If the source of the illness is not considered organic in nature, immigrants may seek herbal medicines or religious healers and avoid Western health care providers. Back To Top Distrust of Western Medicine Often traditional Asian therapies are practiced first, and after failure, Western medicine techniques are used. By the time Western techniques are sought, the disease has progressed to a stage were it can not be improved. This sequence of events has led to the perception by many immigrants that Western medicine is ineffective and not trustworthy. Some refugees may believe that surgery angers the soul or causes the spirit to leave the body.
Many refugees consider souls to be attached to different parts of the body.
Many refugees are not familiar with key concepts of Western medicine, such as the germ theory, physiology and anatomy. Diagnostic techniques and treatments seem unusual. Some immigrants may believe that X-rays are curative and that physicians can diagnose conditions in one visit and with little physical examination. Some providers' lack understanding of cultural issues related to health care services and may unintentionally offend patients. For example, many immigrants revere the human head as the seat of life, and therefore view it as highly personal, vulnerable, and untouchable except by close intimates.