Combining Eastern and Western Medicine

Myth: Western Medicine is better than Eastern Medicine or Eastern Medicine is better than Western Medicine.

When I was in Thailand studying some aspects of Eastern Medicine, they still emphasized the need for Western Medicine as well. One of my Thai teachers said to strive for a good balance of Eastern and Western Medicine in order to achieve “Total Health” (physical, spiritual, mental, emotional and social health).

Eastern Medicine deals with prevention and treatment of diseases but is more concerned with prevention. Eastern Medicine sees health as the body and the spirit working together, and when a disharmony comes between them, sickness can enter the body. When it comes to healing (treatment), the Eastern way of thinking is to let the body heal itself with the aid of the therapy or medicine. Prevention is met with a certain lifestyle not a “magic pill.” The Eastern lifestyle addresses all aspects of health – physical, spiritual, mental, emotional and social.

Western Medicine also deals with prevention and treatment of diseases but is more concerned with treatment. Western Medicine mainly sees health as physical. A person is said to be healthy if they are not sick and they are “in shape.” Western Medicine is a science that has brought a lot to the world of health in treating different diseases and other health problems.

As you can see both sides have their positives. This is why we need to combine Eastern and Western Medicine to achieve our best results in health.