Growing Pains

I’ve started to compare my feelings as a foreigner living in a new country to a constantly evolving romantic relationship. The relationship starts out pretty great – the “honeymoon” phase – where everything is new and exciting, and I can’t get enough (of the culture). A few months later, (okay- maybe more like weeks in my case) I settle more into reality and the novelties wear off a bit, and I begin to acknowledge little pet peeves – things that can be annoying, but at the same time kind of cute, endearing. I give it a few more (days? weeks? months?), and those things turn into straight up annoyances. As time goes on, it becomes a game of positives and negatives – well, these things aren’t ideal, but ________ makes it worth it. Now, we all know from my relationship track record that all of this can happen in a pretty short time span.

Fortunately for Peru, the pros still outweigh the cons. But, as I’m growing better with Spanish, and more insightful with the culture, I’m picking up on more and more health practices/beliefs that particularly drive me nuts. I haven’t made a list in awhile, so here goes- my list of Peru health-related growing pains:

- 1. Multiple injections in the butt (of a mystery solution) for any and every ailment... (sore throat? foot pain? eye infection?)

- 2. Use of antibiotics for everything (and prescribed for 1-2 days. Got into an argument with doctor the other day about whether antibiotic resistance is a proven phenomenon or not)

- 3. Insistence that you are sick because a) there was a change in the climate or b) you had ice cream/drank something cold

- 4. Belief that if your joint makes an audible noise, it is dangerous and means you have severe arthritis or a fracture

- 5. Osteoporosis diagnosis (so common here!), and patient is not educated to take calcium, let alone anything else for it

- 6. Similarly, my sister (who was down here for a few weeks volunteering in a Trujillo hospital and clinic) informed me about the problem with general practitioners and advocating avoidance of milk– often the doctors tell parents to avoid giving their kids milk when they have a minor illness. Now, nobody seems to ever drink milk and cheese is scarcely consumed (see #5)

- 7. Insistence of creams/lotions for musculoskeletal injuries

- 8. Belief that a cold shower or the use of ice is bad for injuries

- 9. Wrapping areas that hurt (with a scarf, sock, cloth etc.) – not to help with swelling, but to keep it warm at all times

- 10. Belief that if you bundle up at the gym or when you go running, you will burn more calories (similarly, cranking up the heat for gym exercises classes! I think the only place I’ve found an actual heater in Perú has been at the gym)

- 11. Belief that a back brace is necessary for any physical activity (running, spinning class), regardless of whether the person has a history of back pain

- 12. Lack of patient education, or very improper patient education / diagnosis

- 13. General dependence on MD, external locus of control and desire to medicate/ take a pill for everything (Doctors here even sell little bags of a powder called “stress medicine!”)

Also, depending on where you are in Peru, you may observe some other very unique practices related to health. I recently had a patient in a more rural area tell me that she rubs human urine all over her body to help with her low back pain (and swears by it!) I’ve also learned that Peruvians will sometimes rub a (live) guinea pig all over their body when they are ill, and then they kill it and cut it in half. The organ in the guinea pig with damage corresponds to the origin of their own health problem.

With the exception of urine and guinea pigs, in noting these cultural tendencies, it seems that in general some of these beliefs and medical practices can be compared to how the US was – 50 years ago. It sounds like many people in my parents’ generation grew up with some of the same common practices. It’s frustrating to observe some of these practices, but also important to be respectful of the cultural differences, as difficult as it may be. Though this list of “cons” seems daunting – don’t worry, my positive experiences and joys of being part of the Peruvian culture are overflowing, and (contrary to my usual relationship patterns) we won’t be breaking up soon – at least until October.