Women's Beliefs about Disease and Health

Abstract

In a vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious country like India, it is to be expected that we have several world-views operating at the same time in people's search for health and healing. The perspectives that have dominated and permeated countrywide have been, of course, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Tibetan medical systems. Modern medicine has been a late entrant, and primarily because of colonial patronage, and now state patronage, it appears to be edging out other indigenous traditions. Local health traditions, the lok swasthya paramparas, have generated local perspectives and meanings. Changing perspectives and meanings in turn have continued to modify and change local health traditions over time.