Feature: January/February 2010

Culturally Competent Care in Mental Health

This 25 minute narrated video slide show teaches about approaches to providing culturally competent care to immigrant and refugee patients.  The presentation is based on a talk by psychiatrist Dr. Lorin Boynton, given at a Psychiatry Chief Resident Conference at Harborview Medical Center.  Play the video below or click here to view in a larger screen.

Recent Features

Ethiopian Traditional and Herbal Medications and their Interactions with Conventional Drugs

Many herbal substances that are used in Ethiopian traditional medicine are also used as ingredients and spices in Ethiopian food. Consumption of these herbs and spices as part of a normal diet is not likely to cause adverse herb-drug interactions because they are consumed in relatively small quantities. However, when these herbs and spices are utilized for medicinal purposes there may be an increased likelihood of adverse interactions with conventional medicines. There are several classes of medications that are at a higher risk for adverse herb-drug interactions, including anti-arrhythmic, anti-seizure, anti-diabetic, and anti-coagulant medication. Health care providers are particularly attuned to these interactions because these drugs are typically monitored with serum levels and serum markers (e.g., warfarin, digoxin).  The risk is increased because of the chemical composition of these medicines and because they treat some of the most common illnesses in the Ethiopian immigrant population (Jackson, 2008).   Read entire article...

Public Health Information on H1N1 - Swine Flu

Swine flu continues to be a public health issue in the U.S. and internationally. In an effort to reach the immigrant and refugee populations, information about swine flu has been translated into other languages by several groups.  EthnoMed has provided video recordings in 11 languages and compiled links to other sites providing swine flu information in other languages. See Swine Flu Resources for these resources.

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