Anthropology of religion

California community fuses traditional, western medicine to help Hmong immigrants

Health & Medicine

The Hmong community has been among the more resistant to western medicine since migrating to the United States over the last 60 to 70 years. Traditionally, they preferred the treatment of a Hmong shaman. But in California, there’s an effort underway to bring the two types of medicine together.

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Lia Lee: A Disabled Life that Changed the Face of Western Medicine

Arts, Culture & Media
A Hmong woman performs a ceremony

In California, Hmong shamans work with medical professionals

Belief
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Doctor Shaman

Drug Company Calls on Traditional Healers

Steve talks with Lisa Conte, president of Shaman Pharmaceuticals. The 3-year-old company hopes to turn traditional healing plants into modern medicines, and return a portion of its profits to the indigenous people who live in the areas in which the plants are found.

Drug Company Calls on Traditional Healers

Steve talks with Lisa Conte, president of Shaman Pharmaceuticals. The 3-year-old company hopes to turn traditional healing plants into modern medicines, and return a portion of its profits to the indigenous people who live in the areas in which the plants are found.

Nature’s Myths

Host Steve Curwood shares two of his favorite stories fom “The World’s Great Nature Myths” by Gary Ferguson.

The World

Learning about the brain with magic

Arts, Culture & Media

Neuroscientists are teaming up with magicians to learn about human behavior and the brain. Rhitu Chatterjee recently spoke with neuroscientists Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde about what the two professions are teaching each other.