Last Friday, I twisted my knee when I went to pick up a heavy bag while wearing some new wedge sandals. (I swear that designers keep making them more and more narrow!) By Sunday I could hardly walk. But a__fter turning to family and the internet for some medical tips,__ by the time Monday came I was doing a lot better.
It's interesting to see how my Latin heritage and cultural beliefs still dominate my attitudes and behavior despite the fact that I've been in this country for nearly three decades! Studies show that a large percentage of Latinos lack health insurance and a regular health care provider–and although finances is a key reason, the primary reason cited is that Latinos say that they are seldom sick.
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I am not sure if this is true because we're healthier than the general population or due to our optimistic outlook on life and strong work ethic. And when we do get sick we tend to rely on our friends, family, the local pharmacist or the internet to treat ourselves and not a doctor (unless we're at our deathbeds)!
My aunt, who happened to be visiting from Chile, gave me similar advice to what I found on the internet–R.I.C.E. or R (rest), I (ice), C (compress), and E (elevate). This, along with prayer, radically improved by condition.
Another key reason Latinos don't have health care is because many don't understand the U.S. health care system. I personally think I have a pretty good grasp of how my insurance works, but that's a key reason why I didn't go to the doctor. The thought of waiting for hours, going from general practitioner to the X-ray center (that's part of my insurance's network) and having to pay $40 for each visit to a specialist all served as discouragement to go this route.
Finally, another typical behavior of Latinos is to self-medicate and rely on home remedies, which as you can imagine can be dangerous. Not only did I take some strong, unknown pain medication that my tía brought from Chile but I started the whole process by applying a mentholatum heat rub that my abuela used when she had muscle aches. Well the heat caused swelling and even more discomfort at first! I searched for home remedies but outside of ice found none so this time this source failed me!
Nearly a week later, I'm almost back to normal although still limping. If I don't get better, next stop will be my Tarot card reader and if that doesn't work then I'll have to go to the doctor!
Image via Thinkstock
