Diseño de un prototipo para medición de señales electrodérmicas a través de un enfoque de medicina ancestral

Abstract

Ancestral Andean medicine conceives the energy of the human body as a vital force that balances the animate and inanimate elements of the cosmos, represented by the 3 worlds: Hanan pacha, Kai pacha and Uku pacha. The measurement of this energy, known as “samai”, is performed by the wise men of the community, Yachaks, Healers, Midwives, Cleaners, among others. From biomedicine there are western methods for the measurement of energy, for example, electrodermal activity (EDA). The latter is an adaptable alternative to the approach of ancestral medicine because it can record the biological electrical potential of the 3 regions of the body (head, trunk, abdominopelvic region) corresponding to the worlds of the Andean cosmos, i.e., it integrates western biomedical technology from the Andean Cosmogony. This proposal proposes the design of an integrative and culturally sensitive device for the holistic understanding of health, not only because of the high cost of support devices to measure and record energy, but also capable of protecting and revitalizing the cultural values and identity of the Andean communities by incorporating this knowledge in the design, as it promotes the recognition and empowerment of these ancestral traditions. It includes the structuring of a rigorous protocol where the physiological conditions of the people who can undergo the measurement are specified, as well as the steps to follow to measure electrodermal activity signals (EDA).