Holistic vs. Western - How Do We Know What's Best?

Views on medicine, health, and well being drastically differ across cultures and societies around the globe. Our Western view on medicine thrives off of the latest technology. As McKee describes, “progress in health and the treatment of disease is equated with technology in the form of drugs, surgery, medical equipment and the expertise of medical professionals” (777). As a Western society, we usually look at health with one set of eyes, focusing on a person’s physical health, while the holistic view looks at the entire body, mind, and soul. The holistic view acts as a collective and each person’s environmental, social, physical, and mental factors are considered for diagnosis and treatment.

What I find most intriguing is that people living in the Western world are beginning to look at “alternative” methods of healing. Adib describes this “alternative” method as a “luxury available only to the more affluent, well-educated, cybernected, middle-to-upper classes” (698.) While wealthy people in Western societies are looking at a more holistic health viewing, by ways of meditation, acupuncture and consulting herb doctors, those who have suffered, such as the people of Aceh are trekking to other countries to get the best, most technologically advanced care that is not available in their own country. It’s as if the roles have been reversed. Those impoverished, conflict-ridden people in struggling countries consider our Western medicine to be the best of the best, while those really succeeding in our society are getting back to the basics – meditation, soul-searching, and holistic views.

About 1/3 of Americans are currently using alternative medicine, however only 5% of Americans use solely alternative medicine for their healing and treatment (http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/health/feat-alternative-medicine-study/). The 1/3 of Americans that use alternative medicine coincide these practices with their conventional methods. They often go to their regular doctor, but also supplement with things that their doctors may not tell them to do. For instance, they take fish oils, probiotics, and melatonin, and they practice deep breathing and yoga, as well as visiting chiropractors. Even this new outlook towards being organic and cage-free instead of purchasing processed foods goes along with the alternative medicine view. People seek this extra help to improve their overall health, reduce stress, and relieve pain from chronic conditions. This aligns with the holistic view on health, and thus it seems impossible to label one method of healing better than another, which seems to be occurring in some of these readings.

This trend of combining two methods of healing and treatment seems to me, the most effective in helping with one’s overall health. Both methods have severe flaws, yet the other method makes up for the flaws lacking. For instance, critics of the holistic view of health consider it an individualistic view that is often victim blaming. It focuses on “changing the individual rather than on altering the social structure that promotes an unhealthful environment” (McKee, 775). If one is able to fully take care of themselves in all aspects of life, that it is then they will experience healthy living. However, this is not always correct. Western medicine on the other hand, tends to be “oriented toward crisis intervention and pathology correction rather than prevention or health maintenance” (McKee, 776). This view also supports capitalism, which is an extreme flaw to Western medicine. Short term, quick fixes are the root to societies and cultures supporting Western medicine.

Ultimately, I believe a balance of both views will bring the most happiness, success, and health to most people. However, for people that cannot afford this way of living it seems almost impossible to be the healthiest they absolutely can be. There is much debate and back and forth between these two views and no culture can have the same experiences.