The complete presentation, COVID-19 and Underserved Populations in Michigan, is available online.
The relationship between Anthropology and diseases goes all the way back to the beginning of the field of study; not only does Anthropology play a huge role in understanding the intertwining mechanisms of disease and culture, but it also shows how infectious diseases play out within these cultures and how the course of treatment plays out.
Introduction:
Now before I begin talking about what I did in my research, I’m going to give a brief introduction and some background knowledge of what I based my research questions off of. First, our daily lives have a lot of aspects governed under the field of anthropology. These implementations are more and more being implemented into the medical field. This was shown in previous research done that proves that understanding a patient’s cultural backgrounds from an anthropological aspect and treating them using means that better fit their lifestyles, for example diseases like malaria were slowly being treated and better cared for in countries in Africa. Since COVID-19 was a new strain of virus that has never been studied before, it was difficult to understand how the disease compared to other strains of viruses. No previous research existed on how the virus played out its course, who got infected, who was immune, and what symptoms existed and how did it differ from one person to the other. These previous research projects pave the road for my questions on how different cultures that are considered underserved in Michigan battled COVID-19 and if their diverse cultural backgrounds had a role in their treatment.
Methods:
The methods used to conduct my research was broken down into two attempts. The first attempt was to conduct a survey on a social media application like Instagram and collect information like treatment approach in handling COVID 19 and how confident the patients and participants were with their healing methods; Especially if it included any remedies that they have learned from their diverse backgrounds.
Due to the lack of data collected in the first attempt through the survey, an interview was conducted with a patient in Michigan who grew up overseas and information like how they dealt with COVID-19 and what worked and what didn’t work for them was collected. Throughout both attempts, participants confidentiality was promised and no personal information that can be traced back to one particular participant was collected.
Results:
As for the results of the first attempt, they were more or less divided. Almost all participants followed the CDC guidelines that were posted online while half of these participants also used homemade remedies that they claim to have helped in the healing process. Most of these remedies included green tea which from previous research is known to be an important antiviral.
As far as the results for the second attempt go, the patient noted that the pain relievers like Tylenol didn’t alleviate most of the patient’s symptoms. The patient also followed the CDC guidelines and quarantined and was socially distant from everyone they knew. The patient also consumed a lot of liquids primarily warm tea mixed with ginger powder which they claim to have cleared up their sinuses and helped with the body aches. The patient then concluded that they preferred their own homemade remedies in dealing with COVID-19 as opposed to strictly using over the counter medications.
Conclusions:
For the conclusions, it is safe to say that although guidelines posted by the CDC are helpful for the planet as a whole, a lot of people found relief using homemade remedies as well. Patients should also not be generalized into one category. And each patient should have their treatment tailored to fit their lifestyles and put their cultural background into consideration.
Finally, anthropology should be used in understanding and communicating with a patient to better build a powerful connection between the patient and their physician so that the healing process is quick, smooth, and efficient. In conclusion, although this isn’t a great representation of what effects diverse cultures have on diseases due to the limited participant pool, but this is a great representation of how future large-scale studies should look like, which makes a perfect study to better understand how cultural anthropology affects illnesses and treatment habits.
Sources:
1. Awale, Sonia, and Ramesh Kumar. The COVID-19 Plastic Pandemic. , 2020. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://explore-proquest-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2444438649?accountid=1599.
2. Blauer, Beth, and Jennifer Nuzzo. “Standards for Covid Testing.” New York Times, 24 Nov 2020. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://explore-proquest-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2467295505?accountid=1599
Tara Bradford-Eggert
April 30, 2021 — 7:20 pm
I did not realize that human evolution based on different cultures; the study of anthropology research, could help with disease eradication. I agree that patients should not be generalized into one category. A Cultural background should be considered in treatment. According to my.clevelandclinic.org, African Americans and Latino-Hispanics are more likely to end up in the hospital or die from Covid-19 than other ethnicities. It is important as a care provider to take race into consideration and know the facts on who may be a more vulnerable population in a medical situation.
alyssia dake
May 1, 2021 — 5:11 pm
I enjoyed reading this as many do not think of other cultures and their possible remedies. I do think that staying home was the biggest of all, just in the aspect it keeps you away from the general population. It was interesting to see in the study that green tea or home remedies were more effective than medication such as Tylenol. Given that Covid-19 is a respiratory bug that also can cause sore throats and clogged sinuses, it would make sense for warmer liquids, teas, and broths to be consumed as they have been found to alleviate symptoms in other illnesses. I think this was a great post, well done.
Erica Trojanowicz
May 2, 2021 — 6:45 pm
Anthropology plays a big roll in the effects of COVID. Each person responds differently to the virus. It is important to realize that culture and lifestyle and their effects must be considered before determining how to proceed with the treatment. Through surveys and research many individuals; after trying over the counter medication, believe that the homemade remedies were just as effective. The knowledge that has been gained throughout the COVID crisis should allow us the ability to handle future viruses more efficiently.
Destany W.
May 5, 2021 — 2:53 am
I have asthma so growing up I was always sick and in the hospital. I am a firm believer in home remedies. I would’ve liked to read what remedies the participates actually used. Also to see if they used remedies that didn’t work as much as some others. Overall good read and very informative.
Zoe Barber
May 6, 2021 — 11:15 am
I never realized that Anthropology can show how treatments and infectious diseases work and how they play out! I agree that the CDC can help us to course out treatment plans as a whole, however everyone works differently due to a difference in our bodies. It’s interesting how simple everyday remedies such as green tea helped to heal people with COVID-19. Although, drinks such as green tea would help to cure parts of Covid such as a sore throat. Overall, great post!
Isabella Garcia
May 6, 2021 — 2:05 pm
I like how you conducted two tests to see if there was a difference in responses to the CDC guidelines and home remedies. I am somewhat surprised that people believe at-home remedies helped them with their COVID-19 symptoms. I feel like a lot of people are making it seem like COVID-19 is so bad that not even at-home remedies such as green tea with ginger will have an effect on one with symptoms. Thank you for sharing your project. I think this was a great test with thorough results. Good job.
Kaylah R
May 9, 2021 — 11:01 pm
Hi!
I really enjoyed the work you have done. Comparing the two tests really shows how bodies work so much differently. When I experienced Covid-19, I was googling and googling and googling ways to get my taste and smell back. This was the only severe symptom that I personally experienced. It drove me crazy not being able to taste or smell a thing so I came upon an article that talked about essential oils. I would smell my essential everyday, multiple times a day and I could slowly feel my taste and smell coming back. I truly think this helped. Another thing that helped immensely was vitamins. I had cold like symptoms on top of the no taste/smell and so I decided to start taking vitamins. I instantly felt my body feeling better day by day and I think my recovery process was so big because of them. This was an extremely informative post that really got me think, nice work!
Yusra Kulam
May 10, 2021 — 11:06 am
I like how the experiment was divided into 2 groups, one being the response to CDC guidelines and the other with the responses to home remedies. I didn’t think that home remedies would help people alleviate symptoms as much. It is nice to see that each culture has a different set of home remedies that work particularly well for them. I agree with what you said towards the end, on how everyone should not be generalized into one category. It is important to conduct research and test with a diverse panel, so that way you can see what factors cause changes between the groups. Nice work!
Rayetta Coulter
May 10, 2021 — 12:44 pm
I was very enlighten by your presentation and I enjoyed it. I learned that are using holistic remedies to treat symptoms of COVID-19. The feel in the future their will be more research and support to support this practice. I found that people are using ginger, peppermint and lavender to treat the symptoms. I hope there is more advancements in the near future.