Integration of traditional Chinese medicine with modern health care in China

Global Health Care and Culture

Traditional Health Care Concepts

Modern Health Care in China and its Affordability

The public health system in China has been able to make progress in many aspects owing to the economic growth of the country. Problems like child mortality and life expectancy have shown considerable improvements over the last 20 years in conjunction with the rising economy. With significantly more hospital beds in the country compared to about 10 years ago, China has made all efforts to embrace the modern medical system and formulated policies to make modern health care affordable to every Chinese citizen (Mehlhorn, Wu & Ye, n.d.).

However give the above context, it is still a fact that Chinese system of health care is still governed and guided by the cultural values and traditions of ancient Chinese health care. This is in conformation to the ways the Chinese value their centuries old tradition and even after embracing the modern lifestyle in most aspects.

Keeping these values in mind, the Chinese government has taken a number of measures that essentially echo the traditional values of China and has tried to establish a basic and universal health care system to enable provision of safe, effective, convenient and low- cost health services to the 1.3 billion Chinese people.

Chinese Values

With the stupendous development in the Chinese economy, the Chinese have adopted the modern style of living. Modern amenities are abundant in china as in any of the developed countries. This also includes the health care amenities.

However even after the adoption of modern amenities and facilities, Chinese people still hold and maintain the diverse traditional beliefs and values. Such values that are still cherished by the Chinese relate to aspects like Confucian-based values such as harmony in interpersonal relationships, the emphasis of family over the individual, respect for elders and high value for formal education and literacy (Wang & Chan, 2010).

The Chinese culture also values the concept of "face," or dignity, prestige and status in the eyes of others. This relates to the manner in which the Chinese, as individuals and groups, conduct their actions and behavior and they consider that the wrongdoing of one individual can result in an entire group's loss of face. All these values are reflected in the way the Chinese formulate and conduct their health care system and medical decision making is often influenced by the stigma associated with illness and the concept that a stigma of one is a stigma for a family of group, influences their health behaviors.

Traditional Health Care Concepts

Chinese traditional values and approach to health care and illness stresses on the balance between the body, the mind and the spirit. This is commonly expressed as yin and yang. These concepts of balance between the internal and external, hot and cold or emptiness and excess symbolize the principle that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Chinese values and culture believe that any of the balances cannot exist without the other, any imbalance in the above factors can lead to illness. This is the traditional concept of illness which often drives the way the Chinese approach health care in society, even modern health care systems (Cheung & Chen, 2010).

Traditional Chinese beliefs state that physical illness stems from an imbalance of yin and yang. Mental illness, on the other hand, is caused by an imbalance of emotional harmony. The consumption of specific foods or medicines is also believed in the Chinese tradition to be the cause of illness.

Therefore the Chinese values the maintenance of balance in life that encompasses the life, mind body and soul. The Chinese also value the importance of appropriately balanced diet that include the five traditional flavors of sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salt, for good health and prevention of illness. Hence the Chinese belief of a health through proper diet flows from the Chinese tradition and traditional values (Xu & Yang, 2009).

The concept of yang or hot and yin or cold is traditionally believed to be present in the food and herbs consumed. The primary health care concept, according to Chinese traditional values by to restoring balance between yang and yin - a yang illness is usually treated with yin foods and vice versa (Wang & Chan, 2010).

Therefore even while adopting the modern medical science and using allopathic medicines for treatment, the Chinese still hold the traditional ways of treatment and illness prevention important. And often inculcate these principles in treatment of common diseases. It is reflected in the way the Chinese attach importance to what they should or should not eat as part of treatment.

Another aspect of the influence of tradition in the health care system and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease us the focus on the relationship between the body and environmental, social, and geographical factors and hence stress the importance of finding out and determining the root cause of a disease once it develops.

Traditional treatment methods like acupuncture, acupressure, massage and the use of compounds of herbs and metals is a part of the modern treatment in China. The above mentioned traditional forms of treatment stem from the belief of restore balance between lifestyle and relationships. Traditionally the Chinese believe that the body's life force and energy is connects to the various parts of the body as the energy travels through the body. These organs can thus be accessible through meridians at specific points on the body. Traditional treatment methods in China thus address the symptoms of diseases by a therapy that treats the points to access the body's balance. Treatment, other than modern medical treatment, in China is done by accessing multiple points in the body that can be used in conjunction as part of treatment for acute and chronic ailments.

The Chinese believes that this type of treatment helps in the nearly immediate relief of acute conditions and a lengthy period of time for treatment of chronic conditions in order to restore balance.

Extremely fine needles are inserted just below the skin on the body points in the acupuncture method treatment. Acupressure is a milder treatment method that uses the same points and the points are massaged singularly or together.

Conclusion

Chinese traditional values are significantly reflected in their d approach to health care and illness. The traditional Chinese value of medicine stresses on the balance between the body, the mind and the spirit. The Chinese values of family and the importance that they attach to "face" or the way others view an individual is also reflected in the way they choose their health care systems. The Chinese values to treatment of ailments stems from their belief of treating the root cause of illness with equal importance as the treatment of the symptoms. Therefore the Chinese tend to choose a treatment method that combines both the traditional Chinese and western medicine.

To create a balance between the body and the soul, the Chinese believes that a healthy diet and food habit is the primary requirement for prevention of diseases. The Chinese strive to strike a balance between body, the mind and the environment.

The rising economy of the country and the efforts of the government to make help proper health care reachable and affordable to the entire population of the country have shown some results in the last decades, the time period when the Chinese economy began to swell and grow. On the other hand, despite the availability of modern health care systems, the Chinese seem to choose on a combination between traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The Chinese also lay importance to family ties. This is the reason that Chinese often choose to treat common ailment through traditional Chinese family treatment methods and opt for modern medicines for more serious and acute illness.