Table 2.
Description of culture-bound illness categories (CBIs) and their incidence in Waca Playa (Bolivia) and Pitumarca (Peru)
| Illnesses (local names in Quechua and/or Spanish) | Symptoms and/or etiology | Incidence in Waca Playa (N = 743) | Incidence in Pitumarca (N = 1458) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrebato |
Mostly experienced by women. Symptoms include headache, fever, dizziness |
0.3% |
0.2% |
| Calor interno |
Internal inflammation, fever; caused by heat exposure |
0.0% |
1.2% |
| Caracter fuerte, agitación |
Strong character, irritability, agitation |
0.1% |
0.3% |
| Colerina, cólico (W), cólera (P) |
Stomachache, headache, bitter mouth, nauseas, vomiting; caused by anger |
6.3% |
1.6% |
| Costado |
Strong side pain, hemorrhagic cough, stomachache; caused by cold exposure |
0.4% |
0.5% |
| Empacho, cólico (P) |
Indigestion, stomachache, constipation; caused by ingestion of cold food |
0.3% |
3.2% |
| Enfermedad de yatiri (W), enfermedad de paqo (P) |
Several illnesses cured or rituals performed by healers: possession by ancestral spirits, witchcraft, divination and diagnosis, animal sacrifice |
4.6% |
6.2% |
| Enfriamiento, enfermedad del frio |
Stomachache, headache, body pain, cold feet; caused by cold exposure |
0.0% |
0.7% |
| Japega (W), mancharisqa (P), susto |
Mostly experienced by children. “Fright sickness”:’ insomnia, continuous crying; caused by fall in an evil place, fright, and soul loss |
1.6% |
0.5% |
| Madre, erita (P), cáncer (P) |
Experienced by women. Symptoms of uterine or ovary inflammation, hot body, peeling skin, swollen hands and feet, back pain; caused by heat or cold exposure during menstruation |
2.0% |
7.0% |
| Mal de bilis, hígado |
“Biliary sickness”: nausea, dry and acid taste in mouth, liver inflammation; caused by ingestion of greasy food, also caused by anger |
0.3% |
1.6% |
| Mal de corazón, perdida de memoria |
“Heart sickness”: headache, dizziness, memory loss; caused by worry or sadness |
0.1% |
1.9% |
| Protección espiritual, suerte |
Mostly used for children. Spiritual protection against "bad winds" such as soqawayra or machuwayra, amulet for good luck |
0.1% |
0.8% |
| Rayo (W), qhaha (P) |
Hemorrhagic cough, weight loss, paralysis of the arms; caused by lightening |
0.5% |
3.9% |
| Tuku (W), tukuchi (P), ataques |
Attack, epileptic fit, dizziness, weakness, fainting; caused by mal de corazón |
0.9% |
1.4% |
| Wayra, malviento (uraña, soqa, machu, etc.) |
Several types of “bad winds” (uraña, soqawayra, machuwayra, etc.): vomiting, headache, stomachache, sore feet, paleness, weakness, cold body, paralysis, inability to speak, can lead to death; caused by encounters with animals or spirits when one walks at night, also caused by anger |
5.5% |
11.5% |
|
Other culture-bound illnesses (oreja, cuyca, chiripa, phasku) |
Oreja (mostly in children): weight loss, diarrhea; caused by the smell of a dead animal or human body |
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|
Cuyca: internal illness |
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|
Chiripa: caused by rainbow |
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|
Phasku: (mostly in babies) dry and cracked lips and skin; caused by exposure to sun. |
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| Total incidence of CBIs | 24.4% | 42.8% |
Illnesses: local names are followed by (W) when used only in Waca Playa and (P) when used only in Pitumarca. Incidence: percentage of the participants’ total responses about natural remedies’ medicinal uses.