To most formally educated medical professionals, the diagnoses of susto, bilis, and empacho do not mean much. However, specially trained Hispanic healers known as curanderos often see patients inflicted with these ailments. With causes of illness attributed to such things as the loss of the soul, subjection to a curse, and/or possession by evil spirits, it is easy to see why some modern healthcare professionals would not put much stock in the practice of curanderismo.
However, that does not explain why this art of healing has become so popular in recent years. Among the Hispanic community, curanderos are just as important, if not more important, than the family physician. The aspect of personalization and emotional comfort offered by a curandero is something many clinical physicians do not have time to offer. The infamous image of the conventional doctor who makes a patient wait two hours, then offers the generic advice of getting more exercise, eating better, and taking pills, finds its antithesis in the Hispanic curandero. Many times, the patient will prefer the curandero over the regular doctor, not because the techniques are scientifically better, but because the sense of comfort associated with going to a curandero is that much greater. Oftentimes, the healer will spend an hour or more talking, relaxing, and comforting the patient, rather than just dispensing medical advice. The mindset that a sympathetic ear and an optimistic word are just as good for the health as engineered medicines is central to curanderismo's draw. This is especially true in the immigrant community where a new language, culture, and people can isolate and depress its members. In this case, the curandero can become someone to relate to and someone to help them in their transition.
But more than just a therapy session, the practice of curanderismo finds its foundation in Catholic prayer. Curanderos have strong religious faith and believe that they were given the ability to heal as a gift from God. Because of this strong basis in religion, many of curanderismo's cures involve praying to specific saints, chanting incantations, and using crucifixes and holy water to ward off negativity and evil spirits.
Other techniques include massages, spiritual cleansings, and herbal treatments. In their healing sessions these techniques are often combined, along with the use of various other objects (i.e., flowers, spices, eggs, crosses, candles, incense). For example, for the treatment of empacho, which is said to be a clogging of the intestine with something indigestible, the curandero performs a massage in which he pulls on the skin of the back just above the tailbone until the skin makes a snapping sound (this signifies that the clog has been cleared). Along with this massage, the body is sprinkled with holy water, rubbed down with herbs, and the patient is given lemon tea to finish the treatment.
While many espouse the positives of curanderismo, there is a limit to how far these treatments can help a patient. And curanderos are the first to admit this. The most commonly treated ailments by these healers are headaches and various body aches, and they treat them successfully. However, most curanderos will refer a patient to a physician if he is suffering from a serious disease, such as cancer or AIDS.
When you combine this aspect of curanderismo with its popularity, it is easy to understand why most Hispanics visit both curanderos and medical doctors. However, most will neglect to tell their medical doctor about their alternative treatments, which could result in an ineffective program of treatment, or even a harmful one. Because of this, many healthcare professionals feel that, especially in Hispanic communities, a partnership should be established between physicians and curanderos. This is the mindset that is responsible for the medical students at Loyola School of Medicine to be taught to ask about their patients' folk treatments. Many say this will become the trend, because even as a greater number of Hispanics will come to regular physicians for their major ailments, they still will seek comfort in curanderismo's soothing treatments.
Pavan is a first-year student at UIC. Currently, he is majoring in anthropology and biological sciences. His future plans include attending medical school.
