How people respond to illness in Mexico: self-care or medical care?

Flores, René Leyva; Kageyama, Masako; Erviti-Erice, Joaquina

doi:10.1016/s0168-8510(00)00136-6

Cited by 44 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…First, professional medical care is relatively unaffordable to large segments of the population. More than half of those with serious illnesses do not use medical services because they find them to be too expensive or they do not have the resources to obtain needed medical care [8]. According to survey data from the 2000 National Health Survey, total out-of-pocket medical expenditures for the most recent ambulatory curative services received was 236 pesos [9].…”

Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Leyva-Flores et al [8] use survey data from the 1994 National Health Survey (NHS) of Mexico and find that 70% of respondents with minor health problems did not use professional medical care because they thought it was unnecessary. There is also the perception that public healthcare facilities do not have the resources to substantially improve healthcare access, particularly for the poor and the uninsured [10].…”

Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leyva-Flores et al [8] find that about one-third of those self-medicating for a health problem did so using home remedies or a combination of home remedies and medicines. Their study suggests that although selfmedication and professional medical care coexist in Mexico, self-medication will continue to be practiced, particularly among the poor and those with difficulties accessing formal healthcare.…”

Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico

et al. 2006

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Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background: Why Self-medication Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico

et al. 2006

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“…Biomedical clinics were slow to spread through rural Mexico, many people cannot afford professional biomedical care (Leyva-Flores et al 2001), and, as my research participants suggest, medicinal plant remedies are considered safer and=or more effective than pharmaceutical medicines. Although medicinal plant use and other self-care practices have evolved since the colonial era, they never fell into disuse.…”

Section: How Might Mexican Migrant Popular Medicine Compare With Selfmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, folk and popular medical traditions remained widespread throughout Mexico's history and are still the most important sources of medical care in most Mexican communities (Berlin and Berlin 1996;Browner 1985;Frei et al 1998;Leyva-Flores, Kageyama, and Erviti-Erice 2001). Mexico's heritage of indigenous cultures has made it a nation with a complex cultural wealth of traditional medical systems (Lozoya 1994).…”

Section: How Might Mexican Migrant Popular Medicine Compare With Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Popular Medicine and Self-Care in a Mexican Migrant Community: Toward an Explanation of an Epidemiological Paradox

Waldstein

2010

Medical Anthropology

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While Hispanics are among the most economically disadvantaged groups in the United States, immigrants from Latin America have health profiles equal to or better than Americans of European descent. Research on this epidemiological paradox suggests that aspects of Hispanic culture prevent negative health outcomes associated with poverty, poor education, and barriers to professional care. However, little attention has been given to the ethnomedical beliefs and practices of any Hispanic subgroup. Here I present an ethnographic study of women's popular medicine in a Mexican migrant community in Athens, Georgia. Migrant women promote healthy behaviors, diagnose sick family members, and prescribe home remedies. These practices stem from long traditions of self-medication and family care, which have experienced less disruption by the biomedical profession than have other North American popular medical systems. Examining Mexican popular medicine within the context of scientific literature suggests that these self-care practices protect health and should be considered by investigators of the "Hispanic health paradox." The study also suggests that directing more attention to self-care will be fruitful for medical anthropology.

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Pharmacies and the Pharmaceutical Industry in Latin America

Homedes¹,

Fugh‐Berman²

2019

World Med & Health Policy

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Latin American community pharmacies treat large segments of the population, especially the poor. Self‐medication rates are high, and prescription‐only medicines are often available without a prescription. Patients rely more on pharmacists’ advice than clinicians’, but conflicts of interest are rampant: companies may offer discounts, extra drugs, or a higher profit margin to pharmacy owners; pharmacy staff recommendations may be compromised by lack of education or financial incentives, including bonuses and commissions for recommending specific drugs. Pharmacists and staff rely on pharmaceutical company education on drugs. Pharmacy chains, which tend to provide poorer service, are replacing family owned pharmacies in most Latin American countries. Pharmacies are a de facto safety net for the poor and uninsured and should be considered part of the health‐care system, not just commercial establishments. Medicine dispensation should be professionalized, and pharmaceutical company‐funded education should be banned to minimize the conflicts of interest that affect medication recommendations.

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How people respond to illness in Mexico: self-care or medical care?

Cited by 44 publications

References 9 publications

Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico

Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico

Popular Medicine and Self-Care in a Mexican Migrant Community: Toward an Explanation of an Epidemiological Paradox

Pharmacies and the Pharmaceutical Industry in Latin America

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