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Biomedical subjects

D J Hufford

Publications and source records attributed to D J Hufford.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Folk medicine and health culture in contemporary society.

Folk medicine comprises "unofficial health beliefs and practices" which rely heavily (but not exclusively) on oral transmission. It is one form of alternative medicine, and a major source for many other forms such as phytotherapy and mind/body medicine. While many folk medicine ideas and practices are associated with particular ethnic groups, many others are widely distributed throughout American society. Folk medicine is not dying out in the modern world. Because it has both medical benefits and risks, effective medical care with folk medicine requires awareness and discussion of its influence.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1996

Culturally grounded review of research assumptions.

In this article 11 assumptions underlying many discussions of alternative medicine are discussed and critiqued: that (1) cultural factors merely constitute noise in research data that can be removed by proper design; (2) the only proper goal of alternative medicine research is the incorporation of effective practices into medicine; (3) physicians are the primary consumers of good alternative medicine research; (4) control of pathology is the sole measure of the effectiveness of alternative medicine; (5) effects on pathology can be fully separated from effects on perception or quality of life; (6) effects on individual health should be the sole focus of alternative medical research; (7) medicine is aware of all sicknesses appropriate for alternative medicine research; (8) subjective data are less valuable than objective data; (9) the best leads for research come from recognizable systems with advocates; (10) more "modern-looking," highly articulated forms are necessarily better research "bets"; and (11) all good candidates for alternative medicine research are recognized as health practices by those who use them.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed1995

What's in a word?

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Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed1993

Epistemologies in religious healing.

Religious beliefs in miraculous healing through prayer remain prevalent in modern society. Most such beliefs do not conflict with medical advice but some do. Conventional views have considered these beliefs incompatible with rational modern thought, predicting their demise and explaining their persistence in terms of non-rational thinking, "special logics" and psychological compartmentalization. However, attention to the actual beliefs of individuals often reveals them to be rationally ordered and empirically founded. Further, they do not usually involve disbelief of medical knowledge. Their differences from each other and from orthodox medical ideas arise from differing assumptions, the crediting of subjective experience, and the particular experiences of believers.

Adult↗