Mexican-American folk medicine: implications for the family physician

Literature of Mexican-American folk medicine and on Mexican-American utilization of conventional medical services suggests that folk medicine and utilization of conventional medical services are related. This study reports on interviews with 40 Mexican-American families randomly selected from the community. The results indicate that choice of conventional medical care and/or folk medicine is dependent upon the symptom, that families often use both folk and conventional medicine, that they are more likely to seek medical help for anxiety than for depression, and that knowledge of folk medicine is best acquired by asking about specific folk diseases. These findings have application in family practice.