Folk Healers and Self - Care of Esan Villagers : Ease Study
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The research revealed that among 18 folk healers, the majority was the integrated folk healers such ad being both the blowing healer (Mor Pow) and the herbal healer, or being the plant oil healer and Brahm healer (Mor Brahm). The treatment of diseases has developed into the integrated methods. Transliterally, the step of folk healer’s treatment generally started with checking the symptoms, treatment and was followed by setting for the Khai after the recovery except for magic healer (Mor Lum Song) and Dhamma healer (Mor Dhamma) which started with settlement for the Khai first because of the belief in sacred power of khai in healing the illness. The self care behavior of villagers was that if the children (new – borne to 1 year) were ill, the villagers would neither go to see folk healer nor to purchase the drug by themselves, but they would go to the village health office or community hospital. If the children were sick with the socalled, Kam lerd diseae, they would go o see the new borne group.
For general villagers the diffarent self – care patterns were discovered i.e., purchasing the drug to take and going to the village health office or hospital if not getting better, or seeing the folk healer thay believed for some diseases and going to the village health office or community hospital for the immediate illness , However, if the treatment at the hospital did not produce a cure or treated together. Four significant reasons that mabe the villagers stay with folk healers’ treatment were 1. Their health belief belief due to the super natural things, 2. Past experiences, 3. Fame and specific salability folk healer, and 4. No vecoveyry from illness or worse symptom when treated by modern medical doctor.
