The Intersection of Curandismo and Western Medicine and Their Epidemiological Impact for Aging Mexican Americans.

The rising costs of health care in the United States continue to stimulate interest in alternative health care options among Americans. Western medicine is also beginning to pay more attention to these alternative practices and their utility for successful treatment of illness. Alternative health care practices have always been used by Hispanics whose mortality and morbidity profiles have stimulated interest from researchers. Though Hispanics occupy some of the lowest socioeconomic positions in the United States, they have higher life expectancy rates and comparable rates of morbidity for many health conditions relative to other racial/ethnic groups. This has been referred to as the "Hispanic health advantage" and the "Hispanic health paradox" [Turra CM, Elo IT. The impact of salmon bias on hispanic mortality advantage: new evidence from social security data. Popul Res Policy Rev. 2008;27:515. Franzini L, Fernandez-Esquer ME. Socioeconomic, cultural, and personal influences on health outcomes in low income Mexican-origin individuals in Texas. Soc Sci Med. 2004;59(8):1629-1646. George M. The Mexican-American health paradox: the collective influence of sociocultural factors on Hispanic health outcomes.

DISCUSSIONS: 2013;9(2):2-3. Gallo LC, Penedo FJ, Espinosa de los Monteros K, Argueles W. Resiliency in the face of disadvantage: do hispanic cultural characteristics protect health outcomes. J Pers. 2009;77(6):1707-1746. Turra CM, Goldman N. Socioeconomic differences in mortality among U.S. adults: insights into the Hispanic paradox. J Gerontol. 2007;62(3):184-192]. Even when controlling for socioeconomic status and education, life expectancy for Hispanics is greater than that of whites (CDIC, 2015). Debate about the causes of this paradox continues and some data indicates that the paradox is specific to older Hispanics (i.e., middle and older ages). Among Hispanic ethnic groups, this "paradox" has been most salient for Mexican Americans, therefore, this chapter focuses on Mexican Americans and the intersections of traditional health care practices among Mexican Americans (curandismo) with the practice of Western medicine to explore how they combine and conflict to impact aging Hispanics in three health areas: diabetes, menopause, and dementia.