Self-paced
Influence of Culture on the Perception of Health
On-Demand, Self-Paced Course
Culture and Health
Online
90 minutes
1 Year
None
Certificate of Completion
2 Years
Anybody interested in healthcare and/or healthcare professionals
€60
We tend to think that culture does not matter when it comes to medicine. It is now recognised as one of the major obstacles to therapeutic compliance and to patients not understanding their illness.
In this lecture series, you will gain insight into the cultural aspect of clinical care and how to address it.
All knowledge is a form of processing experience by the individual and society, and it is through this processing, a worldview comes into being. It is formed by a person's local, situational, cultural, and institutional situation, and it influences our perception of health, illness, and medicine.
Identifying our culture's influences on our thought processes may help us realize what is essential and valuable in our training and tradition. This module is especially relevant to health care professionals in Europe and America. It explores the different cultural influences underpinning health care training and how we may be blind to the massive impact this has on our clinical work.
This lecture discusses the different cultural concepts that influence the western world's worldview and how this influences our perception of health, illness, and medicine. Most of us do not know why we think the way we do. An understanding of worldview is essential for all healthcare professionals in a multicultural society where in daily practice, we may be insensitive to different views of the world and how they influence functional choices regarding health care. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and study the influences on our thought processes to realise what is important and valuable and respect every tradition.
In this lecture, we will examine the Aristotelian and scholastic ‘Chain of being’ concept, Cartesian philosophy, Francis Bacon’s mathematical description of nature and how they have influenced European culture for at least three centuries. This narrow scope has led to the lack of a comprehensive perspective and a deficiency within the European worldview of the complexity of living systems present in other cultures.
We will examine concepts inherited from the Greeks and how they still influence us today. These are the: Law of Contraries, Separation of soul and body, and the idea of a transcendental God. This final lecture also examines the effect these concepts have on a person's sense of proficiency in clinical practice.
Not only did I enjoy the course and the challenges it posed, but the course gave me insight and knowledge into herbology that I can apply in my Chiropractic practice. It was very easy getting signed up and getting all the information needed. I appreciate the opportunity to grow with such a great organization.
Learn treatment options that are available using a variety of herbs and natural products from a modern scientific perspective, but supported by traditional use.
Explore the use of natural products and traditional approaches that can improve vitality and health outcomes for people living with, for example cystic fibrosis or other specific pathologies
Explores traditional medical paradigms throughout the world. Techniques used in clinical practice, e.g. cupping and moxibustion, and their theoretical underpinnings are also considered.
