Why western medicine is better

Government-sponsored plans are available for those aged 65 and over Medicare or those who meet certain income eligibility requirements Medicaid. Western health care services are usually delivered through private sources, like hospitals or private medical practices.

Additionally, federally-funded health centers exist nation-wide to provide free or low-cost health services to vulnerable populations. Navigating the healthcare system — from obtaining insurance, to locating a provider, to understanding your prescription benefits — can be a challenge, but educating yourself on how the system works is an important part of advocating for yourself…and can save you headaches and money down the road.

Here are some resources to help, and visit the Health care Resources page for more:. Navigating the Healthcare System University of Minnesota. What comes to mind when you think of western medicine? Perhaps your primary care doctor or specialist? A hospital?

Have you considered another aspect of western medicine that is necessary to maintain your health and heal? Oral health and overall health are connected: your mouth may provide clues about underlying health conditions, while problems in the mouth may contribute to other medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

Did you know? Toothbrushes should be replaced every two to three months and after illnesses like a cold or flu. Health history and intake questionnaire. Symptom diary. Traditional medical beliefs may also moderate the impact of public health information campaigns. In a typical campaign, health workers from outside the community offer prescriptive messages about sanitation, HIV, and infant health care from a Western medical perspective.

The effectiveness of these campaigns is mixed , perhaps in part because message recipients do not always find the health messages credible. My recent paper with collaborators Asjad Naqvi and Wolf-Peter Schmidt examined whether Unani medical beliefs moderate the impact of hygiene information in rural Pakistan.

In this region, diarrhea is a leading cause of infant and child mortality and hygiene and sanitation are lacking. There is a stark distinction between the Unani and Western approaches to diarrhea. This prescription directly contradicts the proven Western approach of oral rehydration therapy. We evaluated a hygiene information intervention called Microbe Literacy.

This program provides basic hygiene education to participants in adult literacy classes. To make their messages more credible, facilitators first used microscopes to show participants everyday bacteria from their environment. We find that this innovative step increased the impact of subsequent hygiene messages, and that the program had meaningful and statistically significant impacts on hygiene and child health, even 16 months later.

However the intervention was entirely ineffective for an important subgroup. Next we divided the sample and found an inverse relationship between the strength of Unani beliefs and the impact of the intervention. Alternative medicine will not be effective in emergency cases, such as car accidents or natural disasters. At the same time, this practice might not work for everyone. Utilizing a peppermint essential oil may cure a migraine for one person, while another person needs prescription medication to clear up their symptoms.

Kava tea, a form of holistic medicine, is an extract drawn from the Piper methysticum plant found in the South Pacific. The beverage is created by grinding the root of the plant until the kava extract is produced. It has been used by the islanders for both ceremonial and medicinal purposes for thousands of years.

As far as beverages go, kava tea is on the sweeter side, offering a smooth and almost bittersweet aftertaste. Aside from the flavor, kava tea has a lot more to offer. The beverage works as a natural relaxant that induces a feeling of relaxation and euphoria. Kava could potentially be used in place of prescription medication, but should not be taken along with benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants for risk of liver damage.

In addition to its famous calming qualities, kava tea holds medicinal qualities. It can serve as a pain reliever and a muscle relaxant for the discomfort associated with fibromyalgia. It can be used as a treatment for insomnia as has been medically proven to help people fall asleep faster and to have improved sleeping habits.

Urinary tract and bladder infections have also been treated with the use of kava tea because of its antiseptic properties.