Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 19, Issue 5, 2017, Pages 1186-1195

Mexican Sobadores in North Carolina: Manual Therapy in a New Settlement Context (Article)

Quandt S.A.* , Sandberg J.C. , Graham A. , Mora D.C. , Stub T. , Arcury T.A.
  • a Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
  • b Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
  • c Graham Chiropractic PLLC, 1300 Ashley Square, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, United States
  • d Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
  • e Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Sykehusveien 23, Tromsø, 9037, Norway
  • f Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States

Abstract

Latino immigrants to the New Settlement area of the southeastern United States face structural and cultural obstacles to accessing the conventional health care system, and come from areas with long traditions of medical treatments from healers without professional training or licensure. Little is known about the use of such healers in New Settlement areas. This study focuses on sobadores, healers who use manipulative therapy. Goals were to describe sobadores practicing in North Carolina, including their background, conditions treated, and their understanding of the pathophysiology of their patients’ conditions and how their treatments work. The paper also describes who sobadores treat and sobadores’ understanding of where their treatment fits into patients’ pursuit of relief from symptoms. This focused ethnography draws from in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with six sobadores from Mexico practicing in North Carolina. These sobadores appear to meet both structural and cultural needs for healthcare in the immigrant Latino population. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Folk medicine Immigrant health Manual therapy Traditional healer healthcare USA

Index Keywords

human epidemiology middle aged North Carolina Aged procedures Hispanic Americans interview Humans migrant psychology Hispanic traditional medicine Interviews as Topic male Emigrants and Immigrants Medicine, Traditional Aged, 80 and over female very elderly Musculoskeletal Manipulations musculoskeletal manipulation adult
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84979505711&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-016-0466-3&partnerID=40&md5=84388b75c9ee558d37da5f70a04c673f
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-016-0466-3
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English