Comparing Alvord's The Scalpel And The Silver Bear

The Navajo creation story explains that medicine was brought to the people by an ancient owl. This owl sent down a magic bundle containing the powers of healing to the new world. For thousands of years Navajo people have used this knowledge to heal and live in harmony with each other. As a product of two worlds, Dr. Lori Alvord was one of the first people to combine modern medicine with Navajo beliefs by overcoming cultural differences.

Mind, body and spirit are the foundation of the Navajo community. The Navajo culture is known to be very primitive and reserved. This could cause some complications in the health care field. Their basic lifestyle may lead to several health complications, belief in prayer and evil spirits is prominent, they believe that the role of a physician is to be a partner in their healing, there are several nursing practices that need to be considered when caring for a Navajo patient, and as a nurse it is important to treat these people with respect even if their ways may seems unorthodox.

This perspective is harmful to patients in some ways. Specialists often just look inside their own parameter and do not consider other factors might be influencing illness. On the other hand, A Navajo healer will look for the imbalance. To a hataalii it is clear that everything affects everything else. The stress from disharmony can cause physical sickness, depression, even violence and death. . She said, “The Navajo view is macro view, whereas Western Medicine often takes a micro view” (Alvord, 1999, pg. 187). Thus she suggested that a doctor should no only cure but also heal by considering all factors in a patient’s life through holistic patient

“Medicine was religion. Religion was society. Society was medicine” (Fadiman, 1997). To the Hmong’s, this is a way of life. Everything in their culture is interrelated and represents a holistic view. As Americans, we try to incorporate the holistic approach into our health care system, but heavily rely on medications and science to treat illness.

When parents apply religious or cultural beliefs concerning spiritual healing, faith healing, or preference for prayer over traditional health care for children, concerns develop. This dilemma is unraveled in Anne Fadiman 's true story, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, where the study of cross cultural medicine holds a significant value in all profession. The book chronicles the vast cultural differences between mainstream Americans and the Hmong, and how language and cultural barriers affected Lia 's treatment. To understand the Lees we really need to understand the Hmong culture.

Showing support and respect for cultural health beliefs creates a better interpersonal relationship between patient and physician. When implementing a wellness plan for the patient to follow the physician should take into consideration the beliefs of the patient. Health care providers should seek and obtain knowledge of their patient’s diverse cultures. Obtaining the knowledge of other cultures can be an valuable skill.

When caring for a Native American patient, it is imperative that the nurse provide culturally competent care. In this scenario, there are two main dimensions along which cultural tensions between the patient and the nurse can arise. The first pertains to the actual practices and values of Native American culture, which may be at odds with the practices and values of dominant healthcare institutions. The second is both broader and more subtle: it pertains to the historical relationship of the Native American people and the

In The Scalpel and the Silver Bear we embark on a journey with Lori Arviso Alvord through her life on the reservation, going to school, then eventually making it back to the reservation. In a world where humans act so programed, Dr.Alvord incorporates her native beliefs and rituals to break up the monotony of modern medicine. She begins her story describing what life is like on the reservation, they are very minimalistic and traditionally focused. Everything is done with a purpose and they teach the children to not attract attention to yourself, this was proven extremely difficult when Dr.Alvord started college at a white majority school. She excelled in college and medical school and found comfort with other Native American students. She perused

Families around the world all have different beliefs and religions that they follow. Some move to America just so they can give their families a better life, but that doesn’t mean that they leave behind the traditions that they followed. It just makes it difficult sometimes for them adjusting to the American ways compared to how they were used too back in their country. Especially when it comes down to how people get sick and how they are treated so that they can get better. Here we discuss about the Hmong culture and how there’s a difference with how they heal people compared to how it’s done in America. Healing someone can be through medicine or any type of treatment from some kind of doctor or as the Hmong heal, they use a shaman. A shaman is a person with a

After completing the “cultural competence checklist: personal reflection designed by T.D. Goode” for the first time, I was not surprised by my results. The results were a reflection of my personal understanding how culture impacts holistic care and my continuous need to improve my care. I have strived to become non-judgmental. I work to not let my personal beliefs and values influence my nursing care on decisions. When I practice this philosophy it provides better patient outcomes and promotes an improved understanding of cultural differences. This also enhances a safe and caring environment. “It is important for health care providers to recognize that care must be individualized and considerate of the cultural. Racial, and ethnic identity of the patients and their families” (Broome, 2006, p. 486) .There is much diversity in the beliefs and practices of the Indian culture and we should grant these individuals complete freedom to practice their personal cultural variations and the religion they choose.

A healing hospital is a healing community providing radical loving care (Journal of Sacred Work, 2009) in a safe environment that focuses on human interaction, interpersonal caring and enhancing the wellbeing of patients, caregivers, and all other members of the healing community. While a healing hospital is, of course, dedicated to providing excellent medical care to its patients (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), it is also dedicated to integrating work design and technology (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), and ultimately to the overall wellness of every healing community member. Using physical healing, education and supportive human interaction, this care model seeks healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels for everyone involved in the process (Zarren, n.d., pp. 1-2). The success of this model requires the cooperation of every

“Spiritual assessments are one of many ways the religion and spirituality are present in modern healthcare” (Cadge & Bandini, 2015, p. 431). From a personal perspective, the best way a healthcare professional can address the spiritual and religious needs of a patient when a life-threatening situation appears, is to first perform a spiritual assessment to the patient upon admission, second after being properly informed about the patient preferences, look for the proper spiritual services that best fulfill the patient’s needs and offer those available services to the patient. When treating patients, medical professionals need to be supportive throughout the patient’s course, listen to the patient’s needs and concerns, offer the available spiritual services, and be mindful of the patient’s spiritual history (Puchalski, 2001, p. 4). For some patients, spirituality is necessary to cope with life threatening situations and is the moral duty of healthcare professionals to help patients to accept their illness and find peace with their life’s.

There are several components to a healing hospital. The first component is to ensure that the environment is one that promotes healing both physically and spiritually. Many health care providers are beginning to take note that in order to achieve successful patient outcomes; they must focus their attention the patient as a whole and not just on the patient’s affliction. This means that the care provider must be aware of the patient’s physical, mental and even spiritual health. The care provider must deliver this care with compassion and respect.

My interest in providing culturally competent care inspired me to become a nurse practitioner, but most of all the inspirations came from the wonderful diverse patients I have had the privilege to care for throughout my nursing career. My primary objective is to care for underserved population communities. In my career, I have seen lives been cut short that would have been saved if only they had made it to the hospital in time. But because of reasons including lack of health care access, knowledge how to access care, cultural and religious beliefs, language barrier, and fear of being judged by medical professionals led them not seek medical attention.

As the United States diverse population increases, there is a higher demand for community health workers. It is through funding of federal and state, that community health workers are able to reach out to the public. Their presence is crucial in addressing racism and discrimination that many patients experience when they seek care. For instance, health disparities, discrimination, and residential segregation continue to affect immigrant populations as well as other communities of color. This public health concern is affecting the possibility of achieving health equity among all race/ethnic backgrounds and reduces health disparities (Garcia et.al, 2015). Therefore, more research is focused on health care organizations being culturally competent in efforts to understand healing traditions of many cultures. For instance, the community health work can facilitate communication between the patient and doctor in delivering the health information by using culturally appropriate terms. Furthermore, community health workers can help bridge traditional medicine with western medicine by making both parties aware of the importance of each treatment. Although, more research should be done to fund clinical research in order to understand alternative medicine, it should not be dismissed by the medical field as a way of