The Common Lebanese Healthcare Beliefs and Practices
Despite the advancements in modern medicine, many Asian, East African, and Middle Eastern countries still have deeply rooted traditional healthcare beliefs and practices. Lebanon is no exception; the country has a rich history of traditional medicine that coexists with modern healthcare practices.
Lebanese healthcare beliefs and practices are heavily influenced by cultural, religious, social, and economic factors.
For instance, a study found that 63.9% of the Lebanese population does not have a general practitioner. Instead, 48.9% get medical assistance from pharmacists, and 62.8% believe pharmacists can handle most health-related complaints.
The Lebanese approach to healthcare is an amalgamation of traditional medicine, family support, diet, and religious practices. Let’s look at some common Lebanese healthcare beliefs and practices.
Healthcare Beliefs and Practices in Lebanon
To fully understand the origin and context of Lebanese healthcare practices and beliefs, it’s important to examine the country’s prevalent religions.
Muslims form the majority population, with 67.6% of Lebanese following Islam. Moreover, about 32.4% of the country’s population is Christian.
Many of the healthcare practices rooted in traditional medicine are influenced by the teachings of Islam and Christianity. For instance, in Islam, eating with the right hand, praying to alleviate sickness, using honey as a natural remedy, and using cupping therapy are highly encouraged and believed to have medicinal benefits.
Fasting is also seen as a way to cleanse the body and improve overall health in both Islam and Christianity.
Religious Bases of Lebanese Healthcare Beliefs
The Lebanese people consider certain foods to have healing properties, often due to religious backing. For instance, a folk food practice in Syria and Lebanon is eating a spoon of honey with black seeds every morning. The practice is said to improve the immune response of the body.
Similarly, the Lebanese belief about illness or ailments differs greatly from the West.
In Islam, illness is seen as an atonement for sins. Many Muslims believe that they shed sins when they are sick and, therefore, consider sickness as a blessing in disguise.
Roman Catholics in Lebanon also have somewhat of a similar view on illness. They believe that suffering is a form of redemption. Accepting the pain of illness is seen as a sacrifice that pleases God. The belief is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, who suffered and sacrificed for the greater good of mankind.
Prayers are commonly combined with traditional and modern medicines to achieve healing. In fact, in many cases, religious leaders are consulted for help in treating illnesses, especially those related to mental health. They may perform rituals and recite prayers to drive out evil spirits or seek the intervention of a higher power for healing.
The Lebanese healthcare beliefs regarding religion are truly interesting.
Holistic Health Movement
The ecological or holistic health movement in Lebanon is largely food-related. It’s a common belief in Lebanon that eating right can keep you healthy. Food is seen as a medicine, and the diet should be carefully chosen to prevent or treat different diseases.
Here are some traditional ingredients the Lebanese use to keep sickness at bay or treat it:
- 1. Olive Oil: Arab folklore has long considered olive oil as a cure. Lebanese use it to reduce congestion, soothe colics, and treat ear infections.
- 2. Herbal Teas: Some common herbal teas the Lebanese make are Zhourat for well-being, Yansoun tea for relaxation, Sage tea (maryamieh) for common cold, and chamomile tea for nausea or upset stomach.
- 3. Arak/Anis: An herbal-flavored drink made from aniseed and grapes. The Lebanese use it to soothe toothache.
- 4. Pomegranate Molasses: The Lebanese use Pomegranate Molasses (Debs El-Remmen) on canker and cold sores to lower inflammation.
These ingredients are a significant part of Lebanese healthcare beliefs among various ethnicities and religious groups.
Alternative Healthcare Specialists
Of all the Lebanese healthcare practices, going to healers and herbalists is the most common. It is used as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and invasive treatments.
Alternative healthcare specialists include osteopaths, homeopaths, iridologists, chiropractors, neuropaths, and acupuncturists. Most of these healers have been trained in Canada, the US, or France, where they have also received their licenses.
They also formed an umbrella organization called Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Acupuncture and Homeopathy” (NOAH) in 1999 to get official state recognition, which was only limited to biomedical practitioners and physicians.
Many Lebanese people go to these specialists in addition to physicians. Some also prefer their services because they are more cost-effective and less invasive.
This is surely one of the most eye-opening Lebanese healthcare beliefs.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
A study found that 29.87% of Lebanon’s population uses some sort of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Nearly 75% of this group used folk herbs as their complementary medicine of choice.
Also, 2 out of 5 users said that they use CAM as an alternative to conventional medicinal therapies. The study also noted that CAM usage was lower among people with a higher education and higher in people with a chronic illness. Other factors that increase CAM usage include unmet health needs, certain health problems, female gender, and middle age.
An example of complementary medicine is O. ehrenbergii, a perennial subshrub. It treats intestinal problems, the common cold, respiratory disorders, and stomach issues. The Lebanese also consider it an analgesic and memory-stimulating.
Another popular herb is Satureia thymbra. In traditional medicine, it is used to treat muscle pains, indigestion, nausea, cramps, and diarrhea.
Family Support
Unlike the West, where patients heavily rely on medical professionals, the Lebanese use their close friends and family members as a means of psychosocial and medical support. It is common for family members to tend to the sick.
It is one of the many Lebanese healthcare beliefs that families must be involved in end-of-life care, including decisions about treatment and emotional support for the patient.
Takeaway
Lebanese healthcare practices and those in the West might have a few similarities. For instance, the Lebanese focus on ecological health could be synonymous with the organic food movement in the US.
However, healthcare beliefs and practices in Lebanon differ drastically in many ways. The Lebanese beliefs have deep roots in religion and culture, greatly impacting their healthcare practices.
Economic instability and lack of access to modern health facilities also contribute to the tilt towards complementary medicine and alternative health specialists.