EL EMPACHO Y LA MEDIDA DE LA CINTA. CARACTERÍSTICAS HISTÓRICO - CULTURALES EN VALENCIA, ESPAÑA

Empacho is a disease characterized by food stagnation in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this article is to consider the historical and cultural Valencian roots of this disease, which is caused by the ingestion of non-digestible elements. The expertise and practice of this nosology stems from...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Roberto Campos-Navarro.
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:México
Recursos:Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Repositorio:Redalyc-UNAM
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:14871844002
Acesso em linha:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=14871844002
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/148/14871844002/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/148/14871844002/html/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/148/14871844002/14871844002.epub
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/148/14871844002/movil
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Antropología
Popular
Empacho
Ritual treatment
Cultural illnesses
traditional medicine
Descrição
Resumo:Empacho is a disease characterized by food stagnation in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this article is to consider the historical and cultural Valencian roots of this disease, which is caused by the ingestion of non-digestible elements. The expertise and practice of this nosology stems from Latin-American popular knowledge, both from family members, and healers and herbalists. Western medicine defines empacho as a trivial digestive alteration (dyspepsia), and downplays traditional medicine practices. Research on empacho was carried out throughout national and local public and private libraries in Spain and utilizing internet search engines. It was found around 131 texts related to empacho in the Valencian Community from the 13th century to the present day. Most of them correspond to the last and present century. Folkloric and ethnographic descriptions, dictionary definitions, as well as medical and testimonial approaches predominate. The most significant finding is the presence of an almost exclusively Valencian treatment to overcome a digestive disorder. The healing ritual, which is circumscribed to the Valencian Community and neighboring regions (Catalonia and Castilla La Mancha), was exported to Cuba, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Its historicity, continuity, usefulness, and efficacy from a psycho-therapeutic perspective is widely discussed. The need to deepen its study with an integrative medical and anthropological orientation is widely suggested.