Monday, March 23, 2015

Traditional, western, or another path?












Which path should I take to treat an illness, “taking prescription medication, following traditional practices such as shamanism, listening to a homeopath, visiting an acupuncturist or bone setter (chiropractor), or using technique based on humoral medicine?” Often times in our society, one’s culture defines the “correct” path to treat an illness. There seems to be little incorporation of the different practices in order to achieve desired results. For example, a typical “western” doctor prescribing medicine usually would not also advise a patient to go to a sukkiah to heal his or her spirit; there is only one “right” path.

If someone wishes to take different approaches to healing a sickness, he or she has to actively seek out both approaches and confirm whatever treatment prescribed does not interfere or cause side effects with the other treatment. I know for me, this extra work greatly reduces my desire to use two different methods. Upon this realization, I began to question why this was the case and whether or not it was possible for two medicinal techniques to coexist.

I discovered my answer when we took our visit to the EBAIS in Coto Brus. The district of Coto Brus has a high population of Ngobe tribe who immigrate from Panama and non-indigenous peoples as well. In order to address both populations, this EBAIS has a shaman and a “western” medical doctor. As well, the buildings are set up in cone shapes and look almost identical to the houses the Ngobe tribes reside. Not only does it have a shaman and western doctor, but it also has a kitchen where concepts such as preventative care can be practiced. Finally, resources for midwives to help give births are provided. It is the only one of its kind. All of these facets of the EBAIS work together to encourage the public to be able to choose which cure or health care practice he or she prefers to use. Due to this systematic set up, there have been declines in the number of hospitalizations and a reduction in infant and mortality rate in the Ngobe community. As well, it has allowed a more amiable relationship between leaders of different cultural beliefs understanding perspectives from the others’ culture.

Making multiple medicinal paths easily available to patients gives patients the power to choose which or both practices he or she prefers. It also makes it easier for a patient to learn more about a different practice if he or she has been curious to test it out.

This EBAIS helped answer my question; it is possible for two methods of treating medicine to coexist. Hopefully in the future the United States can incorporate some type of healthcare system in which the patients do not have to choose only one “right” medicinal path.

Morgan Drew

The Free Time Dilemma






















Having now been in Costa Rica just over two months, I have come to the realization that I still struggle with a common dilemma: what do I do with my free time? At first, the program was densely packed with activities, so the need to fill time rarely arose. Endearingly called the “day-by-day”, our group is provided with a weekly schedule that allocates when activities, lectures, or research projects will occur. However, once we all adjusted to the schedule and we started designing our own research projects, I realized that there were frequent blocks of time where no set activity was planned. By no means am I saying that balancing free time is a new concept for me, nor for any college student I would imagine, yet being in Costa Rica poses a different time management priority.

Here, we are not only research students, we are also foreigners and tourists. There is urgency in our actions to see and experience as much of the environment and culture as possible while still managing the requirements of the course. Everyday that I have been at this biological station in Las Cruces, I find myself making a decision to either go for a walk through the botanical gardens or study lecture material. It is often possible to do both, but then, which takes priority?

The formal education we receive through research and lectures is important, but so too is the informal education that we discover for ourselves when we explore our environment. For example when we go on group nature walks, there is both informal and formal education at the same time, but with other activities, there is a more obvious distinction in what type of education the activity provides. But then I wonder, is one more important than the other? When I leave here, what will I remember more, the material I learned in class or the times I spent outside in the forest? Realistically, I know it will be a mix of both, so I think that I need to maintain a balance between the two. I consider myself extremely fortunate that deciding how best to use my time is one of my tougher struggles here.

Liz Stratton

The Choice







          The sun is shining and the topical birds are chirping at Las Cruces Biological Station but the other students and I aren't paying any mind. We're eagerly awaiting the beginning of the presentation; the one that will tell us what independent project topics we can choose from. The decision each of us makes today will determine how we will spend much of the next month and a half in Costa Rica. As the lecture begins we sit quietly and listen to each topic as it's announced. There were eight available topics: weaning practices of breastfeeding mothers, patient overuse of the healthcare system, adherence to medication, plant-made insecticides, and more. Once all topics were explained we were told to pick which one we'd like to research. The other students jumped up to form groups and talk about their first choices. The room filled with chatter and commotion, but I was still sitting quietly. I was busy thinking. This was as important me me as it was for everyone else but I couldn't choose so quickly. I knew that I was curious about all of the listed topics and that in any group I would be able to drive into whatever research with enthusiasm. I didn't know what to choose, so I sat.

          After a minute we decided to discuss our options in a more organized way, so all 13 of us marched upstairs to our common room to talk. As we went around the circle naming our top choices I thought about one project in particular: "Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding prostate cancer screening." One of our professors had explained the importance of this topic, how for some men it was taboo and how the regional health director had specifically suggested it.

          I'd thought before about the lack of conversation around prostate cancer in the United States, especially compared to breast cancer, and it seemed interesting to learn more about it in Costa Rica. I began to have an inner battle. On one hand a part of me wanted to do this research project. As a young woman, coming to OTS from an all women's college I'd spent more time researching women's health topics and general health topics than men's health. Picking this topic would be a perfect way to begin learning more about issues specific to male populations. It was also especially interesting due to its taboo aspects and all of the misconception about masculinity that surrounded it. Still, an opposing part of me was nervous and cautious about choosing without fully thinking it through. Would I feel comfortable surveying complete strangers about this sensitive topic? Would I be making them feel uncomfortable? I talked with the two friends I'd be working with. They were both patient with my uncertainty. We discussed the possible benefits of the study with our professors. They assured us that it was a very interesting and useful study and even said that men may be more comfortable talking about this topic with us, three female student researchers, rather than other men. We went confidently into our days of initial online research of similar studies, and this week we handed in our formal research proposals. We are now waiting, enthusiastic and eager to go into the local communities and learn more

Erica Rayack

A Hidden Paradise














As we began to approach the next house for our interviews, I was reminded just how long this day would feel. In a small farming neighborhood in the rolling hills of San Vito, we set out for the day to conduct door-to-door surveys for our third faculty led project. Our surveys were about wild edible plants, and how many the people we interviewed could list for us. This was all to measure the amount of traditional ecological knowledge in this community. As excited as I was to conduct the surveys, it was a hot and dry day with an agenda of about 100 interviews total ahead of us. I had no idea that during this calculated afternoon we would have an unexpected experience that would change my perception of that day.

At this house in particular, we began to interview a woman, in her mid 50s, who very eagerly began to list as many wild edible plants as she knew. If we didn’t recognize the name, she took us to her garden and happily pointed it out. About 15 minutes into our conversation, she informed us that her family owned a farm that was connected to the back of the house. As her memory of the plans began to slow, she remembered that her husband would be able to recall more than her. “He’s out working on the farm”, she remarked “I’ll bring you to him!” Before we knew it, we were following her through rolling pastures and coffee fields to where her husband was working. A small wind sparked in the trees bringing to life this hidden paradise that I’m sure few eyes from the outside world have seen. As soon as we reached the top of the hill, her husband greeted us, setting aside the small coffee saplings he was planting. His wife explained why we were there and he immediately left his work, picked up a machete and told us to follow him. He led us through more of their property, pointing out plants as we went until we reached a small section of dense forest. In we went to find the wild plants we were in search of. We wandered about for almost 45 minutes with the couple sharing their livelihood with us and letting us try wild fruits like guava and guanabana.

As we left their house after our excursion, I was reminded of the beautiful hospitality Ticos share with complete strangers. This kind man and woman were so eager to share their little patch of heaven with a few researchers from America hoping to learn a little more about their culture. I will never forget this experience nor the immense kindness they showed us that afternoon.

Stephanie Hynes

Drugs or Culture?












          After an entire day of sitting in one room listening to lectures, the last thing you want to hear is that there is a lecture scheduled for after dinner as well. And yet that was exactly what our schedule looked like on our second day at the Las Cruces Biological Station. That evening, as we filed back into the classroom after dinner, the thought running through everyone's heads was simple: let's hope this is quick so we can finally relax. Moments after entering, however, that exhaustion slipped away and was replaced by curiosity mixed with excitement and a little bit of trepidation. The first slide was titled “Psychoactive plant use” and filled with colors in a manner which can only be described as trippy. The lecture proceeded to define words I've only ever heard thrown around colloquially, such as psychoactive, hallucinogenic, and psychedelic, and to discuss a variety of plants, their properties, and their current and historical uses. We learned how Shamans in the Amazon believe that Ayahuasca allows users to see the plant spirits coming alive in the forest. We learned how Iboga in Africa causes a frightening hallucination that is believed to connect users to their ancestors. And we learned how the Spanish conquistadors outlawed the peyote cactus to break the connection between the indigenous peoples and their gods.

         Drugs, in our time and especially in our place in life, are something which we are going to have to face. As an American college student, it is inevitable that I will encounter people who use and abuse drugs. But I've never considered them in the context of spiritual gateways or as ways to connect with a deity. The connotations around these substances in our society are clear. Adolescents may choose to experiment with illicit substances, but under no circumstances are they beneficial or important aspects of a cultural worldview.

         This stigma against hallucinogenic plants and drugs in general causes a dangerous lack of research into these important topics. I can feel this stigma just writing this blog post and knowing that there are people who are going to judge me for choosing to use my free writing to talk about drugs. But in our day in age I think we need to work past this stigma. Drugs are becoming increasingly dangerous because current regulation systems aren't stopping their use and are only serving to push them underground where the practices surrounding them are dangerous. At the very least we need research into the effects of these substances so that we can speak educatedly about them instead of just speaking from our fears and culturally engrained beliefs. Hallucinogens have been around forever. It's unrealistic to believe they are going to disappear now, so we might as well accept it and work with the system instead of against it.

Krcmar, Rachel

Seeing Ethnobiology in New Colors














   
Having a father in the military meant that I spent my childhood in a different country and a variety of states. As a result, I have had an interest in learning about cultures and ways of life different from mine since I was young. So far, this program has provided me with countless opportunities to do that, including: meeting other students and researchers at the stations, learning about Costa Rican life through living two weeks at my homestay in San Jose, and also through interacting and visiting indigenous communities. While in Las Cruces, we once again had the opportunity to visit and interact with an indigenous community, this time the Brunka people.

Our guest professor, Hector, first taught us about the Brunka of Costa Rica and how they have repurposed their ethnobiological knowledge. Because of tourism and conservationist policies of Costa Rica government, they have been increasingly using their useful organisms for economic purposes. An example would be the masks, or diablos that they make as well as sell, and the bags they weave. I enjoyed learning about how this shift and repurposing impacted women and the community and led to the revival of certain traditions like women’s groups, and found it extremely interesting.

Before the visit, we were told to bring some type of white, cotton material because we would have the opportunity to dye it. I have tie-died shirts before, but the process the Brunka women showed us was completely different than any I had seen before! When I had tie-died shirts as a kid it involved store bought dye or a tie-dying kit and a lot of rubberbands. In contrast, the indigenous women showed us how their process of dying was all-natural. They used different plants and leafs to make different colors. In their demonstration they died yarn, and showed how they may rub the plant against the yarn with water and the color begins to seep into it. The most remarkable part came next; they would lie the yarn out to dry in the sun and the colors would either change or become darker.

Then came the fun part. We had a chance to get involved and try it out for ourselves. They had set up a small fire with pots on top filled with yellow and blue dye. They used sticks to dip our pieces of clothing in the dye. It was very exciting to be a part of the cultural activity of the Brunka people. It is also neat that I now have a cool tie-died shirt to take back to the states to remind me of the Brunka women and the experience!

Symone Stephens

Expect the Unexpected





















One of the most interesting things about Costa Rica thus far has been the hospitality. After just a short conversation with someone, they will tell you almost anything. I discovered this fact our first week in Las Cruces when we were conducting our interviews in the local community for our last Faculty Led Project. We were going door-to-door asking people about their knowledge of wild edible plants. We started pretty early in the morning, splitting in to groups of two or three, and we were expected to get a lot of interviews done before lunchtime. Interviewing people in Spanish always makes me a little nervous, so the thought of interviewing all morning was a little scary.

However, on my group’s third interview, our morning took an unexpected turn. The woman we were interviewing gave us a tour of her garden, naming different edible plants as she went along. Once she had exhausted all of her knowledge of edible plants, she then offered to take us to where her husband was working because he would know more plants than she would. Her husband was working on the other side of their three-hectare (7.5 acres) farm, which meant we had to trek down about half a mile in order to meet her husband. But this is when it got very interesting. He then insisted upon not just telling us the edible plants he knew, but showing them to us. So he began giving us a tour of basically their entire farm.

The walk was so interesting, although I was definitely not prepared for it. At one point, we had to walk straight through the woods, with the husband using his machete to cut a path for us because there was not an actual path. My converse shoes did not quite cut it for the walk through the forest, but it was totally worth it. He pointed out a lot of different plants that they had on their farm. We eventually came across a guava tree, where we could see this huge, almost ripe guava fruit. It was kind of high up in the tree, but he scaled the tree trunk and cut it down for us. He also climbed another tree in order to get us a guayaba fruit. It was a little bit funny to watch this grown man climb a tree, but mostly it was just awesome. He also picked about 10 lemons for us, although I’m not entirely sure what we are going to do with that many lemons…

All in all, it was a fantastic break from our interviews. We took an hour walking around the farm, where we had only planned on taking five minutes. I guess you have to expect the unexpected when you talk to complete strangers in a foreign country!

, Emily Leytham

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Pesticides en los Plátanos


















On the afternoon of January 30, 2015 our group of thirteen college women (a.k.a. Las Gringas) had the privilege of visiting a large scale banana plantation. Jaime, a guest lecturer taught us about the banana's growth cycle, environmental problems concerning bananas, and health problems in banana plantation workers. I found it ironic how little any of us knew about banana farming despite bananas being the most widely eaten fruit in the world. I have eaten bananas my entire life yet I knew absolutely nothing about them prior to this field trip other than the simple facts that they were delicious, yellow, and knew no seasons (they are always in supermarkets). Jaime taught us that bananas are the largest herb in the world. Much deforestation has happened in order to make room for banana plantations. Jaime said that the 'Coryoyo' bananas most commonly grown in Central American originated from the Philipines and that there are millions of strains of bananas since they are so easy to cross with both animal pollinaters and the wind. What interested me most on this field trip was learning about the health risks of the plantation workers and the enviromental implications of using extravagant amounts of pesticides on the crops.

The worker population consists of roughly half Nicaraguans. Costa Rica is the 2nd country in the world with the most immigrants (mostly Nicaraguans). The workers in these plantations have little protection from the harsh chemicals they administer the plants. In most cases the only thing between them and the chemicals is their long sleeve shirts and pants. These chemicals can cause the plantation workers to become infertile and their babies to have complications.
            
Illegal chemicals are still frequently sold under the table. The genetically modified banana plants cannot survive without the use of chemicals to protect them from insects, fungus, etc. It is common for the plantations to hide the actual chemicals they are using from the inspectors and show them legal chemicals instead. Aside from pesticides, a substantial amount of fertilizer is used. When it rains, the fertilizer is washed into the river which causes an increased amount of algae. The increased amount of algae kills the fish and in turn disrupts ecosystems and habitats alike. During the hour visit we saw many planes fly overhead and drop clouds of chemicals over the plantation.
           
Upon departing from the plantation I had a sick feeling in my stomach. Is this the future of agriculture: a system that harms both the workers and the environment? If not, where does change begin? How long will it take to secure an agriculture system that is safe? These are difficult questions that don't have answers.


Hailey Alexander