Aborginals

Aboriginals
Student:
Professor:
Course title:
Date:
Aboriginals
Dolson, M. (2011). On the Possibility of a Synergy Between Indigenous Knowledges of Health and Healing and Western Biomedicine: Toward a Phenomenological Understanding. PlatForum (Vol.11).
Philosophical Perspective – The main purpose and scope of the article is to provide an argument that the possibility for a proper synergy between biomedicine and traditional knowledge of health and healing at the clinical practice level might be difficult to sustain. The author states that this is primarily because of the major philosophical differences between the two healing systems.
The author points out that many traditional understandings of health and healing are spiritual in origin and/or maintain a spiritual or symbolic element. As such, it is difficult to determine their effectiveness against empirically driven scientific values and standards. He states that there are clear differences between biomedicine and indigenous healing systems, which may hinder the possibility for their sustained and successful integration. He outlines the major philosophical differences with particular attention on the concepts of health and disease. The basis of the author’s argument is that, indigenous medicine understands health as a dynamic process resulting from constant transactions and negotiations with fellow humans and other non-human persons of the spirit and physical world. Ill health on the other hand, is the result of specific power relations at the social, political, cosmological and interpersonal levels. Biomedicine does not recognize any kind of relational philosophy and ignores this interconnectivity of worlds. Instead, it is based on the complementarities between the philosophies of reductionism, individualism and naturalism.
Mark S. Dolson holds a PhD from Western University in London, ON, Canada. The intended audience for this work includes Aboriginal professionals, professionals in indigenous health systems, biomedicine professionals and the general population. The work is significant since it provides a philosophical approach towards the understanding of traditional healing systems in relation to biomedicine. The possible shortcoming is that the author focuses on the difficulty of integrating both approaches in today’s health system, without stating any solutions. My impression is that the author has provided a very distinctive and informative approach towards the understanding of traditional health and healing systems in relation to biomedicine.
Hill, D. (2003). Traditional Medicine in Contemporary Contexts: Protecting and Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Medicine. Ottawa: ON. Aboriginal Health Organization
Sociological perspective – The research focuses on assessing the impact of biomedical technology on traditional medicine and healing practices of Canada’s aboriginal communities in today’s contemporary Canada. The author stresses on the ...