The ethno-medical approach is here to identify, understand and treat illness. It gives us numerous ways we can heal a patient suffering with a specific illness. Some of the healing processes that the ethno-medical approach discusses are biomedicine, massage therapy, chiropractic, herbology, acupuncture or psychiatry. Within the ethno-medical approach those healing processes are put into three categories which is known as the Kleinman explanatory model; popular, professional and folk. Popular is how the illness is first recognized by family, friends or yourself and you can get help with over the counter drugs, self-help groups or diet. Then you have professional, which include nurses, midwives, physical therapist and doctors. This way is not really questioned because biomedicine is accepted by all and the positions are upheld by the law. Lastly we have folk, which is very sacred or the secular healer. They share the culture values by taking the holistic approach and it usually involves your family and culture. Here is a YouTube video I posted that is quite similar to the ethno-medical approach because it shows that you have multiple ways to treat bulimia nervosa.
Bulimia Nervosa has different treatments that are popular, professional and folk. The first thing to starting your treatment is realizing that being bulimic is wrong. Most people partake in such activity because they do not find anything wrong with it and they believe that it is okay and safe. In reality, there is nothing safe about bulimia nervosa. It is a very serious illness that has negative effects on your body. Once a person realizes that they have a problem and accepts the fact that they need to stop they can obtain the proper help whether it is within them, professional or spiritual help. With the professional help you can have doctors prescribe you with medication to help you from your bulimia nervosa. According to the American Physician you can use medicines such as tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and more. Or on the other hand you can use the psychotherapy approach such as behavioral treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy or individual or group therapy. Below is a picture of some of the therapies you can take to help you overcome bulimia nervosa.
Mentioned on the bio/ethnological page it was discusses how culture affects people into thinking they should become bulimic to fit in today’s definition of “beauty”. What should happen now is that we need to change societies meaning of beauty. Your culture has such a huge impact on your everyday life and it is a part of you whether you realize it or not. If we let everyone know that it is okay for you to be yourself and that you are beautiful just the way you are maybe we can change people from going down this terrible path of bulimia nervosa. Changing those television commercials, advertisements, the size of the mannequins, etc. will be a great help. We have to start within our culture because that is what people see each day and if a certain image is acceptable within all cultures of course you’re going to do anything possible to become accepted. We need to let everyone know that as a culture we accept who you are and you do not need to harm your body just to become someone you’re not.
"What Is the Best Bulimia Treatment? | Eating Disorders." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUd-NoP83A
"Assessment and Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa." - American Family Physician. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0601/p2743.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=bulimia+nervosa+treatment&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=OpHtU9iSJI-NyASFp4D4BA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=bAFwP9Qb_oE3pM%253A%3B25qqnYURUGWlcM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fstatic.www.bmj.com%252Fcontent%252Fbmj%252F308%252F6930%252F686%252FF1.medium.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bmj.com%252Fcontent%252F308%252F6930%252F686%3B331%3B354
"What Is the Best Bulimia Treatment? | Eating Disorders." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUd-NoP83A
"Assessment and Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa." - American Family Physician. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0601/p2743.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=bulimia+nervosa+treatment&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=OpHtU9iSJI-NyASFp4D4BA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=bAFwP9Qb_oE3pM%253A%3B25qqnYURUGWlcM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fstatic.www.bmj.com%252Fcontent%252Fbmj%252F308%252F6930%252F686%252FF1.medium.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bmj.com%252Fcontent%252F308%252F6930%252F686%3B331%3B354