Knowledge of local folk healers, the so-called whisperers, among paramedic students from eastern Poland

Abstract

ContextSo far, the phenomenon of folk healers in Podlasie (eastern Poland) has not attracted the interest of medical professionals. There are no statistics describing the scale of the phenomenon. The study aimed to find out whether young adults undertaking studies and those around them use the help of whisperers. Design and setting43 student paramedics took part in the study. Parents of all participants lived in Podlasie or adjacent counties. They answered the survey questions and participated in the discussion on alternative methods of treatment. ResultsEvery fourth student paramedic reported that a whisperer was active within a radius of 20 km from his/her parents' residence. 60.5% of student paramedics have personal/family experience or friends using a whisperer. ConclusionsUsing the help of whisperers seems to have the features of a lifestyle element among educated young people from Podlasie. Non-disappearance of the tradition of healing by whispering and obligatory transfer of heritage to younger people before the expected loss of physical strength or death of a whisperer makes it possible to plan interesting biomedical research on healing and healers' predispositions.