Dr Waldstein‘s timely paper examines why Mexican immigrants are healthier than their US-born peers. Supporters of President Trump’s wall might have us believe that Mexicans who enter the US illegally carry disease and take advantages of America’s healthcare system. But several large public health surveys suggest that most Mexican immigrants are healthier than the average American citizen. So what can Americans learn about health from their Mexican neighbours?
The article draws on research conducted for her PhD thesis in ‘Los Duplex’, one of the first Mexican immigrant neighbourhoods in the city of Athens, Georgia, in which Dr Waldstein investigated if traditional medical practice migrated with people from Mexico to the US. At the time of her study, about 75% of the 131 homes in Los Duplex were occupied by Mexican tenants. Most were recent immigrants who worked in a nearby poultry processing plant. Dr Waldstein collected family health histories and self-assessments of health, all generally positive, and found that Mexicans in the community approached health and healing by drawing on both traditional and mainstream medicine.
She found that Mexican immigrants in Los Duplex cared for and supported each other physically, emotionally and financially. Strong social networks help migrants cross the border and find jobs in the US. They also help spread knowledge of medical resources and traditional practices, which together form a holistic system of healthcare.
The Mexican families in Dr Waldstein’s studies had a relatively easy time accessing the mainstream medical system of Athens. But mainstream medicine was seen as a last resort. Immigrants reported that traditional Mexican health practices can often prevent or resolve problems before they require medical attention. Such practices promoted keeping calm, staying active and maintaining a positive attitude, to consuming traditional foods and herbal remedies.
The informants were asked why they thought Mexican immigrants were healthier than Americans. They attributed this to Americans’ overconsumption of fast foods, as well as the consumption of too many “pastillas” (pills). Overmedication may well be undermining the health of many Americans.
Of course, under-medication is also a problem for uninsured Americans and other groups with limited access to medical care, including some Mexican migrants, for example undocumented farm workers who earn so little they lack the means to see a doctor or pay for medicine.
Dr Waldstein’s research on Mexican immigrants suggests that both too much and too little mainstream medicine is a potential threat to health. Because of their traditional medical knowledge, the Mexicans of Los Duplex were able to achieve the right balance between complementary and mainstream medicine. This holistic approach to health and healing provides a valuable lesson for American citizens.
The full article can be viewed here.