Aborginals

Aboriginals
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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 importance of protecting and respecting the traditional healing systems in Canadian indigenous communities, and emphasizes on the need to integrate such healing practices with biomedicine. As the theoretical basis of his argument, Hill states that biomedical approaches and indigenous traditional healing systems that incorporate mental healing, spiritual healing, social and physical healing play a significant and crucial role in Canada’s health delivery systems. Hill adds that biomedicine overlooks the relationship of the spiritual and social being to the body, and the effect the latter has on the former while indigenous healing focuses on that relationship in their healing practices. He concludes that where both the traditional systems and biomedical practices exist, it is indispensable for patients to have a choice of the healing approach they prefer, or a combination of both.
The author is a PhD holder and works with National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO). Intended audiences include professionals in biomedicine, Aboriginal scholars, elders/traditional practitioners, community practitioners as well as people of the Aboriginal community. The main limitation of the article is that the research under-represented the Metis indigenous people of the Aboriginal community. The article is significant since it contributes to the subject under consideration by highlighting the importance of protecting and respecting traditional medical practices. Special features of the work include an annotated bibliography. My impression of the work is that it provides an enlightening and informative approach to understanding Canadian indigenous healing systems and why they ought to be protected, respected and integrated with biomedicine.
Grey, S. (2003). The Health Status of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Reflection, Realization, and Response. Retrieved on January 25, 2013 from /1330317/The_Health_Status_of_Aboriginal_Peoples_in_Canada_Reflection_Realization_and_Response
Biomedical Perspective – The article highlights the challenges experienced by the Canadian Aboriginal community with regard to accessing biomedicine. This comes as a result of their traditional healing systems having been seriously impacted by the widespread use of biomedicine. The author states that the health status of indigenous people continue to register as inequitably poor, regardless of the existence of socialized medicine as well as proliferation of government health programs. He adds that there are higher rates of premature mortality and morbidity among the indigenous communities in relation to the rest of the Canadian population. The author points out that prior to the arrival of the European settlers, each of the Aboriginal healing systems had its theories of disease causation, categories of practitioners as well as diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Because of colonization and the increasing use of biomedicine, the indigenous people have lost many traditional healers and a significant amount of traditional healing knowledge, and they now show a higher incidence of disease than the general population. The author points out that biomedicine defines good health as an absence of disease. In contrast to this, indigenous Aboriginal people define good health as including speaking their language, healing practices, beliefs and applying the wisdom of the elders.
Sam Grey is an undergraduate at Trent University studying Indigenous studies. The audiences of the work include biomedicine professionals, people from indigenous communities, and the general population. The work is significant since it provides an understanding of the present health conditions of people from the indigenous communities, and how they have been impacted by biomedical technology. The main shortcoming of the article is that it, the author did not take into account the indigenous communities who live in urban centers whose health status is at par with the general population. My impression of the article is that it provides a dependable analysis of the current health situation of the indigenous people in Canada.
Manitowabi, D., & Shawande, M. (2011). The meaning of Anishinable Healing and Wellbeing on Manitoulin Island. A journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health.
Psychological perspective – The authors in the article through a research project examine the meaning of Anishinabe/Ojibwa at the Noojmowin Teg Health Access Center in Ontario, Canada. Their research focuses on understanding mental functions and human behavior, and their application on indigenous health systems in relation to biomedicine. The authors point out that Anishinabe/Ojibwa is a type of traditional healing and well-being practiced by the Aboriginal people. From their research, they observed that the indigenous Aboriginal islanders regarded mental or psychological healing as being an interconnection between body, spirit and earth, and to them, well-being means living a balanced life. The authors state that the healing practice of Anishinabe treats the sick depending on whether they are...