Healthcare Philosophies
True or false: there is only one universal health care philosophy.
Many of us share similar experiences when visiting the doctor’s office. We are accustomed to the particular scent of a hospital, the cleanliness, and the organized chaos that takes place. We are familiar with the process of scheduling appointments, waiting to be treated by a nurse, and having the doctor visit us breifly before moving on to another patient. To many of us, that scene is allopathic or western healthcare, and it is generally the only way we know health and healthcare treatment. However, most of us disregard the other primary health care philosophy. Today we’re going to learn about the two primary health care philosophies around the world and what makes them so unique.
The two distinct healthcare philosophies that determine the scope of health beliefs and practices are known as dualistic and holistic. Each of these philosophies encompasses unique methods of maintaining, protecting, and restoring health. Dualistic healthcare focuses on the mind and body and is represented in allopathic or western healthcare. Holistic healthcare, in addition to focusing on the mind and body, also includes the spiritual component of healthcare and is represented in homeopathy. Holistic healthcare is included in alternative and traditional forms of healthcare (Spector 9e 88).
The dominant health care system in the United States is predicated on the dualistic philosophy of allopathy. Allopathic medicine is a conventional system of medicine that embraces all methods of empirical science. Some examples of allopathic healthcare are acute care, chronic care, public health, mental health, and rehabilitation. Today, allopaths may show little or limited tolerance and respect for providers of health care who follow a different philosophy, such as homeopaths, osteopaths, and chiropractors, and for traditional healers such as midwives, and herbalists (Spector 9e 88-89).
Under the holistic philosophy, there are two more branches of healing: alternative and traditional.
Alternative therapies are defined as healthcare treatments that are holistic but not a part of one’s religious or cultural heritage. An example would be a European American electing to use acupuncture, which is a Chinese traditional method of healing, as a form of treatment. Another common example would be if a person’s back started to hurt, and they visited a chiropractor. These methods of healing are interventions that are not typically taught in medical schools and are not widely available in US hospitals or other settings. (Spector 9e 89).
More common forms of alternative healthcare include Aromatherapy: an ancient science that uses essential plant oils to produce strong physical and emotional effects in the body. Biofeedback: the use of an electronic machine that measures skin temperatures and the patient controls responses that are usually involuntary. Hypnotherapy: the use of hypnosis to stimulate emotions and involuntary responses such as blood pressure. Macrobiotics: a diet and lifestyle that consists of balancing yin and yang energies of food. Massage therapy: the use of manipulative techniques to relieve pain and return energy to the body, and Reflexology: the natural science dealing with the reflex points in the hands and feet that correspond to every organ in the body (Spector 9e 90).
In contrast to alternative care, traditional healthcare is specific to one’s traditional, cultural, or religious heritage. An example would be if a Chinese man elected to use acupuncture or moxibustion. One traditional holistic healing practice is Ayurvedic medicine. It is a 3,000-year-old method of healing that originated in India and is the most ancient medical system. Ayurvedic medicine consists of diet, natural therapies, and herbs; its chief aim is longevity and quality of life. Another example of a traditional healthcare system is Curanderismo. This is a traditional Hispanic system of healthcare, and it originated in Spain. It is derived in part from traditional practices of indigenous Indian and Spanish health practices (Spector 9e 89).
Qi Gong is also a traditional practice of healing, and it is a form of Chinese traditional medicine that combines movement, meditation, and regulation of breathing to enhance the flow of qi (vital energy) to improve circulation and enhance the immune system. Reiki is a Japanese form of healing based on the belief that when spiritual energy is channeled through a practitioner, the patient’s spirit is healed, in turn healing the physical body. Lastly, Santeria is a form of healthcare observed by the practitioners of the Santeria religion. There are hundreds of examples of traditional holistic healing since there are hundreds of traditions, cultures, and religions (Spector 9e 90).
To conclude, the answer is false: there are two primary health care philosophies that each branch into further forms of healthcare.
Spector, Rachel E. Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness.Pearson, 2017.
By: Sreenidhi Saripalli
