The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58084

Eric Bailey, PhD, MPH, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 800, Bethesda, MD 20892, 301-594-1788, ebailey8@aol.com

The increased interest in and use of alternative and complementary medicine in the United States have garnered the attention of the National Institutes of Health, research scholars, and the general public. Despite this increased attention and general acceptance of alternative and complementary medicine, there is still a lack of insightful, detailed, and comprehensive analyses of African American alternative and complementary medicine. After re-examining 285 qualitative and quantitative interviews among African Americans in the Detroit metropolitan area along with reviewing other national alternative and complementary studies, the major reasons for African Americans continual use of alternative and complementary medical practices involve the individual: (1) connnecting with the holistic perspective to health as mind, body and spirit; (2) maintaining a sense of ethnic identity and connection; and (3) indicating a pattern of adaptation to social, economic and cultural conditions both within the African American community and in mainstream society. In addition, the ability of alternative medicines to prevent and reduce the damage of hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, stroke, and mental health disabilities is evaluated; and finally the connection between culture and medicine is explored in the context of health disparity and public health policy. The key to removing the large degree of misunderstanding and non-awareness of African American alternative medicine is to recognize how it continues to play a significant function in the African American community and also how it is interconnected to the cultural health belief system and tradition of its people.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• Define African American alternative medicine.
• Discuss its continual use for specific preventive and chronic diseases in the African Ameican community.
• Recognize effective culturally-oriented alternative and complementary medicine programs designed for African Americans.
• Evaluate the cultural aspect of alternative medicine in conjunction with the clinical assessment.
• Reassess the role that alternative and complementary medicine may have a positive impact on the health disparity issues in the African American community.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, African American

Related Web page: hometown.aol.com/ebailey8/myhomepage/profile.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.