cultural interview paper

Cultural Interview Paper
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Introduction
According to The EuroMed Info (2016), culture determines the willingness of people in a certain community to seek treatment for different illness. For instance, the Asian Indians have cultural beliefs founded on religion and traditional perceptions. These cultural beliefs affect the way they perceive medication and treatment. In order to understand and provide accurate views of Asian Indians with regard to healthcare, I interviewed a 54-year-old Asian Indian man with the name initials K.A.S. The interview responses were as below:
Religion and Treatment
The man claimed that the Indian culture appreciates the use of modern medicine and treatment approaches. However, despite healing being associated with medical treatment, the Indians believe that their God plays a significant role. In this regard, God is perceived as a force that controls the impact of the treatment and care of the patient. Therefore, the medicine itself is not significantly important if God is not involved through prayer to intervene and cause it to treat. The man continued to elaborate that diseases originate from an individual’s sins in the past. In this regard, the sick people are advised to pray to God through reciting Charms and asking for spiritual intervention. Upon healing, the patient regards it as a sign that God heard their prayer, and forgave their initial sins.
Home Remedies
Mr. K.A.S claimed that the Asian Indians considered home remedies such as yoga important in maintaining good health.

He explained that when one is involved in yoga, which is characterized by breath control, specific bodily stance and simple meditation, he or she is able to reduce chances of being infected with certain mental and physical illness. Therefore, most Indians practice yoga with the perception that it improves their general health.
Non-Medical Practitioners
The man claimed that they consulted with herbalists that are not medical experts whenever they are sick. This is due to the common belief that the herbalists control spirits. For instance, they can cast spells, heal diseases, destruct witchcraft and influence fortune.
Role of Family
The man claimed that the family acted as the comforter and carer to the patient. In this regard, family members complimented the roles of the nurse in hospitals and at home. Additionally, the family plays the role of contacting an appropriate spiritual leader or herbalist to intervene in the patient ailment process.
Herbs/Food for Healing and Non-Western Medicine
According to Mr. K.A.S, the Indians use both herbs and some foods as medicine: for instance, they use Turmeric to relief stomach bloating, disinfect wounds and increase appetite. Also, they use the Cardamom and Cinnamon in diabetes management. They use herbs such as Allium, Momordica charanta, and Withania somnifera. For non-western medicine, the Asian Indians use the Acupuncture and Ayurveda treatment alternatives.
Comparison
The responses from the interview are in agreement with existing literature on the Asian Indian culture (The DC, 2016). For instance, from both literature and the interview, Indians practice yoga for mental and physical health improvement. They believe that spiritual intervention is important in controlling evil spirits that cause diseases (The EuroMed Info, 2016). Also, they consult different goddesses in the temple for healing.
Based on the literature, the Indians have non-western medicine such as Acupuncture that is used as an alternative to medical treatment. They use foods such as garlic, chili pepper and cinnamon for treatment and health improvement. The literature also presents the family as an important system that provides support to the patient during treatment (Alagiakrishnan & Chopra, 2001). However, the literature presents that the Indian culture is against certain treatment strategies such as organ transplant.

References
Alagiakrishnan, K., & Chopra, A. (2001). Health and health care of Asian Indian American elders. Curriculum in ethnogeriatrics: Core curriculum and ethnic specific modules [Internet].
The DC . (2016). Cross-Cultural communications for healthcare professional. The Dimensions of Culture. Retrieved on 11/7/16, from, http://69.89.27.205/~dimensk6/?page_id=1098
The EuroMed Info. (2016). How culture influences health beliefs. EroMed Info. Retrieved on 11/7/16, from, http://www.euromedinfo.eu/how-culture-influences-health-beliefs.html/