Health views can have a deep influence on the medical care of Asian patients in the United States, affecting the truth of health pasts and compliance with treatment recommendations from Western providers. Because the values behind the Western medical standard are so different from those of Eastern medicine, it is difficult for American health care providers to change gears when talking to Asian patients and consider a mind-set where health is seen as a state of balance between the physical, social, and super-natural environment. Western medicine tends to see disease by assuming that it is due to an outer influence, such as a virus or bacteria, or a slow deterioration of the function of the body. Disease is either physical or mental. The Eastern style assumes that the body is whole, and each part of it is closely linked. Each organ has a mental as well as a physical purpose. Possibly a mixing of the two belief methods would be best, but it isn’t easy in chaotic settings or emergency situations to bring such different belief systems together during medical discussion and care.
Cultural know-how embraces the notion that every person has a “culture” that each person brings with him or her to the medical front. While certain
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A healthy body is in a state of balance. When it gets out of balance illness results. They view their body as a gift given to them by their parents and ancestors. A person’s body is not his own property; it must be appreciated and well preserved. In the Asian culture the balance is between yin and yang. All things in creation are mainly either yin or yang, including diseases. Yin and yang are commonly translated as hot (yang) and cold (yin) this does not refer to temperatures. The Asian patient seldom complains about what bothers them. Often the only sign that there could be a problem is an untouched food tray or the silence of the patient