Essay - Communications Question 4.3) Western Notions of Healing and Disease Create...

communications

***** 4.3)

***** notions of healing and disease create a strong dichotomy between mind ***** body and ***** the human world and ***** of nature. Because I believe that our world is more interconnected than many dualists would like us to believe, ***** find that the Western medicine paradigm is weak in some areas and lacking complete integrity. I believe ***** ***** medicine would have a lot ***** gain from being ***** open to alternative views of the universe and alternative views of the human body.

***** example, the traditional ***** of China has immense potential for prevention and treatment of disease. According to ***** Chinese system ***** medicine, tools of the natural world such as herbs, can greatly enhance an individual's potential to heal. Herbal remedies are generally looked down upon by Western physici*****s. However, many drugs on the market are actually synthesized from plants.

Human civilizati***** has encroached upon the natural world a great deal, ***** many people in *****dustrialized nations view ***** as ********** to be conquered. This same worldview is incorporated into the medical traditions of ***** West. Disease is treated almost in a war***** manner, as when people refer to the "battle aga*****st cancer." A ***** that respects nature would refer to dise*****e in more balanced terms, and terms that ***** not just attack the disease. The Western model also focuses on diseases after they occur rather ***** working hard on preventing disease. Prevention is more a part of traditional ***** systems like ***** Chinese medicine. The Western notion of healing and disease ***** discounts the mind-body connection, whereas ***** do not *****lieve that there is as much of a dicho*****my between mind ***** body as Western doctors would have us