HLTHAGE 1AA3 Study Guide - Herbalism, Medical Anthropology, Traditional Medicine
7 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
The internal structures of health care systems are roughly the same across cultural boundaries, while the content varies with the social, cultural, and environmental circumstances of each system. Health care is described as a local cultural system composed of three overlapping parts: the popular, professional, and folk sectors: popular sector of health care. Can be thought of as a matrix containing several levels: individual, family, social network, and. Least studied and most poorly understood community beliefs and activities. Illness is first defined and health care activities are initiated in the popular culture arena. Typically lay people activate their health care by deciding when and whom to consult, whether or not to comply, when to switch between treatment alternatives, whether care is effective, and whether they are satisfied with its quality. The popular sector functions as the chief source and most immediate determinant of care. In cross-cultural studies, the popular sector has received far less attention than folk healing traditions.
