Last week, Keck presented her findings on the neurodegenerative disease to a small audience at the University of Guam library in Mangilao.
“As anthropologists, we are interested to get to know the concepts and ideas of the people we study. This applies to concepts and reflections about health and illness, and practices related to,” said Keck. “We do not just document health situations, but we try to understand how people explain and interpret sickness from their own ways, logic and point of view.”
The researcher elaborated on the role of culture and tradition in healing. Without knowing the cultural concepts and notions that heavily influence health seeking behavior, no successful health programs can be developed, Keck said. She further emphasized the importance of programs to address people’s needs, taking into consideration their understanding of being sick or healthy.
Keck said that a renowned suruhåna from Rota classified Lytico as a cold illness originating from women often as a consequence of giving birth, washing with water, or going outdoors on a cold night. In contrast, Bodig was not interpreted by Chamorros in the context of the hot-cold system, but as given in the family line, with the main risk factor being a lack of medicine needed to “grow in the proper way,” said Keck.
“The basic rule of healing is that cold diseases have to be cured with hot medicinal plants and vice versa,” the professor explained. Keck queried the audience on how Lytico-Bodig integrated into this concept ideology and range of treatments by the suruhånu and suruhåna —
the female pronunciation of the term.
The medical anthropologist said that Chamorro people have traditionally classified people, food, illness, and medicine under either a “hot” or “cold” category, adding that “Health was equaled as a balance between hot and cold.”
While not all Chamorros utilize the idea of balancing hot and cold, Keck said that “it is more commonly used by traditional healers as an explanatory model for illnesses, and, accordingly, for curing.”
The German anthropologist added that most traditional healers have admitted to being able to heal patients suffering from Lytico-Bodig; however, many patients still visit these healers as a compliment to regular medical treatment. Many have experienced temporary relief from anxieties through the traditional treatment. Keck added that “younger traditional healers are more ready to apply new methods that they have either read or heard about.”
Keck reinforced the need to understand a disease in the proper context by stating that “Diseases don’t just get names. They also acquire other cultural trappings, values, meanings, and even a cultural personality.”
