Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why we’re not ready to embrace Eastern medicine

Armaan Rowther
Meds
July 12, 2014
71 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

“The Eastern medicine revolution?”

These were the words emblazoned across the screen behind Dr. David L. Katz, founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, as he discussed the growing popularity of holistic integrative medicine on a recent edition of the Katie Couric Show.

The conversation centered on the opening of Cleveland Clinic’s Chinese herb therapy ward in January of this year, the first of its kind at a major U.S. hospital. Dr. Katz argued — convincingly, I might add — that some instances where “alternative” medicines are criticized for lack of sufficient supporting evidence are more attributable to the profit motive driving drug development than to any lack of efficacy. Citing the case of coenzyme Q10, Dr. Katz explained that financial incentives drastically bias medical research against alternative medicines, which often cannot easily be patented for marketing and thus less often receive sufficient funding for extensive research and regulatory approval.

Not all “eastern medicines,” however, are created equal in the eyes of many, and while Dr. Katz’s argument lands a powerful blow to the general portrayal of holistic medicine as quackery, it would be a mistake to conclude that money can tell us the whole story.  This is especially true in the case of traditional Islamic medicine.  On the rare occasion that Islam can be discussed independent of the political rhetoric surrounding Muslims, terrorism, and immigration in Europe and the United States, Islamic medicine rarely exists in popular media without the word “medieval” preceding it.  While describing the study of Islamic medicine or even defining the concept of holistic medicine are challenging and important topics, the question I hope to explore here is whether the conventional medical establishments of the United States and Europe are ready to begin embracing even the possibility of traditional Islamic medicine representing an alternative treatment option, as they increasingly have for traditional Chinese therapies.  My answer is no, they are not quite prepared for such a step.

Why the United States and Europe are not ready to embrace the possibility of traditional Islamic medicine as an option:

In addition to the challenge of profit motive demonstrated by Dr. Katz, traditional Islamic medicine faces the same difficulty encountered by nearly all understandings of illness originating outside the conventional biomedical model: the patronizing categorization as “beliefs” as opposed to knowledge.  While anthropologists have generally understood knowledge and beliefs as complimentary, health professionals tend to view the terms as contrasting, with “beliefs” connoting ideas that are irrational, erroneous, and obstructive to health.  As such, the very terms used within public health discourse often exclude Islamic medicine from serious consideration, along with other traditional forms of holistic medicine.

There also exist obstacles that are unique to Islamic medicine, however, as the portrayal of Islam and Muslims by medical writers is hardly neutral.  A review of medical literature from 1966 to 2005 revealed recurring latent biases, including notions that Islamic tradition is a barrier to modernity, that being an observant Muslim poses health risks, and that “Islam” represents a problem for healthcare delivery.  Even historic examinations of Islamic medicine frequently reduce “positive” elements to mere transmissions of Greek, Jewish, or Christian thought.  Such messages build on a long history of orientalist representations of Muslim societies as deficient and dehumanized Others, a phenomenon famously examined by Edward Said, to which medical discourse is no exception.  Nowhere is this more apparent, perhaps, than in depictions of Arabs and Muslims in psychodynamic literature post-9/11, during an era of suspicion and hostility toward Muslims and of military interventions in Muslim-majority countries by Europe and the United States.

Thus, to fully comprehend Islamic medicine’s exclusion from the conversation around alternative medicine in the West, let alone from the conventional medical establishment, we must look beyond questions of research funding and evidence-based medicine.  While important, these issues speak little of the relationship between knowledge production and geopolitical power that are behind persisting orientalist narratives around Muslims and Islam in medical literature.  Until American and European health professionals and academics are prepared to critically address these narratives, Islamic medicine is unlikely to be included in any “Eastern medicine revolution” that may be underway.

Armaan Rowther is a medical student who blogs at Medical Madrasa.

Prev

MKSAP: 64-year-old man with knee osteoarthritis

July 12, 2014 Kevin 4
…
Next

A medical student speaks up and saves a life

July 12, 2014 Kevin 13
…

Tagged as: Medications

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 64-year-old man with knee osteoarthritis
Next Post >
A medical student speaks up and saves a life

More by Armaan Rowther

  • The moment medical students discover a profound appreciation for humanity

    Armaan Rowther
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Why premedical students need the liberal arts

    Armaan Rowther

More in Meds

  • 13.1 million missing Americans since 1980. Where’s the outrage?

    Steve Burgess, MD
  • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

    Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD
  • Learn to be a Narcan hero: a comic tutorial

    Emily Watters, MD
  • The preference for insurance coverage of opioids over non-pharmaceutical options explained

    Amy Baxter, MD
  • A comic reveals the terrifying truth about fentanyl

    Emily Watters, MD
  • The importance of physician education regarding psilocybin therapy

    Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Ethical considerations in medicine: unity and open discourse

      Andrew Zywiec, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • For newer doctors, avoid lifestyle inflation

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Chronic health issues and homelessness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Exploring disfigurement and self-worth

      Kathleen Watt | Conditions
    • AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Tech
    • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • 'Con Man' Gets Another Top Hospital Job, This Time at Penn Medicine
  • TikTok Dinged for Misinformation; BRCA Risk Overestimated; Cheers for Oncology
  • Flawed Rules in No Surprises Act Hurt Doctors and Patients, Experts Say
  • IG Live September 25: When the Healers Need Healing

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Ethical considerations in medicine: unity and open discourse

      Andrew Zywiec, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • For newer doctors, avoid lifestyle inflation

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Chronic health issues and homelessness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Exploring disfigurement and self-worth

      Kathleen Watt | Conditions
    • AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Tech
    • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why we’re not ready to embrace Eastern medicine
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...