Maternal Recognition and Health Care-Seeking Behavior for Acute Respiratory Infection in Children in a Rural Ecuadorian County

Objectives: To identify the factors which determine timely health care-seeking behaviors for childhood ARIs. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a non-random purposive sample of 91 female caregivers (age 18–57 years), and was analyzed using SPSS. In addition, six focus group discussions with female caregivers and 25 in-depth interviews with members from the health care setting were conducted. Results: The primary obstacles reported for timely health care-seeking among survey respondents were money for medicines (n = 29, 32%), transportation fares (n = 19, 21%), and restrictive hours of the health centers (n = 13, 14%). The median household salary reported was $100 per month. There was an overall lack of recognition of the biomedical signs and symptoms of serious lower respiratory infections independent of socioeconomic status. Conclusions: Based on the study findings, the following recommendations are offered: (1) public health campaigns need to better address appropriate home health care management of childhood health and illness to improve maternal health-seeking behavior for ARIs; (2) provincial health authorities need to adhere to regular hours of operation, expand clinic hours and increase staff; (3) health posts should establish better policies for disbursement of antibiotics and ensure that patients follow prescribed regimens; and (4) through partnerships with economic development organizations and the private sector, there will be increased employment opportunities