Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
Eastern and Western Medicine The complex structure and foreign nature of Tibetan medicine makes it difficult to relate its practices to Western medicine, making it difficult to determine the clinical efficacy of Eastern medical practice. Several clinical analysis studies have recently been performed in order to determine the efficacy of the “holistic” practices of Eastern cultures. Whether the studies show Eastern or Western practices to be more effective, I believe that the most effective treatment should be a combination of both practices. Eastern and Western practices differ on many levels. One of the main differences between these two methods is the way in which medicine is actually practiced. Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
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It is a strong belief of the Tibetans that their karma of previous lives plays a significant role in their health.5 Tibetan medicine practices the belief that methods must be practiced as equally as they are learned academically. Misinterpretations of certain Buddhist aspects of Eastern medicine create difficulties in relating Eastern and Western principles. Some Westerners feel that all you need to practice medicine in the East is a strong sense of compassion to help people, without having any real knowledge of the medical practices: “A few weekend courses and all the good intentions in the world it would seem is all that is thought to be necessary.” (Dummer p. 11). This, however, is not the case at all. Eastern practitioners spend years learning medical procedures and techniques before going into practice. They are also fully educated in the spiritual aspects of medicine as well, as for religion plays a significant role in Eastern practices. Inadequate training may result in improper care and detrimental diagnosis to those who may be seriously ill or suffering from undiagnosed diseases.7 Eastern medicine also differs from Western practices in the way in which the human body is classified. In Tibetan medicine, the constituents of the body are quantified more on an observatory and physical basis, rather than the scientific and technological methods used in Western medicine. Tibetan practice Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine (WM) differ from each other in many ways. TCM favors a holistic approach, views the universe and body philosophically and develops inductive tools and methods to guide restoring the total balance of the body. In Chinese medicine, the correct balance between Yin and Yang make up the vital energy, Qi, an essential life-sustaining substance of which all things are made. Some Traditional remedies include herbal medicines, acupuncture, massage and moxibustion, an herbal heat therapy. Western medicine is closely linked to the scientific method and emphasizes biochemical processes causes disease, its treatment and health. Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
They are really fast when it comes to getting better but can trigger some effects called Boomerang Effects. It happens when a person takes a medication and depends on it to help the person without taking some consideration into it. Many medications in WM contain many chemicals which can harm your body if abused. In TCM, chemicals aren’t commonly used at all because many herbal treatments are given and other practices like massages and acupuncture is applied to treat the symptoms and the illness. The two types of medicine have many similarities although. The main factor of the process is to make sure the patient recovers and is able to do all aspects in her life as it were before the issue occurred. Both acknowledge that the patient is suffering an illness cause by the body. Although they treat the patient differently, both aim for a balance and harmony within the body with their medical knowledge. Thank goodness our society in medicine aims for one solid thing and that thing is peace and harmony within TCM and WM are in fact different in more ways than they are similar. I could probably list more differences that I can with similarities. When you are first diagnosed using TCM, doctors believe that your body is not balanced. Where as in the west, they diagnose patients by trying to find out what pathogen is attacking your body and making you sick. They believe that microorganisms are key factors of illnesses. Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
The widespread use of alternative medicine nowadays has driven scientists to study it and understand the reasons of the high demand for unconventional treatment. According to Zollman C, and Vickers A. (1999), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be defined as therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines which are exogenous of the institutions where modern methods of treatment are exist and taught. Eisenberg D. (1993), defines CAM as “medical interventions which are commonly not taught at medical schools and not generally provided at hospitals in the US”. These two definitions are not fully satisfactory because, firstly, some forms of CAM which were tested by scientists and appeared to be safe and effective and found a place Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
The key point is to understand what there is about CAM that differentiates it from modern health care. It is argued that individuals to date embrace CAM because it meets consumer needs and provides health care without any side effects, curing an illness completely not just minimizing the pain for a short period. However, despite the popularity of CAM, the effectiveness cannot be fully trusted and thoroughly tested, whereas, conventional medicine is based on science study and research and scientifically proven. The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast two approaches of medical health care and to prove that advantages of modern medicine outweigh those of alternative methods of treatment in many aspects and to show that CAM has many disadvantages which have been revealed during surveys. First of all, it is better to learn the history and some forms of unconventional medicine to have background knowledge on it. While modern medicine developed due to science evolvement, CAM always existed from many centuries ago till these days. It takes roots from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)found on herbal remedies also including psychological, spiritual aspects in their treatment. In contrast to modern medicine, TCM focuses not solely on disease but also on maladjustment of human body and whole functioning process.Eastern and Western Medicine: Origins and Philosophies Essay Paper
