Dictionary of Cuban diseases not recognized by science

If there is one place in the world where people invent, it is in Cuba. We even have our own medical vocabulary to invent, which describes very common conditions on the Island to which we have given unique names.

These diseases, or “ills,” are not recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), nor by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), nor by the National Medical College of Cuba.

However, there are things that Science cannot explain. And Cuban doctors, no matter how barbaric they are, have had to bow their heads before a good healer; They even study and interview some wise herbalists.

In the countryside these practices of healing with natural elements, prayers and herbs are preserved more than in the city. As a science-loving journalist, I must confess that this article is difficult for me to write. However, my aunt from Maguaraya has cured me of more than one emptiness.

So, if you don't believe in these evils, I don't question it. But an old saying goes that when the river makes noise it is because it carries stones. I won't delay the thing any longer. Here is a brief dictionary of very comical, and sometimes also very serious, Cuban diseases.

Dictionary of Cuban diseases

• Air: Very common disease, acute and intermittent pain that can affect any part of the trunk of the body. It manifests itself as a twinge and heals when you pass gas.
• Andancio: It is a type of virus that affects both the respiratory and digestive systems. It is transmitted from one person to another.
• May Bobo: Diarrhea that appears after the May rains. They are associated with the carryover of impurities brought by river waters. That's why you can't drink a lot of water in May.
• Open waist: This is a pain that country men suffer especially after hugging for a long time, or carrying bags. The solution is to put on a sash and sleep for two or three days on the floor. If this doesn't cure you, go to the doctor and see what he says.
• Chiflío: It's like a high-pitched diarrhea. It lasts about two or three days. It is very good for losing weight. It is recommended to take 1 liter of boiled water with a tablespoon of salt and 1 of baking soda. Chill the preparation so that it passes better and drink it little by little.
• Chochera: This is when you start to forget things and change your mood easily. It is associated with the elderly. Internationally it is known as Alzheimer's.
• Bump: Bump that appears on the head or shin after a strong blow.
• Cut body: Mild discomfort of unknown origin. Symptoms can include moodiness, runny nose, fatigue, lack of energy, and in finicky men it can cause tremors.
• Cooling: Surprising drop in body temperature. Slowness, nail color change to a purple but slight tone. If it hits you hard you are cyanotic and that is something else.
• Going dark: Purple, bluish or violet color that children take on when they have a crying fit. Don't despair, they know more than you and are capable of resolving the matter on their own. Never hit them or turn them upside down.
• Empacho: Digestive problem whose causes are not defined. Well, you usually don't remember what you ate that could have caused this. She is cured with the healer's prayers, assisted by a tape measure to measure the severity of her illness, or a towel. Another method is to rub one of your legs with oil or lard until the painful lump that you never imagined was there disappears.
• Suddenly: Cause of sudden death unknown to doctors until an autopsy is performed. Usually associated with massive heart attacks.
• Destemplanza: Rare body temperature that is neither very very, nor so so. It would be with a thermometer a fair “37 degrees”.
• Descent: It is a faint due to lack of food for hours, due to low blood sugar; and on very hot days due to dehydration.
• Moon: Cold that is acquired by going out into the countryside at night to visit without covering your head. It is also acquired by suddenly exposing yourself to the coldness of the night.
• Bad: An unknown disease or one to which the doctor gives a very strange name.
• Evil eye: It occurs when something beautiful is seen by someone with bad feelings or envy. Some people have the quality of giving the evil eye. To prevent this, always use a jet and if someone celebrates something, pray to yourself: “kiss his butt three times”; or say the prayer of Saint Luis Beltrán, which I will not leave here because it is very long.
• Moño virao: It can be suffered at any age. Some people tend to have it permanently. It is associated with an emotional imbalance, bad mood, alteration. Heat is a triggering factor, perhaps that is why the most prone time is between 11 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. It sometimes happens to women before we go to sleep, but it is irrelevant from the perspective of gender equality.
• Open wrist: Dislocation of the wrist as a result of physical effort, a bad gesture or cleaning and squeezing the Cuban cloth.
• Ñáñara: skin injury that can be caused by countless things. The most common in children are impetigo, scratches and scrapes.
• Patatús: A “something” that gives you indecipherable. It is a type of attack that usually begins with tantrums and tremors. It can be caused by an infinite number of things and can have different outcomes depending on the ability of the sufferer to overcome the psychosomatic effect it causes.
• Punzada del Guajiro: It is a very strong puncture in the roof of the mouth that reaches the nose and goes up to the hypothalamus. The teeth can freeze, especially those who have "chopped pieces." You can appreciate its effects by eating ice cream at full speed or by chewing a little ice, a common practice among Cubans. It is not fatal, so you can try it at home by eating durofrío.
• Sereno: Cold that you can catch by going out into the mountains at night. The dew moistens the clothes and at dawn you are already cold. It can also happen if you go fishing without covering your head, which is why the fishermen on the Malecón in Havana always wear caps.
• Sirimba: It is very similar to patatús. It is considered to have shorter duration and milder effects, but you never know. It is common in alcoholics and goes away with a cold shower and hot coffee.

If you have any of these conditions, I recommend that you not forget to “go see the doctor”, as my grandmother in Maguaraya said, every time she visited the doctor.