Alternative Health Paradigms, Case Study Example

When one considers the definition of a scientific paradigm, one is referring to an archetype that possesses all of the most basic accepted views regarding a topic, a format of what direction the research should take and how it should be conducted.  A paradigm defines “the practices that define a scientific discipline at certain points in time” and are considered to be both discreet and culturally-based (Shuttleworth, 2008).  For example, an Asian doctor who specializes in Eastern medicine will utilize a completely different paradigm from a doctor who practices in the Western culture.

The Western Scientific Paradigm involves a series of procedures that are common to each and every theory.  It involves developing hypotheses, developing controlled situations in which to test them, and finally, analyzing the results.  The paradigm is relevant to healthcare in today’s society because any medical treatments that are utilized need to have this paradigm applied before the procedure is approved for standard use with patients.  This includes surgical procedures as well as chemical treatments, so that any medication or procedure that is utilized needs to have been tested, found safe for medical use, and proven to be significantly or at least minimally better than a placebo.

As a result of this paradigm, if the treatment or procedure is found to be beneficial to the small number of patients but does not stand up to larger populations through clinical trials, it will most likely not be approved by the FDA.  Even if some doctors choose to use it “off -label”, the term that is used when doctors use medication that is approved for one condition to treat a completely different disease, often insurance companies will not cover the treatment, leaving the patients with only two options: to pay out of pocket, which can be unaffordable, or to forgo the treatment entirely.

Because the United States is such a culturally diverse society, the Western Scientific Paradigm is not actually relevant to various different cultural groups.  For example, if a population who does not speak English as their native language is the subject of scientific inquiry, the results may be inaccurate because the language barrier does not allow the subjects to be understood accurately.  In addition, what may appear to be abnormal behavior and results to someone who is conducting an experiment via the Western Scientific paradigm may simply be the normative behavior for someone of that cultural origin.  The cultural bias of the person conducting the experiment could certainly skew the results.

An alternative to the Western Scientific Paradigm would have to involve the discussion of alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, massage therapy, and other forms of eastern medicine that have had great success amongst patients, but whose success is generally anecdotal.  These treatments have not undergone scientific inquiry in the traditional sense (Siegenthaler, n.d.)  That is, these treatment methods have not undergone the rigorous study used to approve Western treatments, yet they are extremely popular and the people who utilize them are absolutely committed to their therapeutic benefits.  In addition, indigenous peoples such as the Inuit have had generations of folk remedies that are scientifically untested, but are passed down from family to family members because their medicinal value is unquestioned by those who use them.

The Western Scientific Paradigm is undoubtedly the method of choice used by Western society, where testing products and documenting results is essential to people.  However, the alternative methods that are used by other populations and cultural groups cannot be devalued as long as the people involved derive relief or in some cases, cures.

References

Shuttleworth, M. (2008). What is a paradigm? Retrieved September 12, 2010, from Experiment-resources.com.:http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-a-paradigm.html

Siegenthaler, D. (n.d.). Can science really validate alternative medicine? Retrieved September 12, 2010, from: Buzzle.com: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/can-science-really-validate-alternative-medicine.html

Western Scientific paradigm in relation to medicine and health care in the U.S. (n.d,). Retrieved September 12, 2010, from Yahoo! Answers: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081211055939AAB8Z4f