Ginseng and aspirin : health care alternatives for aging Chinese in New York / Zibin Guo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Guo, Zibin, 1961- author.

Series:

Anthropology of contemporary issues.

Anthropology of contemporary issues

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Transcultural medical care.

Minority older people.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 173 p. )

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, [2000]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Navigating the maze of modern American health care is rarely easy; those who enter it are confronted with a dizzying array of specialists, practitioners, and clinics from which to choose, and are forced to make decisions regarding drugs and treatments about which they may know very little. For immigrants, finding their way can be difficult-especially for those to whom Western medicine is itself unfamiliar.In this engaging, accessible, and detail-rich book, Zibin Guo narrates elderly Chinese immigrants' response to contemporary American medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes self-care and the medicinal value of foods and herbs; American doctors' responses to the ailments of their Chinese patients can seem impersonal and unnecessarily interventionist. Distrust, expense, and problems of communication and interpretation often frustrate both patient and practitioner.Guo paints a picture of a population that, despite its outward appearance of homogeneity, demonstrates a surprisingly wide variety of health-care knowledge, practice, and belief. Using case materials and interviews, he analyzes the blend of folk treatments and respect for Western science that coexist in the health care regimens of these elderly Chinese immigrants.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Tables

Preface

Introduction

Part I. Elderly Chinese Immigrants in Flushing

1. Setting the Stage

2. Chinese Americans in the United States - A Population of Diversity

3. The Research Site

4. Fieldwork in Flushing

Part II. Health Care Concepts and Resources

5. Aging, Migration, and Health

6. Traditional Chinese Medicine

7. Health Care in Modern China and Taiwan

8. Health Care Resources in Flushing

Part III. Aging and Health among the Chinese Elderly

9. Concepts of Aging

10. Big and Small Problems

11. Self-Care and Home Remedies

12. Health Care Decisions

13. Using the U.S. Health Care System

14. Conclusion

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781501721717

1501721712

OCLC:

1080549045