A comparison of traditional folk healing concepts with contemporary healing concepts

Dietary recommendations for patients with dementia

With the emergence of support for diet in the maintenance of cognition, clinicians have been justifiably eager to promote diet recommendations for their older patients. But popular diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND), have not been shown to benefit cognition among patients who already have dementia or cognitive decline. In our experience, promoting these restrictive diets can be detrimental to patients with dementia who are already prone to eating disturbance; vulnerable to malnutrition; and, if underweight, demonstrate increased mortality. Moreover, we have seen both patient and caregiver satisfaction negatively affected by dietary modification. Clinicians need to be aware that any dietary recommendations for patients with dementia should be mitigated by the lack of evidence for improvement in cognition, the risks for exacerbating poor nutrition, and the potential for further limiting their quality of life.

The Lived Experiences of Folklore Healing Practices as a Health Patterning Modality

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to understand the meaning of folklore as a health patterning modality and to uncover its unique characteristics in the life-health process. Design: Hermeneutic phenomenological. Method: Max van Manen's methodology was used for this study. The sample was selected from the Afro-Caribbean American community in the United States. The criterion for selection was that participants used folklore healing practices for health and well-being on an ongoing basis. In-depth interviews were done. Purposive sampling with networking was done based on whether the participants used folk healing on a regular basis. Themes of the meaning of folklore healing practices were identified from participants' verbatim data. Findings: The meaning of folklore healing practices was interpreted as phenomena with six interconnected essential themes. Additionally, Barrett's nursing theory of power as knowing participation in change was used to reflect and understand the findings from a nursing perspective. Conclusion: The research findings have implications for nursing science, and the knowledge gleaned from the study may be applied to nursing practice.

Factors Contributing to Optimal Human Functioning in People of Color in the United States

Many conceptualizations of optimal human functioning are based on Western European notions of healthy and unhealthy development and daily living. When applied to people of color in the United States, however, these conceptualizations may prove inapplicable because of their Western culture–bound nature. The authors explore the role that cultural values, beliefs, and practices play in definitions of optimal functioning and describe how overcoming adverse circumstances has resulted in the development of adaptive assets for people of color.

The “In-Between People”: Participation of Community Health Representatives in Diabetes Prevention and Care in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Respected members of American Indian and Alaska Native communities are a critical resource in helping communities mobilize efforts in diabetes prevention and care. Possessing cultural and historical knowledge and training in health promotion and social support, community health representatives (CHRs) are uniquely equipped to broker the needed relationship between a world shaped by culture and history and the world of conventional scientific knowledge. Grounded in principles of social support and interpersonal communication, as well as an understanding of their community’s strengths and history in health protection, CHRs are bridges distinctively positioned to connect these two worlds. With additional training and mentoring in diabetes care and prevention, CHRs, in their self-described roles as “in-between people,” can serve both as caring and knowledgeable community members and valuable members of the health care team.

Chinese health beliefs of older Chinese in Canada

Objectives. This study examines the cultural health beliefs held by older Chinese in Canada. Methods. Chinese surnames are randomly selected from the local Chinese telephone directories. Telephone screening is then conducted to identify eligible Chinese people 55 years of age or older to take part in a face-to-face interview to complete a structured survey questionnaire. Results. The results of exploratory factor analysis indicate that the health beliefs of the older Chinese are loaded onto three factors related to beliefs about traditional health practices, beliefs about traditional Chinese medicine, and beliefs about preventive diet. Education, religion, country of origin, length of residency in Canada, and city of residency are the major correlates of the various Chinese health beliefs scales. Discussion. The findings support the previous prescriptive knowledge about Chinese health beliefs and illustrate the intragroup sociocultural diversity that health practitioners should acknowledge in their practice.