Research Mentor(s)
Drickey, Kristen
Description
Starting in 2000, Mexico’s healthcare system has undergone a huge redesign. This specifically increases access treatment for diabetes, which is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Mexico. Modernization of the health system has had unequal effects on diabetes treatment in the north versus the south of Mexico, as the more urbanized north has a larger access to treatment centers and hospitals. In the south, many patients don’t have access to biomedicine and rely on traditional medicines to treat diabetes. These traditional medicines do have efficacy in lowering blood glucose, along with addressing other symptoms of diabetes. Additionally, southern Mexican culture may prefer the use of traditional cures, as they address a wider swath of physical and spiritual symptoms than biomedicine. However, traditional plant-based cures also contain more inactive ingredients which can accumulate in the body and cause liver damage, whereas pharmaceuticals contain a purified form of the active anti-diabetic molecule. As Mexico expands its revamped medical system into the country’s south, a syncretic approach to medical treatment could improve health outcomes, incorporating traditional medical beliefs with more potent biomedicine in order to manage diabetes holistically.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
15-5-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
15-5-2019 5:00 PM
Location
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Department
Modern and Classical Languages
Genre/Form
student projects, posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Diabetes--Treatment--Mexico; Traditional medicine--Mexico; Public health--Mexico
Geographic Coverage
Mexico
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Syncretic Diabetes Management in Mexico: Towards Equitable Health Outcomes
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Starting in 2000, Mexico’s healthcare system has undergone a huge redesign. This specifically increases access treatment for diabetes, which is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Mexico. Modernization of the health system has had unequal effects on diabetes treatment in the north versus the south of Mexico, as the more urbanized north has a larger access to treatment centers and hospitals. In the south, many patients don’t have access to biomedicine and rely on traditional medicines to treat diabetes. These traditional medicines do have efficacy in lowering blood glucose, along with addressing other symptoms of diabetes. Additionally, southern Mexican culture may prefer the use of traditional cures, as they address a wider swath of physical and spiritual symptoms than biomedicine. However, traditional plant-based cures also contain more inactive ingredients which can accumulate in the body and cause liver damage, whereas pharmaceuticals contain a purified form of the active anti-diabetic molecule. As Mexico expands its revamped medical system into the country’s south, a syncretic approach to medical treatment could improve health outcomes, incorporating traditional medical beliefs with more potent biomedicine in order to manage diabetes holistically.