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RUNNING HEAD: CHINESE MEDICAL CULTURE

Chinese Medical Culture

April 13, 2012

Carrington College

Chinese Medical Culture
Culture is defined as the thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious or social groups. There are millions of different cultures in the world, which are socially transmitted knowledge, behavioral patterns, values, beliefs, norms, and lifestyles of a particular group that guides their view of the world and decision-making (Fundamentals of Nursing ch.9). Just about every culture has their own way of assessing pain, giving medications, and treating procedures that may not be the same as the health care system in the United States but still is the same goal; which is to better the patient. The Chinese medical culture has there own specific and unique values, beliefs, and practices. Within the Chinese culture, values are strongly influenced by the Yin/Yang which are general opposing forces. Yin is said to be a female with cold negative energy and Yang is said to be a male with hot positive energy. Imbalance from these two forces is said to result in sickness. It is also said that hot and cold food resemble the Yin/Yang, are a necessity to maintain a proper balance of health. The Chinese also highly value the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Their belief is that the all of the five elements are in relation with each other and if one element is out of balance then illness will result.
The Chinese have strong beliefs in their culture regarding the body in which how everything intertwines with each other and how everything needs to be working properly for balance and harmony. Organs are valued highly in the Chinese culture, the belief is that each of the orangs are associated with the emotions and symbolize as functions: the lungs worry, gallbladder/liver are anger, heart is happy, kidney is fear, and the spleen is desire. One of the strongest beliefs that influenced the Chinese culture is Buddhism, which teaches the importance of dignity and the concept of karma. Another important belief is Taoism or “the Way”, which emphasizes on the mystical aspects of human nature. Such as selflessness, being emotionally clam, and be able to conform. (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Practices of medicine in the Chinese culture are extremely different from what is practiced in the United States health care system. There are eight branches in the Chinese medicine treatment which include: Chinese massage therapy, acupuncture and moxibustion, herbal medication, food therapy, related breathing and meditation exercise, Chinese martial arts, Feng Shui, and Chinese astrology. “These are used to balance out the human bodies mind and soul, spiritual health is very important to this culture” (Health and Healthcare for the Chinese-American Culture)
The Chinese culture has many values, beliefs, and practices that are adapting in the United States health care system but it is important for a nurse to be culturally competent. Providing culturally competent nursing care is important so that the nurse can be aware of differences such as in the Chinese culture where they value more of balance in both the mind and the body, herbal and natural medications, and acupuncture to relieve stress. The nursing implications that a nurse would have to take to adapt care for the client of the Chinese culture is to ask what types of medications they are taking whether it be herbal or a natural medication; because most of the Chinese medications are not available in the United States. Another implication a nurse would do is to assess how the patient feels about taking medications, also assess what types of therapy is the patient doing at home or does to him/herself. The nurse would want to find out what the patient is doing that is different from what is normally done in the United States health care system.
In conclusion Chinese medical culture is different from the U.S health care system but it is important for nurses to be exposed to different cultures, so that nurses will be able to tell the differences and distinguish what can be done to what patient and what can be done to the next. Just like not all patients being the same not all cultures are the same. The Chinese culture has their own special set of values, beliefs, and practices that aren’t yet established in U.S health care system but should still be acknowledged.

References
Health and Healthcare for Chinese-American Culture. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/ethnoger/chinese.html
Traditional Chinese Medicine. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseculture/contents/heal/p-heal-c01s01.html
Potter, P. A., & Perry, A. G. (2009). Fundamentals of Nursing (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.

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