Illness and Culture

This document explores the relationship between illness and culture, focusing on the role of medical practitioners and psychological factors. It discusses the use of telemedicine and the internet for medical information, as well as the perception of genetically inherited disorders and their potential for cure. The document also includes references to relevant studies and research.

Running head: ILLNESS AND CULTURE
ILLNESS AND CULTURE
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Author Note

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Chapter 13- Telemedicine and the Internet
The source of medical information that patients mostly rely upon are that of the advice
from the doctors. Even in this age when almost all solutions and queries are provided in the
internet, people do not take the risk of self medication or of carrying out treatment on their own
by viewing a youtube video or by referring to the google (Helman, 2007). That is a justified way
of treating illness as the medical practitioners are experts and they understand the nuances of a
particular ailment that is bothering an individual. What might seem as a common cold can turn
out to be as preludes to pneumonia, and only a practicing medical personnel can determine that.
This is the technical aspect of relying upon the information of doctors or medical practitioners in
order to satisfy ones health care needs (Spector, 2002).
There are also psychological reasons as well which make people take the advice of the
medical practitioners with regard to the treatment of the ailments. The medical practitioners tend
to diagnose the condition of the patient before giving any decision about the ailment of the
patient (Helman, 2007). The medical practitioner takes a lot of care in knowing about the issues
of the patient and that provides the feeling to the patient that he or she is being treated. This
generates a psychological effect that the patient is being treated and that works wonders in
recovering the patient from illness. The feeling that one is being cared after is in itself a medicine
and does psychological wonders in speeding up of the process of treatment (Shepherd, 2019).
From a medical point of view, only a medical practitioner knows how to moderate and
adjust the dosage of the medicine. The medical practitioner advices the patient to pay visits until
and unless the state of health reaches a level of normalcy (Helman, 2007). If the medical
practitioner feels that there has been a deterioration in the state of health of the patient, or if there

2ILLNESS AND CULTURE
has been marked improvements in the state of health of the patient, then the dosage of the
medicine is adjusted accordingly by increasing or reducing the power. It is possible to know of
the symptons of a particular ailment in the internet but only a doctor can tell what exactly is
supposed to be done in order to treat an ailment holistically (Buse, Martin & Nettleton, 2018).
Chapter 14- New Bodies, New Selves, Genetics and Biotechnology
The level of awareness which a patient has about inheriting disorder depends on the type
of patient a medical practitioner is dealing with. Generally, patient do not have much knowledge
about whether the disorder can be prevented or not, or if the genetically inherited disorders can
be cured (Helman, 2007). The medical practitioners can make them believe or can provide the
necessary information if the genetically inherited disorders can be cured or not (Boucher,
Groleau & Whitley, 2019).
The patients usually do not believe that genetically inherited disorders can be cured or
controlled but they definitely look for hope if it can be cured. They only reconcile themselves to
believing if the signs of improvement are shown to them. However when complications tend to
arise, the patients tend to give up on their hopes that the genetically inherited disorders can be
cure (Helman, 2007). It all depends on the experience of the patients, and in most cases the
patients do nor or as a matter of fact they cannot be made to believe that they genetically
inherited disorders can be cured. At the most the patients suffering from genetically inherited
disorders can be made to believe that they can be brought under control but it is difficult to make
them believe that the genetically inherited disorders can be cured in totality (Gustavsson, 2017).
There is a psychological reason which inhibits people suffering from genetically inherited
disorders to not believe that their aliments can be cured. That can be majorly attributed to the fact

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that the idea that they are suffering from an ailment which is ingrained in their genes or they
shall sooner or later incur the disease. This feeling or sense of hysteria cannot be obliterated from
the minds of the people and that is the reason why patients suffering from genetically inherited
disorders do not believe that they can be cured or can be controlled (Helman, 2007).

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References
Boucher, M. E., Groleau, D., & Whitley, R. (2019). Recovery from severe mental illness in
Québec: The role of culture and place. Health & place, 56, 63-69.
Buse, C., Martin, D., & Nettleton, S. (2018). Conceptualising ‘materialities of care’: making
visible mundane material culture in health and social care contexts. Sociology of health &
illness, 40(2), 243-255.
Gustavsson, A. K. G. (2017). Folk Culture at the Interface between Emerging Public Health Care
and Older Forms of Healing. Health and Illness in a Coastal District of Western Sweden
in the Nineteenth Century. Arv. Nordic Yearbook of Folklore, 73, 51-90.
Helman, C. G. (2007). Culture, health and illness. CRC press.
Shepherd, S. M. (2019). Can a Connection to Culture Reduce Mental Illness Symptoms and Risk
for Future Violence?. Australian Psychologist, 54(2), 151-156.
Spector, R. E. (2002). Cultural diversity in health and illness. Journal of Transcultural Nursing,
13(3), 197-199.