“Modernized” Western Medicine vs. “Traditional” Eastern Medicine
By: Sarina Sheth
Our view on how to effectively treat illnesses with medicine is ever-evolving. Advances in technologies continue to shape the face of medicine, especially in modernized western countries. However, a more traditional interpretation of medicine is prevalent primarily in eastern countries. Though western and eastern medicine are each derived from contrasting philosophies, both are indispensable in the modern health care landscape.
Modernized Western Medicine
This approach to medicine stresses the significance of reason and observations in diagnosis and treatment. It stems from the Enlightenment movement, an intellectual and philosophical movement originating in Western Europe in the 1700s. Enlightenment ideals of human reasoning and scientific progress took the world by storm, as it prompted widespread skepticism of ideas, theories, and superstitions that were unsupported by evidence. A key concept that emerged was empiricism, in which British philosopher John Locke proposed that all knowledge should be based on observation and sensory experiences. This gave rise to western evidence-based medicine, which uses facts and reason, the scientific method, and deductive reasoning to diagnose people and prescribe treatments. Western medicine aims to better understand and treat illnesses at the physical level, utilizing internal observations, such as X-rays, to diagnose patients. In essence, western medicine perceives the human body as a machine that is composed of functioning parts. Any sickness is indicative of one of these parts being clogged or faulty, and treatments are intended to heal that one part of the body instead of the body as a whole.
Traditional Eastern Medicine
The traditional approach consists of a divergent interpretation of medicine. It is especially popular in eastern countries, such as China and India, that chose not to or only minimally modernized during and following the Enlightenment. Currently, approximately 60% of people worldwide use some form of eastern medicine in their lives. These naturalistic treatments have limited scientific explanation to support them, however, they are based on centuries of experience within the eastern cultures. Healthcare workers use external observations to diagnose and treat patients. The treatments, including acupuncture and herbal medicine, reach back thousands of years and are far less invasive or potentially harmful to the human body than those used in western medicine. Furthermore, eastern medicine deviates from western medicine because it revolves around treating the whole person rather than just focusing on a singular symptom or disease. This outlook is centered around finding therapeutic remedies to find balance in the whole human body. It is far more holistic than western medicine, focusing on energy flow throughout the mind and body in order to obtain better well-being. This idea of mind and body balance is further reinforced by the long-established values of eastern countries. For instance, oriental medicine in China is predicated on the notion of yin and yang, an understanding that everything in nature is composed of two contradictory but mutually interconnected energies. These opposing forces exist in the body, and they must be balanced in order for a person to achieve a healthy status. When one outweighs the other, a person will fall ill. Oriental medicine seeks to restore that person’s qi, or the balance of yin and yang energy in their body. Cultural values such as yin and yang account for the holistic approach to medicine that is prevalent in China and other parts of east Asia. Various examples of eastern medicine include the following:
- Acupuncture — a Chinese medical practice known to treat headaches, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and osteoarthritis.
- Yoga — originating from India, this meditative activity is renowned for its ability to treat asthma symptoms and back pain and increase grey matter volume.
- Herbal medicines — dating back centuries, herbal remedies are used to cure migraines and lessen the effects of arthritis.
Integrative Medicine
Though these two schools of thought are unquestionably different, there have been several recent efforts to combine the two to create an even more comprehensive approach to healthcare. This is known as integrative medicine, and it is rapidly gaining support throughout the medical world. The idea is that eastern medicine can be used in conjunction with western medicine in order to alleviate the side effects of western medical drugs and treatments. For instance, traditional Chinese medicine assuages the side effects of painkillers. Acupuncture diminishes the effects of seasonal illnesses, such as hay fever. Acupuncture, Tai Chi, and other forms of yoga, and herbal therapy reduce the impact of side-effects for cancer treatments, including insomnia. Many prestigious medical centers, such as the Mayo Clinic in the U.S., recognize the benefits of both western and eastern medicine, and they have integrated eastern medicine into their treatment plans for their patients. According to Dr. Zhanxiang Wang from the National University of Health Sciences, “Today, many Americans are not making the best lifestyle choices concerning exercise and diet, and the preventative and whole body care that Eastern practitioners offer are more needed than ever.” Incorporating integrative medicine into diagnostic techniques and treatment plans allows for diagnosticians and medical practitioners to become more well-rounded and provide more effective care for their patients.
References
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Tseui, Julia J. “Eastern and Western Approaches to Medicine.” The Western Journal of Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 1978, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1238216/.
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Wang, Chuanxin. “Yin-Yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture and Massage College: Miami, FL.” Acupuncture and Massage College, 9 May 2019, www.amcollege.edu/blog/yin-and-yang-in-traditional-chinese-medicine.
Wang, Zhanxiang. “How Combining Eastern and Western Medicine Makes You a Better Oriental Medicine Practitioner.” The Future of Integrative Health, 22 Mar. 2017, blog.nuhs.edu/the-future-of-integrative-health/how-combining-eastern-and-western-medicine-makes-you-a-better-oriental-medicine-practitioner#:~:text=Western%20medicine%20tends%20to%20focus,relation%20to%20the%20whole%20person.
