Modern and Traditional Perspectives of Osteoporosis An Ethno-Orthopedic Study

Abstract

For centuries before the inception of modern medicine, traditional folk, the world over, had developed culture specific beliefs and practices regarding health and disease. This paper unveils the socio-cultural beliefs and practices regarding Osteoporosis among the Gond and the Thakur tribal folk inhabiting the state of Maharashtra in India. Through in-depth interviews of the patients, their families, the religious leaders and the village elders belonging to the Gadchiroli and Raigad districts of Maharashtra, valuable qualitative information was gathered and analyzed. To be more precise, qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews of 50 Thakurs, 50 Gonds, 5 bone setters, 5 herbalists and 5 midwives. It is interesting to note that the traditional views of the tribal folk regarding Osteoporosis and its etiology, the growth and development of the human bones, are very different and rather weird from those of the allopathic interpretations in modern medicine. There is an urgent need to carry out more ethno-orthopedic studies on the tribal folk throughout India and to recommend practical strategies to create awareness among them about the cause and care of Osteoporosis which primarily affects the senior female population over the age of 50 but to a lesser degree the senior male population over the age of 50 as well.