Immigrants are constantly juggling adaptation to American culture and traditions from home. Preserving their own culture is often partly an expression of identity and pride, but it is often also a response to feeling alienated and excluded by mainstream America.
Here’s a local story that captures that dual reality. The Queens Chronicle ran this story yesterday on the connection between the popularity of botanicas (folk medicine shops) and lack of health insurance.
Jackson Heights is an area known for its rich cultural diversity, so the popularity of ethnic folk medicine comes as no surprise.
It also has the highest rate of uninsured residents in New York City and this has further increased the popularity of ethnic folk medicines.
According to a 2006 community profile report released by the city Department of Health, Western Queens residents are 60 percent more likely to be uninsured than in the rest of New York City and Queens and are more likely to rely on the emergency room for medical care and information.
Western medicine has many flaws, not least of which is its astronomical cost!
MANJATAN: Mexicans in New York 