On health myths

Happy Tuesday! 

All is well here in Manzanillo, gracias a Dios! I am ready for a busy summer. Schools out now and I am determined not to let my kids slack in attendance even though the beach is calling and the sun is shining (a little too much if you ask me, it's a solid 88 degrees here everyday and every night and it's getting harder and harder to sleep at night)! 

As my women and youth groups advance in our education course, the topics we cover become more advanced, there are often more details to cover, more misinformation to correct and more myths to debunk. This week, here’s a list of my top myths I’ve heard in my women and youth groups. Play along and see if you need to be in my education group!

Health Myth Quiz: True or False

1. President Obama sent the newest mosquito-born-illness, chikungunya (starts with an awful fever, turns into body pains and ends in a gruesome rash), here as a biological weapon to kill inferior races.

FALSE: I had to patiently explain to my host brother that, no, Obama did not create the chikungunya virus, and no, he is not trying to kill Dominicans. Another relative said the Haitians sent it over, but again I reminded them that the hospital is full of both Haitians and Dominicans, we are suffering just the same. Which led them full circle, “So like I said, Bea, it is Obama’s fault.”

2. You can’t get pregnant if you pee after having sex.

FALSE: My youth were really confused by this one. “You mean it doesn’t work like that? I can still get pregnant?” I looked at my youth and said, “Now kids, let’s review the lady and man bits once again.” After examining my beautifully drawn lady bits, they understood that the “pee hole” and the vagina are in two different places. Ahhhh...who knew?

3. If women have diarrhea, they shouldn’t breastfeed.

FALSE: “Pero, Bea, hace daño al niño!” No, my doña friends, having diarrhea does not to damage to your child. You should continue to breastfeed just the same. And as I’ve repeated more than a thousand times by now, “Dar el seno solo seno!” or “Give the breast, only the breast!” And on a positive note, my cousin just gave birth to a cute baby boy and she told me, “Bea, I promise to breast feed him!” YAY! One point for Bea! 

4. The moon is bigger than the sun.

FALSE: My host brother’s logic for this was that when you look at the moon it appears bigger than when you look at the sun. Again, after a little astronomy lesson and help from my favorite friend Google, we debunked this myth.

5. Real cows milk boiled with garlic cures brain cancer.

Well, who knows? From WebMd: “Garlic is used for many conditions related to the heart and blood system. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, and heart attack. Garlic actually may be effective in slowing the development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly reduce blood pressure. Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer.” So who am I to judge these homeopathic remedies? But it is also my job to make sure they get themselves checked out at a health clinic!  

6. HIV is transmitted through mosquito bites, hugging and handshakes. 

FALSE: HIV is transmitted through four substances and is present in one other. 1) Semen (including pre-ejaculate), 2) Breast milk, 3) Vaginal fluids, and 4) Blood and is present in saliva (but technically you would have to drink five gallons to acquire the virus). Additionally, as the acronym would suggest, it is a virus that is only transmitted from human to human: Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

7. Vicks Vapor Rub will cure anything.

TRUE: What, you didn’t know? From broken ankle to mosquito bites to stuffed up noses, Vicks will do the trick! To be used liberally much like Windex is used in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

It makes sense that many Dominican have these misconceptions. They come from speculation and a lack of education. As I’ve mentioned just a few times, Dominicans have quite a lot of time to sit around speculating and many do not receive formal education. These myths illustrate the importance of the work I am here to do. Education! 

There are some days when I get down on myself and feel like I have nothing to teach them, but then its comments such as the above that remind me why my work is so important. Let’s not continue to allow Dominican teenagers to become pregnant solely because they think they can have sex standing up and not get pregnant. And let’s help Dominican doñas go to the medical clinic when they have throbbing headaches and not just stay at home and drink garlic milk. There are interventions and education that I can and should provide within the cultural context here. Respecting a culture and improving lives and health outcomes do not have to be at odds with one another.

Oh, and I sure hope you got 100 percent on the “Health Myths Quiz” otherwise book your ticket down here and let's get you in my health groups!

Besos y abrazos, 

Bea