Folk Remedies in Children

I wsa scanning the contects of the March issue of Pediatrics and came across this electronic article.

"The use of folk remedies among children in an urban black community: remedies for fever, colic, and teething."

The study was to identify folk remedies used to treat fever, colic, and teething in black children in Detroit, Michigan. The subjects were all patients of the pediatric clinic at Children's Hospital in Michigan. It has previously been reported that the use of folk remedies is prevalent among the black population because of lack of access to health care, language or cultural barriers, socioeconomic status, or mistrust of physicians. One major reason is because it is culturally traditional, being passed from one generation to the next, and patients see the remedies as being effective.

The article defines folk remedies as "herbs, food products, or household items that are recommended by members of the lay community". Black folk medicine is a combination of African and Native American traditional medicine from as long ago as the European colonization of the south eastern coast of North America. It came to be known as "rootwork" because many of the medicines came from plant roots.

Participants in the study were more likely to use both folk remedies and the pediatric clinic for their child's health care. The study also pointed out that at times, in keeping with patient's tradition, medical personnel were likely to recommend harmless folk remedies to patients.

The article talks about the motivations behind why caregivers use folk remedies. But on the other hand, it is worthy of note that folk remedies are rarely discussed with care providers, for fear of disapproval or misunderstanding that use of such remedies may lead to Social Services intervention. Most of the remedies discussed in the article are harmless to the child, but there is a list of those that can be potentially harmful.

As you have already gleaned, the point of the article is that certain segments of the population use folk remedies and it is important that clinicians be aware of what is being used. There needs to be detailed medical history taken so that families can be aware of what will, and will not be, potentially harmful. All prescribed and non-prescribed medications and procedures need to be noted. Allowing open discussion will pave the way for a better relationship between caregiver and clinical staff.

Footnote: If you haven't read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Anne Fadiman), I recommend you put it on your summer reading list. It is a beautifully written book that explores just this topic, the interation between the Hmong community and Western medicine. You can even borrow it from the Yale Library.