Raymond Trinh - Week 7

In Spiritual Healing Practices Among Rural Postpartum Thai Women, the authors examine the traditional postpartum practices in Asian countries which are grounded in two main schemes: humoral theory and traditional Chinese medicine. Humoral theory is based on an assumption that the human body is composed of four elements (Earth, Fire, Air, and Water). The four elements that compose the body are each further divided into internal and external portions. Excessive loss of blood, embryonic fluid, sweater, and urine decreases the Water element. A perineal wound damages the Earth element. During labor, pushing changes the Air element, and a woman’s physical efforts depletes her Fire element. It is believed that these bodily instabilities can quickly have a negative effect on the woman’s mind. Furthermore, the woman may have depression, anxiety, and fatigue after giving birth due to the resulting imbalances in these elements. The energy that binds her body and mind together is believed to be torn apart, resulting in low immunity. Overall, it would be helpful for a family and community nurses, to evaluate the women’s spiritual health and practices used to facilitate their healing processes with cultural sensitivity while ensuring holistic care.