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    Health : sculptured by the hands of culture : exploring the Ecuadorian worldview of health : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy of Development Studies at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Hicks, Ruth Miriam
    Worldview is at the core of our being, providing the filter that gives form to our beliefs, values and behaviour. Each culture and country has its unique perspective in such vital areas such as health and wellbeing. In the global context, where 'health for all' is more a dream than reality, the challenge is to grasp the conceptual understanding of health in each context, to dialogue with the culture, and look for creative ways of meeting health needs. This thesis is part of my journey to achieve an understanding of this, in the context of Ecuador. The essence of this study is an exploration of the Ecuadorian context. How is health conceptualised within the culture? Is there a worldview of health? Are there areas of commonality of beliefs and practices in health? What are some of the historical events and processes that have formed this way of understanding? What has the ways of seeing health in Ecuador's current context? This thesis presents the experiences and knowledge collected during five months of focussed research and two years of lived experiences in Ecuador. It is very much a journey of discovery for the researcher and participants. The research methodology gives voice to the stories of four participatory groups and five in-depth interviews, which allowed the participants to share their knowledge and experience of health. Through the process of reviewing literature on the beliefs and practices throughout various non-western systems of healing, a number of elements were found common to all. These include: the interrelated nature of the physical and spiritual realms; the concept of self and community; origins of unwellness and health seeking practices; food and food practices; syncretism and the concept of body image. The stories of the participants reveal some of their beliefs and practices of health. Despite the wealth of cultural origins, climatic and contextual variety presented in Ecuador, nine themes emerge from the participants' stories, as common to their beliefs and practices of health: nature's healers, traditional sicknesses, the path of tradition, common sicknesses and causes of death, the therapeutic route, you are well if you look happy, of divine descent but humanly frail, no health without money, the path of tradition, and an acute awareness of the state of health. Together these portray a fascinating insight into part of the Ecuadorian worldview of health.
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    The practice of Chinese medicine in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Baxter, Kim Gloria
    Chinese medicine has been practised throughout history in a variety of forms in a variety of countries. This study is concerned with discovering the particular form Chinese medicine has assumed in New Zealand. Data was collected by means of an ethnographic survey of 39 practitioners and 130 patients of Chinese medicine from throughout New Zealand. The thesis explores three main areas: first, what types of Chinese medical practices exist in New Zealand; second, who seeks and supports Chinese medicine as a health therapy in New Zealand; third, the perspectives that practitioners and patients of Chinese medicine have on the practice of Chinese medicine in New Zealand. An attempt is made to balance quantitative results with the qualitative descriptions and observations of the research participants. Primarily this thesis has been written with the needs of the research participants in mind - to be an independent source of information for them. Currently, Chinese medicine has no legislative protection in New Zealand, and there are a great variety of practitioner groups and practitioners practising "Chinese medicine" (particularly acupuncture) here. The research findings suggest that the practice of Chinese medicine in New Zealand has many forms, and is frequently fragmented and mixed with other health therapies. It is concluded that adaptation to context, including the presence of "non-Chinese" therapies, is a positive feature of Chinese medicine that long predate its arrival in New Zealand. KEYWORDS: CHINESE MEDICINE; ACUPUNCTURE; ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES; ETHNOGRAPHY.
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    Relieve me of the bondage of self : addiction practitioners from three treatment centres in New Zealand discuss the use of community as a method of healing the self : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Quigley, Derek Ross
    At the time of writing, there are as many as 6,000 people in New Zealand who are currently receiving a state benefit because of chemical dependency or addiction. A Ministry of Health survey (2009) estimated that there are 700,000 problem drinkers and that half of our population aged 16-64 have used drugs for recreational purposes in their lifetime. Many thousands of New Zealanders have reached a point of desperation and have sought assistance from a residential treatment centre in order to receive vital help for their addiction issues. So how do these ‘places of healing’ turn someone from a state of self-pity, self-loathing, selfishness, and being in denial when they walk through the doors, to one of self-acceptance and self-awareness when they leave? I embarked on a study of three residential treatment centres, interviewing the agencies’ practitioners, discussing how living in a separate community of alcoholics and addicts sets someone on a path to recovery, and how ‘community’ is used as a method to achieve ‘relief from the bondage of self’. The study seeks to describe the addicted self and the relationship it has with community, and how community methods are used to understand and connect with the conscious self. Anthropological literature is used to describe concepts of ‘self’ and ‘community’, along with a mixture of psychological, sociological, and anthropological references to describe treatment methods. I contribute my own ‘insider’ experiences as a former client of two residential addiction treatment centres to give a level of understanding of what similar addicts experience when they go through such a significant period of change in their lives. I am so grateful that there are addiction treatment facilities available free of charge to the public in New Zealand and I hope this work gives a voice of hope to the many who pass through their doors.
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    The legacy of prenatal exposure to alcohol : Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, the New Zealand situation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Symes, Margaret Mallinson
    'Alcohol', the strongest teratogen known to human-kind, is a commonly used legal drug which has the ability to cross the placenta and interfere with the development of the foetus resulting in a birth defect known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This thesis looks at the historical knowledge base surrounding prenatal exposure to alcohol and presents the latest biomedical information available on FASD at the time of writing. The sub-discipline of medical anthropology, the associated methodology and it appropriateness for this kind of research is discussed. A historical look at the introduction and proliferation of alcohol in New Zealand from the macro-micro perspective, and James O'Connors' (1974) political modes of operation are presented, offering a broad analysis, of a dynamic political process involved with the lack of acknowledgement or action on the part of New Zealand governments. New Zealand specific research on women's drinking patterns, clinical practise and the experiences of those trying to obtain a diagnosis in regard to FASD within New Zealand are presented. Behavioural profiles pertaining to my participants' FASD charges are offered to the reader, all of which indicate serious repercussions for New Zealand society as a whole. Finally the labelling argument relating to the diagnostic terminology surrounding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is discussed. The original contribution this thesis offers aside from being the first New Zealand anthropological PhD research on the subject of FASD surrounds education and action research. Knowledge creates empowerment and can facilitate individual change. My thesis has been a dialectical process whereby the more I learned from those care-giving for FASD individuals, the more I have been able to feed back to others and act in my capacity as a critical medical anthropologist, using action anthropology as a means to advocate for families affected by FASD, those whose voices of expertise by way of experience, are seldom if ever heard or listened too [sic].