THE REFLECTION PAGE:
Overall in ANP 204, I think that I learned a lot and that the course made me think critically about what illnesses and diseases actually mean, and how treatments differ between different cultures. By being only exposed to western medicine, it is easy to think biomedicine every time we think to treat an illness or disease. In reality, there are many other methods available and in fact many different cultures chose other treatments over biomedicine (even though biomedicine may scientifically be the most effective way to cure and treat illnesses). I truly appreciate and agree with the fact the anthropologists should be incorporated into more medical settings. In order to provide the most beneficial treatment to patients with a particular illness, both biomedicine and culture should be considered when determining what will be used on the patient. This is because patients with different cultural backgrounds may prefer certain treatments over others, depending on what the customs in which they follow. I chose the picture above to demonstrate the knowledge and communication skills a pharmacist needs to effectively interact with patients, and medical anthropology would give a pharmacist a better understanding what a patient needs to improve their health [2].
I think that for my own usage in my future career as a pharmacist, the applied approach sparked my interest and would probably be the most beneficial to be used in the near future. In particular, this approach explains why certain groups of people refuse a treatment for a particular illness. In the case that a patient refuses a medication that I prepare, it would be helpful to know why and then communicate with a doctor a better alternative to providing the treatment.
There was a particular article that sparked my interest in week three of the course. This article was called "Clown Doctors: Shaman Healers of Western Medicine" and talked about how clown doctors are hired in a hospital in New York City and how these clowns are parallel to Shaman healers found in other cultures [1]. What interested me in this article was the fact that these clown doctors actually helped people and was able to boost the confidence and morale of the sick patients. A good photograph of clown doctors and how they operate are pictured right [3]. I think that you should incorporate this article in your future classes of ANP 204. However, at this point I have no books, articles, or movies that I would recommend for this course. I also think, though, that you should include the MTV show "True Life" again. I think students often enjoy watching these shows especially for a class.
I believe that medical anthropology would be an interesting subject to explore for somebody who is unfamiliar with the concepts. People are so used to western culture that they often forget that there are other cultures and customs that are not in parallel to what we are used to here in the United States. Medical anthropology offers a different perspective on disease and illness than what the average person views these terms, and I think it is a good idea to explore these terms in a medical anthropological sense. I think that by exploring the topic, one could value the field a lot more and realize the importance of culture when treating patients in a medical setting.
References
[1] Linda Miller Van Blerkom, “Clown Doctors: Shaman Healers of Western Medicine”, Medical Anthropology Quartlerly, New Series, Vol 9. No. 4 (1995): 462-475, accessed July 14, 2014. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/files/2012/06/Blerkom-Clown-Doctors-Shaman-healers-of-western-medicine.pdf
[2] "Pharmacists are an Integral Member of a Healthcare Team". Space Coast Daily. Viewed on August 13, 2014.
http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/07/pharmacists-are-integral-member-of-healthcare-team/
[3] "Clown Care". Daily News. Viewed on August 13, 2014. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/clown-care-gallery-1.7678?pmSlide=1.7698
Overall in ANP 204, I think that I learned a lot and that the course made me think critically about what illnesses and diseases actually mean, and how treatments differ between different cultures. By being only exposed to western medicine, it is easy to think biomedicine every time we think to treat an illness or disease. In reality, there are many other methods available and in fact many different cultures chose other treatments over biomedicine (even though biomedicine may scientifically be the most effective way to cure and treat illnesses). I truly appreciate and agree with the fact the anthropologists should be incorporated into more medical settings. In order to provide the most beneficial treatment to patients with a particular illness, both biomedicine and culture should be considered when determining what will be used on the patient. This is because patients with different cultural backgrounds may prefer certain treatments over others, depending on what the customs in which they follow. I chose the picture above to demonstrate the knowledge and communication skills a pharmacist needs to effectively interact with patients, and medical anthropology would give a pharmacist a better understanding what a patient needs to improve their health [2].
I think that for my own usage in my future career as a pharmacist, the applied approach sparked my interest and would probably be the most beneficial to be used in the near future. In particular, this approach explains why certain groups of people refuse a treatment for a particular illness. In the case that a patient refuses a medication that I prepare, it would be helpful to know why and then communicate with a doctor a better alternative to providing the treatment.
There was a particular article that sparked my interest in week three of the course. This article was called "Clown Doctors: Shaman Healers of Western Medicine" and talked about how clown doctors are hired in a hospital in New York City and how these clowns are parallel to Shaman healers found in other cultures [1]. What interested me in this article was the fact that these clown doctors actually helped people and was able to boost the confidence and morale of the sick patients. A good photograph of clown doctors and how they operate are pictured right [3]. I think that you should incorporate this article in your future classes of ANP 204. However, at this point I have no books, articles, or movies that I would recommend for this course. I also think, though, that you should include the MTV show "True Life" again. I think students often enjoy watching these shows especially for a class.
I believe that medical anthropology would be an interesting subject to explore for somebody who is unfamiliar with the concepts. People are so used to western culture that they often forget that there are other cultures and customs that are not in parallel to what we are used to here in the United States. Medical anthropology offers a different perspective on disease and illness than what the average person views these terms, and I think it is a good idea to explore these terms in a medical anthropological sense. I think that by exploring the topic, one could value the field a lot more and realize the importance of culture when treating patients in a medical setting.
References
[1] Linda Miller Van Blerkom, “Clown Doctors: Shaman Healers of Western Medicine”, Medical Anthropology Quartlerly, New Series, Vol 9. No. 4 (1995): 462-475, accessed July 14, 2014. http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/files/2012/06/Blerkom-Clown-Doctors-Shaman-healers-of-western-medicine.pdf
[2] "Pharmacists are an Integral Member of a Healthcare Team". Space Coast Daily. Viewed on August 13, 2014.
http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/07/pharmacists-are-integral-member-of-healthcare-team/
[3] "Clown Care". Daily News. Viewed on August 13, 2014. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/clown-care-gallery-1.7678?pmSlide=1.7698