A Hierarchy of Medicine: Health Strategies of Elder Khmer Refugees in the United States

Authors

Denise C. Lewis, University of GeorgiaFollow

Abstract

This study addresses ways Khmer refugee elders utilize traditional herbal medicine with Western biomedicine in the treatment and prevention of illnesses. Methods include semi-structured and informal interviews with elders and family members, semi-structured interviews with local health care providers and Khmer physicians, and participant observation of everyday life and actions specific to health beliefs and behaviors. Data reveal a reliance on traditional medical ideology for understanding and treating illnesses. Utilizing a traditional ideology, Khmer elders rely heavily on traditional treatments and use Western biomedicine as supplements or adjuncts to traditional preventive and curative practices. This research has important implications for health care providers who treat SEA elders, especially for di et and treatment of chronic illnesses often associated with aging populations.

Keywords

Aging, Complementary and Alternative Medici ne, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Southeast Asian

Publication Date

6-1-2007

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1631

Recommended APA Citation

Lewis, D. C. (2007). A Hierarchy of Medicine: Health Strategies of Elder Khmer Refugees in the United States. The Qualitative Report, 12(2), 146-165. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1631