La medicina popular en la ciudad de Badajoz

Abstract

This work began with the design of a protocol of investigation for the study of the Popular Medicine in the general population usable outside sometimes later to obtain comparable studies and completely compatible results between them. We study the knowledge and the use of Popular Medicine in the city of Badajoz, as well as the origin and the broadcast of the remedies with an epidemiologist approach. A total of 746 valid interviews were realized (68% to women and 32% to men). The average age of the surveyed ones was of 47.8±18.9 years old and 90% of them were born in Extremadura. 11% of the interviewed people were considered as rural originated whereas 89% were considered as urban originated. Statistically significant association between sex, level of instruction, perceived state of health and knowledge or use of popular remedies was not demonstrated. Nevertheless there is a statistically significant association between being a woman and personally know users of natural remedies. 92% of all the surveyed has knowledge about Popular Medicine. The transmission of these remedies is performed essentially by feminine sex members, personally used and through relatives until 73% of the cases. 292 remedies coming from both frontiers provinces were registered. 75% of the surveyed ones use at the present or have used Popular Medicine remedies. 57% of remedies used are of vegetal nature, 25% are heterogeneous remedies, 8% are remedies whose effect is of physical nature, 5% are of animal origin, 3% of mineral origin and 2% of nature or magical action. A total of 178 pathologies or upheavals were mentioned in which the surveyed ones used popular remedies, being the five more frequent processes as the interviewed ones said: cold, nerves, stomach ache, cough and sore throat.