BACKGROUND Despite the relatively effective roll-out of free life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy (ART) in public sector clinics in Zambia since 2005, and the proven efficacy of ART, some people living with HIV (PLHIV) are abandoning the treatment. Drawing on a wider ethnographic study in a predominantly low-income, high-density residential area of Lusaka, this paper reports the reasons why P...

In contemporary Navajo society, traditional Navajo ceremonies, Native American Church prayer meetings, and Navajo Christian faith healing are all highly sought-after resources in the everyday pursuit of health and well-being. What is the nature of affliction among patients who turn to such forms of religious healing? Are these patients typically afflicted with psychiatric disorder? In this arti...

till I have worked up my patients into a confidence bordering upon certainty, of their probable good effects.” William Osler, the most prominent physician of the 20th Century, remarked: “Faith in us, faith in our drugs and methods, is the great stock in trade of the profession.” In Osler’s iconic textbook (which has guided medical students for over four generations), he said that three factors ...

OBJECTIVE The "psychic healing" ability of a well-known Australian psychic was subjected to a televised experimental test. METHODS Twenty volunteers suffering from chronic pain were recruited by newspaper advertisements. Half were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition using a double-blind procedure. RESULTS Comparison of pre- and posttreatment McGill Pain Questionnaire rat...

OBJECTIVES To provide counter evidence to existing literature on healer shopping in Africa through a systematic analysis of illness practices by Ghanaians with diabetes; to outline approaches towards improving patient centred health care and policy development regarding diabetes in Ghana. DESIGN Longitudinal qualitative study with individual interviews, group interviews, and ethnographies. ...

Objectives To provide counterevidence to existing literature on healer shopping in Africa through a systematic analysis of illness practices by Ghanaians with diabetes; to outline approaches towards improving patient centred health care and policy development regarding diabetes in Ghana. Design Longitudinal qualitative study with individual interviews, group interviews, and ethnographies. Setti...

People with Sami and Norwegian background are frequent users of traditional folk medicine (TM). Traditional healing, such as religious prayers of healing (reading) and the laying on of hands, are examples of commonly used modalities. The global aim of this study is to examine whether health personnel's knowledge, attitudes and experiences of traditional healing affect their clinical practice. S...

OBJECTIVE Describing the Emberá-Chamí Indians' traditional medical system (Caldas Department, Colombia). METHODS This was an ethnographic study which involved 4 traditional doctors, 2 midwives, 3 healers, a faith-healer (medicine man) and 10 community members who were selected by theoretical sampling. Interviews, field diaries and participant observation were used in line with credibility, au...

This article explores the effect of priests’ sexual abuse on victimized girls and young women. The data were obtained from in-depth interviews with women who were seeking help years after the violation. The results revealed the following themes: the loss of innocence, a period of self-blame, the loss of religious faith, immense pressure to maintain silence, recognition of the imbalance of power...