When you’re not feeling well, would you rather buy a natural remedy at a farmer’s market or get a prescription from your doctor? Heather Millman, a master’s student in public issues anthropology, is trying to answer that question as part of her research on the intersection between traditional and modern medicine. She will spend this summer in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, where she will meet with female market vendors who sell natural remedies. Millman wants to find out how these treatments are used by the local population.
“They use a lot of plant-based remedies,” she says, adding that herbal teas like tereré, served cold, and maté, served hot, are especially popular in Paraguay and can be tailored to treat specific ailments.
Millman says Paraguayans who use natural remedies are no different than North Americans who swear by chicken soup for colds or ginger ale for an upset stomach. These remedies are often passed down from generation to generation, and people use them because they work, not because they read a scientific study that proves their effectiveness.
“A lot of western pharmaceuticals came from plants originally, so there might also be a scientific basis for natural remedies,” says Millman, adding that she may discover similarities between natural remedies used in North America and Paraguay. When she visited Paraguay last summer, she saw vendors selling plants that resembled echinacea, a popular cold remedy.
She also hopes to find out if cost is a factor when deciding whether to use a natural remedy or see a doctor. “Because government healthcare services are not always free or easily accessible in Paraguay, I imagine that going to a doctor could be more expensive than buying herbal remedies from the local market. I think cost is definitely an issue.”
The severity of their health concern may also determine whether people see a doctor first or visit a vendor selling traditional remedies. If trying an alternative medicine doesn’t work, will they take a prescription drug or vice versa?
Her research is also looking at how these remedies affect the livelihoods of those who sell them and the impact of global markets on local farmers. A growing number of Paraguayan farmers are switching to soybeans because the crop is more lucrative than traditional food crops.
“Soy is being used in a lot of different foods,” says Millman. “Small farmers are being pushed into cities, and their lands are being taken over by large-scale soybean farmers.” Growing soybeans instead of traditional food crops could lead to a dependence on imported food and ingredients for herbal remedies.
Millman’s adviser, Prof. Elizabeth Finnis in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for a three-year project that began in April 2009. Finnis is looking at the relationships between agricultural practices, environmental changes and food sovereignty among small-scale farmers in rural Paraguay.
Millman became interested in doing research in Latin America after a volunteer trip to Mexico as an undergrad in 2007. In her third and fourth year, she took classes with Finnis on biocultural anthropology, a branch of medical anthropology. As her interest grew, Millman began taking more seminars and reading courses on biomedicine.
“I was always interested in health and medicine from a broad perspective,” says Millman. “When I learned more about applying culture to health and how they interact, I became really interested in that. It seemed to be an area of anthropology that you could apply and use to make a difference. That’s what the public issues anthropology program is about at Guelph; it gears you toward engaging with the public on new studies so that you don’t write a thesis that just sits on a shelf. The program is very much about applying what you’ve learned.”