The Hmong people prefer shamans over doctors. So one hospital decided to provide both.
When your culture doesn't believe in medicine, how can a hospital bridge that gap and provide health care when you really need it?
That was the Hmong community's dilemma when they resettled in Merced, California. Originally from the rural mountains of southeast Asia, the Hmong mainly worked as farmers before getting caught in the crossfire of the Vietnam War. With the death toll rising, the Hmong were forced to flee to countries such as Thailand, France, and the United States.
All images via Dignity Health.
When it comes to treating illnesses, the Hmong believe in the healing power of shamans — not doctors — to ward off bad spirits, which they consider to be the true source of sickness. Hmong shamans are mediators between the physical and spiritual world and are known to sacrifice animals and go into trances to retrieve wayward spirits and heal their patients.
This method, however, isn't recognized by western culture. So when many Hmong first moved to the U.S., they were understandably overwhelmed by the advancements in modern medicine that some of them were seeing for the first time. Because of that, they would avoid the hospital and only go for treatment when their condition was absolutely critical.
Mercy Medical Center decided to bridge this cultural gap and take a different approach to make their new patients comfortable. Watch how it all unfolded right here:
There was a huge culture shock on both sides when Hmong community members first made their way to Merced.
Hospital procedures can be a scary thing, but just imagine how scary they can be if they're all new to you. The Hmong weren't aware of the science of the human body and how the body functions. Their language also doesn't directly translate many medical terms, so they often didn't understand what doctors were telling them.
Mercy Medical Center also initially wasn't aware of the practices of the Hmong shamans. For example, they didn't know that shamans tie a string around the wrist of the patient to keep bad spirits away, and, not knowing its meaning, some hospital staff would cut it off.
But as time went by, both sides came to understand that each had the patient's interest in mind, and everyone wanted to find a way to make sure that patients were getting the best treatment possible. The answer? Make shamans part of the hospital culture.
"We wanted to bring the shaman into the hospital because we understand that healing is looking at the person as a whole," says Janice Wilkerson, mission integration director at Mercy Medical Center. "It’s body, mind, and spirit."
Hmong shamans and doctors now work hand in hand to heal their patients.
The shamans are taught how a hospital functions, and in turn, the shamans expose the doctors more about their culture. "To learn more about the traditional belief, the spiritual healer, to listen to them, to see how they do it, how do they help the patient," adds Palee Moua, director of S.E.A. engagement.
Shamans are now able to go through a series of classes that help seamlessly integrate them into the hospital culture. In addition, the hospital allows nine different ceremonies that shamans are able to perform for their patients. Most of these ceremonies involve soft chanting where, according to the shamans, they are able to strengthen the patient's body or, in certain cases, retrieve their soul.
"The doctors respect me as much as a doctor," says Xia Vang, a Hmong shaman who works at Mercy Medical Center.
Other hospitals around the U.S. are following suit and embracing the cultural practices of their immigrant communities.
A 2007 survey conducted by The Joint Commission shows how hospitals around the U.S. are embracing these cultural changes and listening more to the needs of their patients. The survey not only identified the challenges that arise, but also pointed out concrete ways to address them — whether it's fixing the language barrier or employing a more diverse staff. Because of advancements like this, the relationship between health care provider and patient can only get stronger.
That's why we're seeing health care developments such as the Good Samaritan Hospital putting Korean seaweed soup on their maternity ward menu and birthing doulas being provided for Somali women in cities like Minneapolis.
When hospitals, like Mercy Medical Center, provide treatment and respect their patients' cultures, they're able to improve their quality of life in a much more impactful way.
It can be a challenging hurdle to overcome for sure, but when we open our minds and hearts to the differences that other cultures bring, amazing things can happen.
"Whatever issues we have, we should be open and go learn with our western counterparts," adds Xia Vang. "We should not stay at home, or else we won’t see the larger path ahead of us."
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
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Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.