Conhecimentos tradicionais como medicina popular de cuidado com a saúde em Arapixuna, Santarém-Pará

Abstract

This study deals with the use of traditional knowledge for health care in communities in the interior of the Amazon, specifically in the community of Arapixuna, in the municipality of Santarém, State of Pará. The objective was to investigate the traditional medicinal practices of health care that residents of the locality assume as important in the treatment of pathologies. The research is justified by the relevance of the theme in health, especially in this period of pandemic experienced in the world, by the contribution to the health service by producing and collecting knowledge about the realities of people living in riverside communities. The research has a descriptive, exploratory character with a quantitative approach. In the first stage, 154 medical records of ESF users were evaluated, from 2018 to 2021, to verify the main diseases that occurred in the region and the existence or not of the record of their treatment, with traditional knowledge. In the second stage, 100 individual registration forms from the Health Unit were evaluated and, from these, 21 participants over 18 years of age, natives of the locality, with fixed residence in the district headquarters community were selected for the interview. As a data collection instrument, a form containing variables such as: sex, age, color, profession, religion, place of birth, schooling, family income, housing and sanitation was used to construct the sociodemographic profile of the community. It was observed in the sociodemographic profile, equivalence between females and males, age group between 54-65 years, complete high school, farming profession, family income of 1 minimum wage and Catholic religion. The profile of the interviewees showed that the majority were women aged between 31 and 40 years. Popular resources are used by the population, such as teas, baths, syrups, animal lard and massages, as well as the allopathic medicines available at the Health Unit, however, traditional knowledge is the first resource used before looking for the Health Unit. The main health problem reported in the last two years by study participants was Covid-19 flu syndrome. The research has an interdisciplinary character, as it allows the discussion of man's relationships with himself and his health, with the environment and society. It is hoped that this research can contribute to new studies on the subject, fostering dialogues and reflections on care and its popular practices, passed on between generations in riverside communities in the interior of the Amazon.