Cultural differences in medical practices, American and Chinese style: An exploratory study

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2011-08

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Abstract

Every person experiences sickness differently. Culture influences how we see the world and particularly sickness and medicine. Medicinal knowledge differs from culture to culture because of the varying concepts and ideologies set forth by each particular society. The purpose of this thesis is to compare and contrast the Western and Chinese viewpoints of biomedicine and traditional medicine and how their respective cultural philosophies influence medicine and the treatment of patients. This will be accomplished by examining how each culture influences views of medicine, sickness, and the body as a whole. This topic is significant because both forms of medicine are diffusing to other areas of the world. Medicinal practices are a reflection of culture and as different countries accumulate varying forms of medicine, they bring with it aspects of their cultures of origin.

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