Kontakt 2009, 11(1):201-209 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2009.036

The use of traditional Chinese medicine by members of Chinese and Vietnamese minoritiesOšetřovatelská péče orientovaná na zdraví minorit a subkultur

Lucie Rolantová^*, Valérie Tóthová

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra ošetřovatelství

The traditional Chinese medicine is one of oldest medicinal methods in the world. The complex treatment with the help of traditional Chinese medicine includes several treatment procedures depending on needs of a given person, which are always individual. In therapeutic procedures, phytotherapy, i.e. treatment with herbs, is prevalent. This actually forms roots, which the traditional Chinese medicine is growing from. The treatment methods furthermore include the acupressure, acupuncture, use of moxa, adjustment of food, physical exercise and method of attaching flasks.
The number of members of Chinese and Vietnamese minorities in the Czech Republic is ever growing and thus, their members ever more frequently come in contact with health professionals. For members of the Chinese and Vietnamese minorities, the traditional Chinese medicine can be of a great importance in health as well as in disease. The currently existing concept of the Czech nursing is outlined in such a way that any person of any race should be provided with a care satisfying his/her bio-psychosocial-religious needs.
One of targets of our research was to find what the methods of the traditional Chinese medicine employed by members of the Chinese and Vietnamese minorities are.
The empirical part was processed by the form of qualitative research. A semi-structured interview was used as a technique of the data accumulation, which was organized with selected respondents, members of the Chinese and Vietnamese minorities living in the Czech Republic. Based on the interviews with particular respondents, case reports were established. They formed a research basis for arranging categorization tables and graphs summarizing most important results of the research.
The research of the results indicate that in both minorities, the most frequently employed treatment methods include herbal therapy, which considerably affects their life style and which is used by them for a number of health problems. The other treatment methods are not used as frequently as the herbal therapy, but our research group included a number of respondents, who also use the other methods of the traditional Chinese medicine.

Keywords: traditional Chinese medicine; treatment methods; Chinese minority; Vietnamese minority

Received: October 6, 2008; Accepted: February 2, 2009; Published: May 27, 2009  Show citation