Continuity of care: The ongoing use of "bush medicine" as a transnational therapeutic health practice in Guyanese immigrant communities

Health Place. 2021 Aug 9;71:102643. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102643. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTUsing in-depth interviews with Guyanese immigrants in North America this paper argues their therapeutic landscapes are produced transnationally and these transnational therapeutic landscapes impact their ongoing health practices in the country of settlement. The results reveal that the historical use of traditional "bush medicine" provided a resilient response to inaccessible biomedical healthcare in Guyana. However, the continued use of bush medicine in the countries of settlement is not a result of barriers to healthcare. Instead, continued use constitutes a transnational therapeutic health practice that is tied to historical use, perceived efficacy of treatments, and participants' perceptions of Guyana as a therapeutic landscape.PMID:34385054 | DOI:10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102643
Source: Health and Place - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research