Descartes and the paradigm of Western medicine: an essay

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Nuno Martins
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
The Body ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
New Paradigm

This essay is a contribution to the study of the CartesianDualism (separation of mind-body) and Mechanicism (the body is a machine) that have contributed to the paradigm of Western medicine. These Cartesian ideas of separation and fragmentation of the reality have hampered the implementation of the new paradigm in health care in contemporary society, where the patient is seen in an holistic way: soul-mind-body.

Fictions of the Human Right to Health: Writing Against the Postcolonial Exotic in Western Medicine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary J. Jolly
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Medical Humanities ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
The Body ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Cultural Specificity ◽  
The Social

The last decade has witnessed far greater attention to the social determinants of health in health research, but literary studies have yet to address, in a sustained way, how narratives addressing issues of health across postcolonial cultural divides depict the meeting – or non-meeting – of radically differing conceptualisations of wellness and disease. This chapter explores representations of illness in which Western narrators and notions of the body are juxtaposed with conceptualisations of health and wellness entirely foreign to them, embedded as the former are in assumptions about Cartesian duality and the superiority of scientific method – itself often conceived of as floating (mysteriously) free from its own processes of enculturation and their attendant limits. In this respect my work joins Volker Scheid’s, in this volume, in using the capacity of critical medical humanities to reassert the cultural specificity of what we have come to know as contemporary biomedicine, often assumed to be

Perceived Oral Health Literacy, Behaviors, and Oral Health Care among Caregivers to the Homebound Population

2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110084
Author(s):  
Agata Wilk ◽  
Lisa LaSpina ◽  
Linda D. Boyd ◽  
Jared Vineyard
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Oral Care ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Oral Health Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

This study aimed to explore the level of perceived oral health literacy (OHL) among caregivers of the homebound population in the Chicago metropolitan area and how caregivers’ OHL impacts their oral care to the homebound population. The relationships between demographic characteristics, perceived OHL levels, personal oral health behaviors, and oral health care to clients were also assessed. This cross-sectional survey research examined 69 caregivers of the homebound population employed by home health agencies. The OHL was determined by the validated Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Independent t-tests, chi-square tests set at p < .05 significance level, and logistic regressions were used for analysis. The mean age of participants was 43. The HeLD-14 scores indicated a high perceived OHL among this group. Caregivers came from diverse groups, and the majority spoke a second language at home. About 93% performed oral self-care the recommended amount of time or more, while only 57% did it for their clients. Those who cleaned clients’ mouth twice a day had a higher OHL score ( M = 23 compared to M = 19). About 43% did not check for sores in the client’s mouth, and those who checked had a higher OHL score ( M = 25 compared to M = 19). Controlling for OHL, age was a good predictor of oral care frequency to clients. These findings provide current evidence and add to the body of knowledge on OHL among homebound individuals. The results provide insights for designing a preventive approach in oral health care to the homebound population.

scholarly journals ‘Ilāj bi’l-Tadbīr (regimenal therapy): a core mode of Unani treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Athar Parvez Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Core Mode ◽  
Unani Medicine ◽  
Therapeutic Applications ◽  
Leech Therapy ◽  
Care System

AbstractSince antiquity, the Unani system of medicine has been participating in health care system. Usually, four modes of treatment viz. regimenal therapy, dietotherapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery are applied for the treatment of diseases. Regimenal therapy is an important mode in which the morbid matter present in the body is either dispersed/excreted or its unnecessary production is blocked or its flow is restricted and the diseases are cured by natural healer of the body, consequently bring back the humoural stability. Nearly 30 regimens have been mentioned in classical Unani literature. Commonest regimenal procedures such as fasd (venesection/phlebotomy), hijāma (cupping), ta‘līq al-‘alaq (hirudotherapy/leech therapy), ishāl (purgation), qay’ (emesis), idrār-i-bawl (diuresis), huqna (enema), ta’rīq (diaphoresis), riyādat (exercise), dalk (massage), hammām (bathing), tadhīn (oiling), natūl (irrigation), sakūb (douching/spraying), inkibāb (steam/vapour application), takmīd (fomentation) etc. are usually applied for the management of various ailments. These regimenal procedures are completely based on holistic approach and are potential but needs to be explored scientifically. This review outlines the therapeutic applications of various regimens of regimenal therapy used in Unani medicine.

Discipline

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 183-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan S. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Michel Foucault ◽  
The Body ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Religious Context ◽  
Medical Regimen ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Or Economics ◽  
The Mind

There are broadly five interconnected meanings of the noun ‘discipline’. Disciplinawere instructions to disciples, and hence a branch of instruction or department of knowledge. This religious context provided the modern educational notion of a ‘body of knowledge’, or a discipline such as sociology or economics. We can define discipline as a body of knowledge and knowledge for the body, because the training of the mind has inevitably involved a training of the body. Second, it signified a method of training or instruction in a body of knowledge. Discipline had an important military connection involving drill, practice in the use of weapons. Third, there is an ecclesiastical meaning referring to a system of rules by which order is maintained in a church. It included the use of penal methods to achieve obedience. To discipline is to chastise. Fourth, to discipline is to bring about obedience through various forms of punishment; it is a means of correction. Finally there is a rare use of the term to describe a medical regimen in which ‘doctor's orders’ brings about a discipline of the patient. In contemporary society, there is, following the work of Michel Foucault, the notion of increasing personal regulation resulting in a ‘disciplinary society’ or a society based upon carceral institutions.

scholarly journals Mental health care and treatment in prisons: a new paradigm to support best practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian McKenna ◽  
Jeremy Skipworth ◽  
Krishna Pillai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Care And Treatment

FC 135A STEP TOWARD GREEN NEPHROLOGY: APPLYING THE PASSIVE HOUSE CONCEPT TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF DIALYSIS FACILITIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Mariat ◽  
Jocelyne Rey ◽  
Annie Olivier ◽  
Perrine Jullien
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Passive House ◽  
Pump System ◽  
Dialysis Facility ◽  
Dialysis Facilities ◽  
House Standard

Abstract Background and Aims The environmental impact of dialysis is now being largely recognized. It requires from the nephrology community to actively explore novel environmentally responsible health-care practices. Among them, conception of energy-efficient facilities may be an important prerequisite for improving the environmental impact of dialysis. The Passive House concept is an internationally recognised, performance-based energy standard in construction which so far has been rarely applied to medical facilities and never to dialysis centres. We report our experience with the first passive-house certified dialysis facility in Europe. Method The Passive House concept is a sustainable construction standard for nearly zero energy buildings (the Resolution of the European Parliament of 31/01/2008 has called for its implementation by all member states by 2021). Principles and design tools of the Passive House concept are freely available for all architects. The concept combines a particularly high level of insulation with a specific system of ventilation. Geothermal energy and energy from inside the building such as the body heat from the residents or solar heat entering the building are the main energy sources. Passive House buildings allow for heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical building stock and over 75% compared with average new buildings. Results The François Berthoux Center (www.artic42.fr) is a 4 400 m2 dialysis facility operated by 40 health care agents and providing care to 135 patients. It was designed following the Passive-House standard, applied for the first time to such a medical building. Several adjustments specific to the dialysis activity were necessary. The most unexpected aspect was the importance of hemodialysis machines as an energy source. Thorough thermal evaluation showed that the heat provided by different type of hemodialysis machines was systematically superior to the energy mandatory during the coldest day of the year (&gt;10 W/m2). In practice, the center turned out to be fully operational with no external source of heating. The downside was that the geothermal pump system was not sufficient to fully regulate temperatures during the warmest period of the year. Optimal cooling was achieved by the addition of conventional AC systems in the hemodialysis rooms. Overall, as compared to a similar center, energy savings provided by the The François Berthoux Center were substantially less than what is expected from a conventional Passive House building but were over 50%. The extra-cost of the construction was estimated to 3 to 5%. Conclusion In conclusion, the concept of eco-friendly building should extend to dialysis facilities. Application of the Passive House Standard in the context of hemodialysis requires to take into account some specificities that can impact the global environmental performance of the building. However, the net result is clearly in favor of such a construction, which is both affordable and sustainable.

Healing at the Periphery

2022 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Tibetan Medicine ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Ethnographic Studies ◽  
Medical Role ◽  
Official Recognition

India has long occupied an important place in Tibetan medicine's history and development. However, Indian Himalayan practitioners of Tibetan medicine, or amchi, have largely remained overlooked at the Tibetan medical periphery, despite playing a central social and medical role in their communities. Power and legitimacy, religion and economic development, biomedical encounters and Indian geopolitics all intersect in the work and identities of contemporary Himalayan amchi. This volume examines the crucial moment of crisis and transformation that occurred in the early 2000s to offer insights into the beginnings of Tibetan medicine's professionalization, industrialization, and official recognition in India and elsewhere. Based on fine-grained ethnographic studies in Ladakh, Zangskar, Sikkim, and the Darjeeling Hills, Healing at the Periphery asks how the dynamics of capitalism, social change, and the encounter with biomedicine affect small communities on the fringes of modern India, and, conversely, what local transformations of Tibetan medicine tell us about contemporary society and health care in the Himalayas and the Tibetan world. Contributors. Florian Besch, Calum Blaikie, Sienna R. Craig, Barbara Gerke, Isabelle Guérin, Kim Gutschow, Pascale Hancart Petitet, Stephan Kloos, Fernanda Pirie, Laurent Pordié

Rendering LGBTQ+ Visible in Nursing: Embodying the Philosophy of Caring Science

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Goldberg ◽  
Neal Rosenburg ◽  
Jean Watson
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Music Industry ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Diversity Initiatives ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Health Care Institutions ◽  
Caring Science ◽  
Science Philosophy ◽  
The Media

Although health care institutions continue to address the importance of diversity initiatives, the standard(s) for treatment remain historically and institutionally grounded in a sociocultural privileging of heterosexuality. As a result, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities in health care remain largely invisible. This marked invisibility serves as a call to action, a renaissance of thinking within redefined boundaries and limitations. We must therefore refocus our habits of attention on the wholeness of persons and the diversity of their storied experiences as embodied through contemporary society. By rethinking current understandings of LGBTQ+ identities through innovative representation(s) of the media, music industry, and pop culture within a caring science philosophy, nurses have a transformative opportunity to render LGBTQ+ visible and in turn render a transformative opportunity for themselves.

Self and Body

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Sassatelli
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
The Body ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
Specific Configuration ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Industrial Societies ◽  
Late Modern

This article investigates the historical formation and specific configuration of a threefold relation crucial to contemporary society, that between the body, the self, and material culture, which, in contemporary, late modern (or post-industrial) societies, has become largely defined through consumer culture. Drawing on historiography, sociology, and anthropology, it explores how, from the early modern period, the consolidation of new consumption patterns and values has given way to particular visions of the human being as a consumer, and how, in turn, the consumer has become a cultural battlefield for the management of body and self. The article also discusses tastes, habitus, and individualization.

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