Health and wellbeing, and the different options available to help achieve it can be a complex and challenging landscape. In New Zealand broadly speaking there are three healthcare paradigms that we may encounter. Firstly, it must be pointed out that the follow-on term “medicine” applied to any of these paradigms can be confusing as it implies that something must be ingested, injected or taken. In Western, Eastern and Māori health frameworks there are numerous treatment approaches that do not require any of these. A more accurate descriptor could be “Western healthcare”, “Eastern healthcare” and “Māori healthcare”.
Western healthcare first originated in ancient Greece and Roman times where the body was seen as having systems that could be analysed to diagnose illness. Fast forward to the discovery of penicillin soon after World War 1 and suddenly a new era of healthcare began. A wide array of infections, diseases and pathogens could now be treated, or in some cases even prevented using a variety of synthetic, man-made drugs.
Eastern has been around much longer, originally dating back well over 5000 years. Instead of looking at body systems separately the whole body is seen as one. In order for our heart to function so must the brain, kidneys and spleen. In order to treat the liver we must also reduce stress and anxiety and improve physical fitness. Māori healthcare sits in a similar space, with physical (tinana), spiritual (wairua), family (whanua) and mental (hinengaro) all acting as integrally connected cornerstones of wellbeing. Treatments in these two paradigms can include acupuncture, exercise and herbal supplements and often extend beyond the individual to family and associated support systems.
Over the last few decades, the Western model has started recognizing that by only treating individual systems, we may be missing something. The number of false positives and false negatives that we frequently encounter with xray, MRI and blood tests have highlighted this. As an example, someone with radiographic evidence of a lower back disc injury; shouldn’t be rushed in for orthopaedic surgery. Studies show that a holistic approach including exercise, pain psychology and weight loss can achieve similarly positive short and long term results.
The gradual shift towards recognizing the whole person and their holistic wellbeing continues to be a positive step for healthcare. Simply because we cannot prove how an intervention works doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. As health professionals our job is to navigate this complex and exciting blend of paradigms to ensure the best outcomes for our clients.
As Socrates was quoted as saying, “The more I learn, the less I realise I know”.
Nb. Written as Health columnist for the Hibiscus Matters.
