A Clash of Cultures
American practice is to isolate medicine as its own trade, while Hmong practice is to accept that medicine is intertwined with all aspects of life. This cultural base is what fostered miscommunication between the Lees and the American medical system, and is what caused both sides of Lia’s medical care to be wildly contradictory. Neither the Lees nor Lia’s doctors budged on what they deemed to be correct medical practice, and misunderstandings between the two sides are what caused Lia’s medical care to be so tumultuous. Hmong believed that every aspect of the body is intertwined, and that the soul is the most integral part of life. Therefore, the source of most illness has to do with the soul, specifically soul loss. Hmong took a holistic view on everything, while American medical workers broke the body down into segments that need to be fixed. For example, Dan Murphy explained how he could not talk about diabetes as a pancreatic problem. “Most of them had no concept that the organs they saw in animals were the same as in humans, because they didn’t open people up when they died, they buried them intact” (69). These differences in basic conceptual outlooks completely shaped the way that Lia’s epilepsy was viewed between the two parties. To the Lees, “sometimes their thinking was that this was not so much a medical problem as it was a blessing” (22). This was because quag dab peg, their diagnosis for epilepsy, was the basis for someone becoming the honorable healer that was a txiv neeb. However, Americans saw epilepsy as a detrimental medical condition that could be curbed with medicine. “In fact, the Hmong view of health care seemed to me to be precisely the opposite of the American prevailing one” (61). …show more content…
Americans believed that every ailment has a beginning that is biological, and were willing to use invasive procedures to discover and cure such ailments. However, txiv neebs, Hmong shamans, did not even need to undress their patients, and believed that the soul needs to be treated along with the body (33). What Americans viewed as Hmong refusal of “the basic tools of modern medicine as self-defeating ignorance” (61), Hmong viewed said methods as harmful to the next life (33). It was cultural misunderstandings like these that led to the greatest problems. Txiv neebs offered solutions that were relatively definitive, such as sacrificing a dog, while most American methods were ever-changing. That was the reason why some Hmong accepted antibiotic therapy. “An antibiotic that could heal an infection almost overnight was welcomed” (34). These treatments fell in line with what the Hmong are used to. However, Neal was relentless, and would not accept a treatment less than perfect. Neal, Peggy, and other doctors gave amazingly diverse prescriptions, and “because these medications were prescribed in varying combinations, varying amounts, and varying numbers of times a day, the prescriptions changed twenty-three times in less than four years” (46). This, in addition to the fact that the Lee parents did not know English, was a recipe leading to them not administering the medicine as prescribed. American doctors were used to compliance and the belief that they know best. “They considered the relationship one-sided, with the Westerners holding all the knowledge” (37). On the other hand, medical practice was a family affair amongst Hmong culture. When Lia was initially returned to the Lees, “Foua and Nao Kao had obviously opted for traditional healing techniques and, as Jeanine noted, ‘trashed the meds’” (90). Foua and Nao Kao showed mistrust in accepted American practices, and chose instead what they deemed best for their daughter. The effect of both practices tugging from either side of Lia’s medical care ensured that neither were completely effective. Also, Hmong parents had complete control over their children and the decisions made for them, but in America that was not so. “Most patients accept the doctor’s explanation of why they got sick in the first place, and even if they resist the recommended treatment, they at least believe their doctor had prescribed it in good faith and that it is not designed to hurt them” (51). The Lees had no such faith that these medicines were for the good of Lia.
American practice is to isolate medicine as its own trade, while Hmong practice is to accept that medicine is intertwined with all aspects of life. This cultural base is what fostered miscommunication between the Lees and the American medical system, and is what caused both sides of Lia’s medical care to be wildly contradictory. Neither the Lees nor Lia’s doctors budged on what they deemed to be correct medical practice, and misunderstandings between the two sides are what caused Lia’s medical care to be so tumultuous. Hmong believed that every aspect of the body is intertwined, and that the soul is the most integral part of life. Therefore, the source of most illness has to do with the soul, specifically soul loss. Hmong took a holistic view on everything, while American medical workers broke the body down into segments that need to be fixed. For example, Dan Murphy explained how he could not talk about diabetes as a pancreatic problem. “Most of them had no concept that the organs they saw in animals were the same as in humans, because they didn’t open people up when they died, they buried them intact” (69). These differences in basic conceptual outlooks completely shaped the way that Lia’s epilepsy was viewed between the two parties. To the Lees, “sometimes their thinking was that this was not so much a medical problem as it was a blessing” (22). This was because quag dab peg, their diagnosis for epilepsy, was the basis for someone becoming the honorable healer that was a txiv neeb. However, Americans saw epilepsy as a detrimental medical condition that could be curbed with medicine. “In fact, the Hmong view of health care seemed to me to be precisely the opposite of the American prevailing one” (61). …show more content…
Americans believed that every ailment has a beginning that is biological, and were willing to use invasive procedures to discover and cure such ailments. However, txiv neebs, Hmong shamans, did not even need to undress their patients, and believed that the soul needs to be treated along with the body (33). What Americans viewed as Hmong refusal of “the basic tools of modern medicine as self-defeating ignorance” (61), Hmong viewed said methods as harmful to the next life (33). It was cultural misunderstandings like these that led to the greatest problems. Txiv neebs offered solutions that were relatively definitive, such as sacrificing a dog, while most American methods were ever-changing. That was the reason why some Hmong accepted antibiotic therapy. “An antibiotic that could heal an infection almost overnight was welcomed” (34). These treatments fell in line with what the Hmong are used to. However, Neal was relentless, and would not accept a treatment less than perfect. Neal, Peggy, and other doctors gave amazingly diverse prescriptions, and “because these medications were prescribed in varying combinations, varying amounts, and varying numbers of times a day, the prescriptions changed twenty-three times in less than four years” (46). This, in addition to the fact that the Lee parents did not know English, was a recipe leading to them not administering the medicine as prescribed. American doctors were used to compliance and the belief that they know best. “They considered the relationship one-sided, with the Westerners holding all the knowledge” (37). On the other hand, medical practice was a family affair amongst Hmong culture. When Lia was initially returned to the Lees, “Foua and Nao Kao had obviously opted for traditional healing techniques and, as Jeanine noted, ‘trashed the meds’” (90). Foua and Nao Kao showed mistrust in accepted American practices, and chose instead what they deemed best for their daughter. The effect of both practices tugging from either side of Lia’s medical care ensured that neither were completely effective. Also, Hmong parents had complete control over their children and the decisions made for them, but in America that was not so. “Most patients accept the doctor’s explanation of why they got sick in the first place, and even if they resist the recommended treatment, they at least believe their doctor had prescribed it in good faith and that it is not designed to hurt them” (51). The Lees had no such faith that these medicines were for the good of Lia.