Chinese Culture and Health Issues
Chinese culture is made up of numerous and diverse groups of people depending on ethnicity and lineage. As a result, providing the optimal treatment for the population will necessitate a thorough understanding of the population from a pharmacological standpoint. As such, the primary goal of the study is to outline the population's health issues, accessible pharmacological therapies, and cultural dynamics that may influence acceptance of modern medicine.
Health Challenges in the Asian Population
The Asian population, like other populations of color, has significant health challenges such as hypertension and other cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, hepatitis B, osteoporosis, and cancer. Most reports indicate that cancer is the leading cause of death in China with stomach and liver cirrhosis being the top diseases. On the other hand, reports show that close to 5.6% of the population suffers from heart disease while less than 4% have genetic heart defects; less than 16% have high blood pressure and less than 2% have the stroke (H. Li, Yang, Tou, Patel, & Zhao, 2012). On a different paradigm, mental health issues are predominantly marked among adolescent girls such as depressive symptoms but, seeking medical health in such capacities is culturally limited. Additionally, tobacco smoking is prevalent within the country and causes more than 1 million deaths per annum.
Current Pharmacological Treatment Regimes
The present pharmacological treatment systems aim in the controlling symptoms, reductions in burden and overall improvement of prognosis by preventing the progression of the major diseases or rather, lifestyle diseases. Ideally, most of the current regimes are based on individual patient needs with consideration of the characteristics plus the severity of the symptoms, location, severity and functional significance. For instance, the functional significance of coronary artery, patient preference, and co-morbidities. For every patient (or a pool of patients with similar symptoms and preferences), the efficacy is based on the agent and their side effects and altogether with patients compliance which are determinants of the failure of success of the treatment. For instance, lisinopril oral for hypertension (W.-W. Li, Wallhagen, & Froelicher, 2010).
Traditional Influence: Beliefs and Practices
One primary traditional belief among the Chinese is that a disease is a result of the imbalance within the functions of the body intertwined with the environment such as Ying and Yang. According to (Juckett, Nguyen, & Shahbodaghi, 2014), this belief, there lacks a certain pattern of discrimination which is considered an impactful process for Traditional Chinese Medicine. As such, one practice of traditional medicine is to examine the tongue regarding color and shape relative to the pulse-points, breath and the sound of the voice. For instance, to diagnose heart diseases, a practitioner will examine the tongue bleeding and determine that the blood vessels are scorched and thus, prescribe herbal medicine. Therefore, the Chinese have a common belief in Traditional Chinese Medicine culturally based in treating health concerns.
Acceptance to Western Medicine
The approval for Chinese Traditional Medicine has spanned for generations and generations, and this has fortified the use of Chinese medicine. The efficacy through which the medication helps the body wholly and not in bits has rendered alternative medicine as irrelevant. With the improvement of Chinese Traditional Medicine through research and development, pills and prescribed medicine have improved delivery of the traditional medicine. Therefore, the Chinese through inherited medicine that has worked properly and adherence to the historical culture may hamper the acceptance to the alternative and modern medicine. As such, patient outcomes are more effective with patient safety being paramount with the Chinese as their medicine has been in use for centuries (Juckett et al., 2014).
Approaches to Adoption of Modern Medicine
One of the culture based strategies to enable Chinese immigrants to adapt to alternative medicine is to depict the natural or organic materials used to make the drugs. With the shift of modern medicine incorporating traditional medicine, thousands of drugs have embedded natural products such as etoposide and cromoglicate. It may require a simplified technical explanation on the benefits of pharmacological introduction into the drug formation from a Chinese five body split model. The model divides into five body parts, such as the head, heart and so on, and the explanation can focus on the differential areas specifically. For instance, it may render the heart as the primary objective site and efficacy are more compared to Chinese Traditional Medicine (W.-W. Li et al., 2010). On the other hand, the nurses could incorporate a modern twist to the alternative medicine through the incorporation of Chinese therapeutic remedies. For instance, acupuncture is familiar with the Chinese and the use of herbs and rich foods such as vegetables to treat certain illnesses. For example, the Chinese commonly combine therapeutic remedies with traditional medicines for some lifestyle diseases. Use of Chi Tan Tuan is a necessary resource component that requires a sick individual to consume healthy products such as vegetables (leeks and fruits) as well as take the prescribed medicine. Therefore, it might be an easy task for the nurses to incorporate the health and fitness regime since the Chinese are already used to such drug regimes (Juckett et al., 2014).
References
Juckett, G., Nguyen, C., &Shahbodaghi, S. D. (2014). Caring for Asian immigrants: tips on culture that can enhance patient care. The Journal of Family Practice, 63(1), E1.
Li, H., Yang, L., Tou, C. K., Patel, C. G., & Zhao, J. (2012). Pharmacokinetic study of saxagliptin in healthy Chinese subjects. Clinical Drug Investigation, 32(7), 465–473.
Li, W.-W., Wallhagen, M. I., &Froelicher, E. S. (2010). Factors predicting blood pressure control in older Chinese immigrants to the United States of America. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66 (10), 2202–2212.
