The Pros And Cons Of Traditional Biomedicine

Anne Fadiman’s novel, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, addresses key concerns regarding health and medicinal relationships with cultural beliefs. She challenges readers to consider what is known about western medicinal practices and beliefs, based on science, and recognize its effectiveness when paired with cultural understanding. This novel portrays some of the greatest medicinal and health challenges and cultural failures of western societies. There were several cultural competency themes integrated throughout the book, however, it surprised me at how distant western practices and the Hmong’s healing methods were at the beginning. It seemed as if it would be a stretch to form a connection between these two extremities,

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

Native American traditional medicine and spiritual healing rituals go back for thousands of years, these traditions often focus on different variations of alternative medicine. This knowledge is passed on throughout generations, many of the tribes learn that by mixing natural plants such as herbs and roots they can make remedies with healing properties. It is believed that being healthy is when people reach a state of harmony not only spiritually, mentally but physically. To be able to overcome the forces that cause illness people must “operate in the context of relationship to four constructs —namely, spirituality (Creator, Mother Earth, Great Father); community (family, clan, tribe/nation); environment (daily life, nature, balance); and self (inner passions and peace, thoughts, and values)” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.453). In this research paper I am going to show evidence of the tremendous influence that Native American medicine and spiritual healing have over modern medicine in the course of healing

African- Americans had an immensely different experience dealing with disease and illness opposed to white masters. With fewer resources, in some cases, the slaves developed medicine or treatments that were more helpful and advanced than those of the white physicians. For example, the Burdock root was used as a treatment for diabetes. It was also used by herbalists for treating dropsy, gout, blood disorders, rheumatism and fungal infections. (Fitzgerald 2) Back then, the slaves would also use certain methods of healing that didn’t involve injesting a medicine. It was very common for the slaves to believe in using charms and magic for their remedies. Often those considered to be advanced healers would also be considered very skilled with

In this case study on cross cultural medicinal beliefs and practices, Anne Fadiman addresses the rift between Hmong spiritual and medicinal customs and the culture of American biomedicine by telling the story of a young Hmong child, Lia Lee. Lia’s journey started when she was three months old and she suffered her first of many epileptic seizures. Over the next few months she continued to suffer from her seizures and made at least three emergency room visits. Like most cases of epilepsy, the cause of her grand mal seizures was unknown, however, her parents, Nao Kao and Foua Lee, believed it to be the result of her elder sister slamming the door and scaring Lia awake, allowing a dab, or evil spirit, to steal her soul. After her first visit to the Merced Community Medical Center, it became clear that the language barrier would not allow for an accurate patient history to be recorded. As Lia’s condition worsened, this barrier would further prevent the Lee’s from understanding exactly what was happening to their daughter as well as follow the treatment the doctors were implementing. This eventually lead to the doctor’s believing that Nao Kao and Foua

Since many Native Americans (American Indians; Indigenous peoples; First Nations) integrate traditional healing practices with Western biomedicine, it is important to gain the views of Indigenous men healers. This is particularly true because of the differences between Indigenous healing and Western

"Native American medicine is based on widely held beliefs about healthy living, the repercussions of disease-producing behavior, and the spiritual principles that restore balance." -Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen (Chrisman 1).

Many different forms of medicine are currently practiced in the world. In fact, as our text states, “in all cultures, some people have become recognized as having special abilities to treat and diagnose health problems.” (Miller 107) Without argument, phytomedicinal and supernatural healers are two forms of medical treatment that have been around for longer than any other, regardless of culture. It has been estimated that shamanism has been practiced for over ten thousand years (Tyson 3). Native American and Celtic healers are often known as shamans.

Traditionally, Native American healers would perform special rituals where they would smoke and pray as they prepared the herbal cures. They used plants and herbs to heal common alignments and were knowledgeable in which specific plants had certain healing properties. African American healers characterized their ability to heal and cure as a “gift” and believed their knowledge

Among the three theories of religion, Eliade had the largest impact on my understanding of religion, more specifically, religion pertaining to sickness and health. Throughout Eliade’s perspective of religion, he defines it as, “a mythical time, that is, a primordial time, not to be found in the historical past, an original time, in the sense that it came into existence all at once, that it was not preceded by another time, because no time could exist before the appearance of the reality narrated in the myth.” (Eliade, 72) Eliade’s idea of religion pertaining to sickness was emphasized in the stressful life of Lia Lee, the uplifting experience of the African rituals, and the riveting way in which Atul Gawande deals with sickness. By addressing these ideal points, Eliade carries out the religious significance of each point individually through his interpretation of religion.

In West Africa, for instance, it has been estimated that between 70-80% of the population rely on traditional medicine (Solutions, 2015). One major difference between traditional western medicine and traditional African medicine is the way that illnesses are viewed. Many Africans take a holistic approach to healing which often includes herbalism. According to the African culture human beings are made up of a multitude of various aspects such as, physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social. If these things are functioning together than person is healthy, however is one of these aspects are out of balance than a person will become physically or spiritually ill.

Today, it is often thought that the western way is the best way. We are constantly pushing our religion, technology, medicine, and entire culture onto others, especially indigenous peoples. Our way of living in seen as “positive, universal goods, to be obtained at any price,” (Bodley, p. 107). And this price includes sacrificing indigenous peoples own culture. Bodley later explains that western culture is negatively impacting the indigenous peoples and he specially focuses on the biomedical aspect. Upon being “blessed” with western culture, indigenous people are suffering many medical consequences exclusive to our advanced society. Mark Plotkin, also, expands on this topic in his book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice and argues that biomedicine doesn’t compare to ethnobotanical knowledge of indigenous people.

The driving theme of this book is healing in the context of religious practices, but not only in the way one would assume---the restoration of physical or spiritual health--- it includes more than just that. Rather, it encompasses the building of a community and the preservation of the African culture in the Americas.

During this time health care problems were on the rise, due to disease, poverty, and war. With the spread of communicable diseases this led to more hospitals, and the need for more healthcare providers. The medical profession continued to be governed by Church officials restricting women to religious healing arts, and prohibited from attending universities. Physician’s treatment at this time was generally inaccessible to the poor, ineffective, and based solely on superstitions. (pg. 14) All though many women were accepted into the hospitals as nurses, there were many women who continued to practice secretively by healing through herbs, drugs, and observation. It was mostly peasant women who would stray from the traditional nursing often helping the poor, pregnant, and the diseased. This type of healing was believed to be which craft, and for that many women were hunted down for these

Here is my analytical report on whether taking on more alternative therapies will help our family with our overall health and budget. In researching this topic, I found out that even though most adults use some form of alternative medicines, there is a lack of evidence based information regarding efficiency, safety,