Communication Between Cultures

(Sean Pound) #1
illness on the ability to meet self-care needs.”^52 To achieve and sustain an individual’s
well-being, the various parts cannot be considered separately because what happens to
one part of the body also influences all the others. In other words, if one component
is not functioning properly, it degrades the performance of the other parts and can
impede the entire system as a whole. For example, someone with financial difficulties
may experience stress that can in turn produce different physical maladies, such as a
stomachache, headache, or even depression.
Holistic health is concerned with a person’s entire well-being, not just the symp-
toms of an illness. It can be seen as a lifestyle that seeks to integrate the physical,
psychological, and spiritual aspects of life. In holistic healthcare, the individual is
encouraged to engage in beneficial behaviors, such as a good diet, regular exercise,
and maintenance of a positive mental outlook, all of which make positive contribu-
tions to health. This requires that they remain in balance with their environment,
that they maintain a state of“harmony”with the world around them. For instance,
“maintaining harmony is the driving force in Navajo life.”^53 Another form of the
holistic approach is Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM), which can take a variety
of forms. Followers of Taoism believe that good health requires maintaining a balance
between the opposing forces ofyinandyang:
According to TCM, the two opposing principles in the universe are yin and yang. Yin
is the female principle; it represents cold, darkness, and other qualities. Yang is the male
principle; it represents heat, light, and so forth. When yin and yang (or cold and hot) are
in balance, the individual is healthy. When they become out of balance, illness results.^54
The importance assigned to TCM practices is illustrated by the modern Chinese
hospital shipPeace Ark. In addition to being fully prepared to treat almost any
emergency with the latest medical equipment,Peace Arkalso has a TCM treatment
and consultation room where such therapies as massage, acupuncture, and cupping
are practiced.^55
Other treatments employed by holistic medicine practitioners may include yoga,
meditation, chiropractic care, moxibustion, and the use of herbal medicines or other
naturopathic remedies. In the Native American tradition, to help maintain“har-
mony,”a Navajo may enlist the help of a medicine man to conduct an elaborate cer-
emony that can involve chants, singing, sweat lodges, dance, prayer, sand paintings,
and other rites, some lasting several days. The traditional treatment of illness among
Mexican Americans may involve prayer, poultices, herbal teas, and adhering to a diet
that balances“hot”and“cold”foods.^56
Again, we should remind you that although some of these beliefs and treatments
may seem unusual when compared to the Western science–based model, healthcare
practitioners in other cultures have successfully employed many of these methods for
centuries.

Scientific/Biomedical Perspective


Just as the name implies, thescientific/biomedicaltradition is based on the scientific
method and rests on the premise of cause and effect. The human body is seen in a
biological and chemical context. Through careful observation and study the cause
and effect related to illnesses, diseases, and physical disorders can be determined.
Once the cause of a malady has been identified, medicines and therapy are then
developed and used to manipulate the body’s physical and biochemical processes in

Healthcare Belief Systems Across Cultures 369

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