Empacho (A Cold Illness)
Empacho (or tripida) literally means an impacted stomach or surfeit.
While all ages may be prone to empacho, it is much more common in
young children. The etiology is felt to be adherence of soft food and
difficult-to-digest substances (such as popcorn or chewing gum) to
the stomach wall. Symptoms are anorexia, stomach ache, vomiting,
pain with diarrhea, and generalized abdominal fullness. The diagnosis
is made by the healer noting symptoms and checking for direct (but
not rebound) abdominal tenderness, feeling knots in the calves,
and/or rolling a fresh chicken egg over the abdomen. Empacho is
confirmed if the egg appears to stick to a particular area. Remedies
include rubbing the stomach or back, popping of the skin, and
purgative teas of wormwood (estafiate) or camomile (manzanilla).
Lead (azarcón) or mercury (greta) powders are still occasionally
given.
Administration of these heavy metals can cause severe illness and
death, but occasionally are still used despite a widely disseminated
public information program.