...Running Head: MEDICAL PLURALISM IN WESTERN SOCIETY 1 Course Project: Medical Pluralism in Western Society July 31st, 2015 Introduction & Objectives: Through the course of Health and Society, we explore different techniques and remedies for the use of individual’s health. We have come to an understanding that even in a Western society that is dominated by western biomedicine, there are still correspondence with alternative medicine and spiritual healing that is used when dealing with diseases and other related health illnesses. Since Canada has a multicultural society, individuals may visit doctors, psychologists, paediatrician, and physicians, and at other times we seek chiropractic solutions, relaxation techniques, massage, prayer, herbal therapies, special diets, folk remedies, acupuncture, yoga, or homeopathy in pursuit of having a healthier life. There is not always a conflict between non-western medicine and Western biomedicine. Though the two may have different forms, procedures, norms, regulations, and values, Canada has come to rely on both for a solution to their health. The process by which people take advantage of a variety of health techniques and strategies that are based on different models of health and healing is what has come to be known as medical pluralism. (Woronko) For the objective of the interview, I was tasked...
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...Medical Pluralism Introduction From the complementary medicine context, notes Marian (2007) medical pluralism donates to the recognition and acknowledgment of various healing systems entrenched within their respective culture. Reeser (2014) observes that pluralism is legitimized through chief principles of political and social justice namely the right to free choice and freedom. In this context, pluralism is closely linked to the four biomedical principles of ethics, respect for autonomy in particular. Other biomedical ethics principles include justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence (Marian, 2007). These biomedical ethics principles define the various duties of health care providers. However, applying or executing such principles in specific cases at the edge of both biomedicine and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) may prove to be particularly difficult....
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...Dorron Hunt Read and Response Paper Medical Pluralism The term “medical pluralism” throughout the select articles read, is explained as the employment of different medical practices that vary from Western medicine to spiritual. Encompassing conventional, complementary, and alternative medicine. The articles illuminates to the differences and disparities between medical systems in countries in different places of the world, and the relationship medical pluralism plays in context to culture. Biomedical medicine is widely accepted in North America, but a look into the medical pluralism east of Australia and find Tonga. An island in the south Pacific Ocean which has a different approach to healing and how they explore their medical resources. In addition, there is Kenya, which is experiencing a reform in their identity in relation to the dominant medical system. The renown, foremost, and accepted choice for medicine and any form of healing in the United States of America is biomedicine, or commonly known as western medicine. The author, Hans A. Baer, makes this clear from the very beginning of the review article Medical Pluralism in the United States: A review. Baer highlights other means of medicine, and their rejection by the much larger and influential state regulated system. Included in the pool of medical systems discarded as quackery are “…particularly religious one (such as Christian Science, Pentecostalism, neo-Pentecostalism or the charismatic movement, and...
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...with all of creation and also the appreciation of a presence and a purpose that involves a sense of meaning. It is very important for doctors and nurses including other healthcare workers to be certain about when/whether or even how to address the spirituality and religious issues of their patients. Considering the field of health, there are so many cultures and religious pluralism faced every day by healthcare workers. The range of belief systems in the healthcare field is so wide that even nurses and physicians cannot be expected to have an understanding of all beliefs with the practices involved. It is obvious that there are so many differing faiths ranging from atheism, Christianity, agnosticism, Islam, and even to the myriad assortment of spiritual practices that is unheard of to some healthcare workers. Although as healthcare workers it’s impossible to determine every single patient’s spiritual background immediately, it is very vital that we do not impinge our beliefs on the patients especially when the patient is in a vulnerable position seeking care. This does not mean healthcare workers should avoid the spirituality of their patients because personally, I have a strong believe that the spiritual actions and practices of our patients are great and powerful factors for them in coping whether its pluralism, scientism, and...
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...Personal Worldview Inventory Susan Anne Doy Grand Canyon University: HLT 310V October 4th 2015 Personal Worldview Inventory Each individual has a personal view of the world that has been influenced by things such as: upbringing, education, religion, life experiences and relationships. In the modern worldview, there is little thought given to the mind or soul as this is something invisible and so is not measureable. The postmodern view sees people as energy that can be manipulated to restore balance. The Christian worldview believes that we have been created by God in his image (Shelly & Miller, 2006). Spirituality, religion and personal beliefs surrounding worldview questions, can all impact healthcare today. This paper will discuss the meaning of spirituality in the context of healthcare and the questions relating to individual worldviews. Meanings of Spirituality Spirituality can mean different things to different people. It can be the exploratory component of religion (Borg, 2013). There are some who will say that spirituality is meditation, being in tune with nature or talking to spirits, others will say that spirituality is being linked with something greater than them. This often involves seeking for the meaning of life. It can also be said that true spirituality comes from the Holy Spirit of God. As a result the person experiences emotions such as: love; joy; peace; kindness; goodness; faithfulness; gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23). The importance of spirituality...
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...criteria for allocating health policy authority between states and the federal government. They are social justice, procedural democracy, compatibility with value pluralism, institutional capability, and economic sustainability. Of them, only procedural democracy and compatibility with value pluralism point to state leadership. In examining these criteria, we conclude that American policy debates often get federalism backward, putting the burden of health care coverage policy on states that cannot enact or sustain it, while increasing the federal role in issues where the arguments for state leadership are compelling. We suggest that the federal government should lead present and future financing of health care coverage, since it would require major changes in American intergovernmental relations to make innovative state health care financing sustainable outside a strong federal framework. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama. The ambitious (and controversial) legislation focuses on reforming the private insurance market, improving the financial viability of Medicare, expanding Medicare drug coverage, and providing better medical coverage for those with pre-existing medical conditions (www.govtrack.us). One of the chief components of the healthcare reform law is the creation of state health benefit exchanges. The exchanges will have several functions for health care consumers. The...
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...Rachel Garcia Personal Worldview Inventory Grand Canyon University Spirituality in Healthcare HLT-310V Personal Worldview Inventory There are many different meanings to the word spirituality; spirituality is defined in several ways, as it pertains to different worldviews. Worldviews have been known to be a matter of the heart, cultural beliefs and traditions. A worldview is a commitment, fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions that we hold consciously or subconsciously, about the persons reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and have our being,” (Sire, 2015). Pluralism Pluralism is a worldview where the members of minority groups structure their culture on acceptance and diversity. These common traits all strive for the common good of all and also realize there is some truth in other beliefs, (Pluralism, 2015). These types of theorists stress how important it is to be tolerant of other religions. However, these theorists do not tend to deviate from the beliefs of their people; they strive to maintain their independent cultural traditions. Cultural traditions that effect the person in their every day life. Scientism Scientism is a worldview that is based on the scientific method. “All that ‘is’ and all that ‘can be known’ is verifiable of falsifiable through the scientific method and that which cannot be measured is simply an opinion, belief or fantasy,” (Scientism, 2007)...
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...MASTER IN HEALTH ECONOMICS PROPOSED MASTER STUDIES MASTER IN ECONOMICS (HEALTHCARE) A Review of Healthcare Financing System in Developed Countries and Malaysia. By: Wong Lim Ping Finance Division Ministry of Health Putrajaya May 2011 MASTER IN HEALTH ECONOMICS TABLE OF CONTENT: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction Field of research Objective of study Literature review Scope of research Research Methodology Work Schedule Brief bibliography Wong Lim Ping 790904-13-5151 2 MASTER IN HEALTH ECONOMICS 1.0 INTRODUCTION As Malaysia strikes toward the high income economic through its various initiatives under Government Transformation Programme (GDP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), healthcare has been identify as one of the trust under Mission Cluster Groups (MCG) in driving the nation‟s development path. Healthcare is a very important component of national development and that the creation of a healthy and productive workforce is essential to support and sustain the growth of the nation. In Malaysia, the Government under the Ministry of Health (MOH) is the provider, regulator and funder of the healthcare system, thus, raising the question of dependency of government subsidized healthcare services that serve the inefficiency use of government resources. In year 2009, the government expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of total Gross Domestic products (GDP) is 4.8% of which the 1.8% is from the government expenditure and 3% from...
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...Pharmaceutical Policy in Canada Thesis Canada's health care system, more importantly, the pharmaceutical policy is the under federal and provincial levels of government. In Canada, citizens have a publicly funded health care system with universal access to the Medicare system. The Canada Health Act provides “near-universal” coverage across the nation. Moreover, the government has failed in improving health care results and in altering policy decisions to make a strategic plan. Physicians also play a significant role in contributing to the healthcare facilities and on how they satisfy their patients. In Canada, prescription drug plans vary across the nation. There is a universal prescription drug coverage in Canada that varies throughout each...
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...So, what is American Pluralism? What an opportunity to take American Pluralism at this moment in your life and this historic moment in American history! The American Pluralism course examines the multicultural, multi-ethnic nature of American society. It introduces students to important areas of American experience and culture, including race, class, and gender. We will critically examine American current affairs, contemporary history, and popular culture. Writings by and about Americans of color, women, and people from diverse ethnic, class, and religious groups provide background and context for discussions of contemporary issues. Why Do I Have to Take this Course? * This course provides opportunities for you and challenges you to speak, read, and write about controversial issues related to race, class, and gender in contemporary American life, but the course does not push any particular ideology or philosophical position. * This course examines the history of oppression in the United States and how historical events have affected contemporary issues and your life. * This course emphasizes active, participatory, empowering education that will challenge you to think critically about cultural myths, our society’s core values, and your own existing beliefs and prejudices. What Do I have to Do? ** You will do poorly in this class if you do not read and actively participate. ** Please drop this class if you feel ill equipped to read and participate…a lot...
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...scholars the median voter’s point is always a winner (Downs, 1957; Hotelling, 1929; Romer, 1979). Similar Models & Theories Similarities of how the MVT works are seen in political theories such as Interest Group Pluralism and the Game Theory. Interest Group Pluralism describes a similar scenario where the actors (i.e. the interest group) influence legislation that is aligned with their political positions (Williams 2013, pg 12). Whereas the Game Theory (Von Neumann, J., & Morgenstern, O., 2007, pg 713.) is more of a strategic process that eliminates the possible outcomes of what how an opponent will behave before a choice is made. Is MVT Normative, Explanatory or Both? In learning how the MVT model works, one would believe that the public chose the policy and thus shouldn’t have an issue with the implied assumption that the choice is best for all. This area of thought is considered normative (Congleton, 2004, pg 5) as the median voter outcomes result in democracies it is hard to ensure the median policy preference is the actual will of the public. This thought is also shown in the work of Thomas Romar (1979) as he describes how expenditures can differ significantly in comparison to the median voter. For example, in the recent passing of President’s Obama’s Healthcare reform many believe the passing of the law may have been lead by the median voter- not the majority. New York Times writer Tyler Cowen (2010) illustrates this possibility by associating the stalling of democrat...
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...My Personal Worldview Kelly Gritzmacher Grand Canyon University July 10, 2016 Spirituality involves treating the whole person. It encompasses the physical aspects, the emotional aspects along with the social and spiritual aspects of an individual. However, with the advances seen in technology there has been a refocus of medicine from it’s caring, service oriented model to more of a technically oriented model that focuses on a cure. (Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings). There are good components of both of these models however encompassing them both would provide a more well rounded approach to treating the entire person today. Pluralism is an existence of coexisting. It encompasses a diverse group of views rather that the view of one individual. With pluralism we are more diverse in our ability to come to an agreement with multiple opinions. With scientism, the views or expressions they possess would be characteristic of a group of scientist that would hold the power of scientific knowledge as their base for opinions. They feel that they have the most authoritative worldview and that their view is the most valuable to us as humans. Postmoderism thinkers have a distrust of grand theories and ideologies. This postmodern view would come into conflict with a scientism view for obvious reasons. They do not believe that God exist. This writer is not a postmodernism thinker. Prime reality is a term that most closely identifies this writer. It identifies one who...
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...care ((Woart, 1997). For example, there is evidence that Haitians experience substantially higher incidence of some cancers, have low rates of cancer screening, and are often diagnosed at later stage of disease, as compared with other racial and ethnic groups in the United States (Allen, Mars, Tom, & Apollon, 2013). Haitians encounter distinctive barriers to health services, which places them at risks for being underserved. Language barriers, unfamiliarity with preventive care, confidentiality concerns, mistrust and stigma concerning Western medicine, and a preference for natural remedies (Allen, Mars, Tom, & Apollon, 2013), all account for barriers to health services for the Haitian population. Newly migrated Haitians also fear seeking healthcare may jeopardize their opportunities to stay in the United States. There are numerous health concerns within the Haitian American community. With the Haitian American population growing quickly, it is imperative that nurses are cognizant of these concerns, and are able to adequately care for these patients. It is known that Haitians commonly suffer from cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, hypertension and obesity. 12-18% of Haitians have metabolic syndrome compared to 32% of the overall American population. When compared to US born Blacks, Haitian women are diagnosed with advanced invasive cervical cancer at a higher rate. Mental health is also a very important health concern as...
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...MARX and WEBER on SOCIAL CLASS: an OVERVIEW. INTRODUCTION These notes, based on previous lectures, attempt to set in context the views of two scholars who wrote on social class at an interval of almost fifty years but whose insights have remained highly influential. These two men are: Karl Marx (1818-1883) German, but worked in London from 1849 onwards wrote on class in the 1840s and through to the 1860s and 1870s. statements on class appear in The Communist Manifesto, (published in 1848; jointly written with Friedrich Engels) The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, (published in 1869, but written earlier) Das Kapital Volume I, (published in 1867) Das Kapital Volumes II and III, (published posthumously and edited by Engels) and Max Weber (1864-1920) German, wrote on class 1910-1920 statements on class appear in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, (first published as a two-part essay in 1904 and 1905; revised by Weber before his death and published as a book, 1920; English translation by Talcott Parsons, 1930) Economy and Society, (published posthumously in 1922) Neither man made a complete statement of his views. In both cases the manuscript is breaks off before the discussion of social class is finished. MARX AND SOCIAL CLASS Marx made more than one statement of his views. The best-known...
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...Interest groups while very dominant in affecting policy are very weak if they can be sold on the policy with benefits for them. Congress and the entire government play a very dangerous game of cat and mouse per se to push legislation or get support for. Interest groups use money and a large voice of the minority to push their agenda through Congress or to block legislation when it goes against whatever narrow focus single topic they support. Interest groups seem to be unstoppable, as history has shown when it comes to things like healthcare reform and education, however things change. Interest groups block legislation because they believe that the outcome will not benefit them or will impact them in a significant way. Not surprisingly, that many feel that government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves. As with any interest group or political party they could all be better. Interest groups give a way for voices to unite and other groups to come together to block or support legislation those individuals may not have been able to otherwise. A big push for interest groups would be a focus area of recruitment more often than not. The more members, the larger the capital and the more sway they will have with representatives pushing their...
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