[Brad] Week 5

Culture and medicine makes for a very interesting pair.  As interviews and research finally come together, an understanding of how medicine works in India becomes visible in my mind.  Here, religious and cultural beliefs are just as important pieces of information as symptoms and test results.  I was told that in India, held beliefs trump a doctor's orders.  For example, if a Muslim is prescribed medicine during Ramazan, the doctor must plan for the medicine to be taken after sunset.  When I was shown a packet of medicine for TB patients (provided for free by an Indian government program), the doctor pointed to a red capsule and told me that Jains could not take it because it was non-veg.  

Additionally, I was told, there is a lack of education about western medicine, or what we know as medicine in the states.  The Executive Director of the Hope Project explained to me that many people are unaware of the presence and benefits of western healthcare and instead rely on traditional and religious healers.  Perhaps this opinion was biased, but he talked to me about the incredible effort put forth in medical research that allows medicine to cure the ailments of today, whereas more traditional medical practices were designed to cure the problems of the past.  He stated that health problems have changed over time, leading to a lack of effectiveness of more traditional medicines.  From the perspective of operating a clinic that delivers westernized care, his main concern seemed to be educating the uneducated about the availability of care and helping people develop better personal hygiene, which in itself is the cause of many health problems.

For me, this posed an interesting dilemma.  Is it important to preserve the "culture" of traditional medicine or is it better to motivate everyone to seek out the ever-more-universal "western" practice of medicine?  Also, although it is hard to tell how great of a threat to the health of individuals exists by maintaing more traditional practices,  is there even any relevance in healthcare that is not the absolute best available?  It's one thing for different cultures to have different music and traditions, but some might believe that regardless of cultural value (or lack thereof), the safety of an individual's life is the most essential thing.  Besides, you have to have health to participate in and perpetuate culture.  

Needless to say, I am excited to investigate this entangled relationship further as I get closer to my final writing!