{"id":1503,"date":"2015-05-06T00:50:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-06T00:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2025-07-02T10:19:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T18:19:45","slug":"socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices","title":{"rendered":"Socio-cultural Awareness: 5 Common Cultural Treatment Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Hot_vs_Cold_Medicine\" >Hot vs. Cold Medicine<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Acupuncture\" >Acupuncture<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Bloodless_Protocols\" >Bloodless Protocols<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Ayurvedic_Medicine\" >Ayurvedic Medicine<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Meditation\" >Meditation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\/#Resources\" >Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a medical student who also studied anthropology, it&#8217;s easy for me to apply my socio-cultural lens to the practice of medicine. Throughout my first year of clinical medicine, I&#8217;ve run across a number of examples of alternative practices and cultural healing. Although we are being trained in Western medicine, it&#8217;s imperative for best practice that we understand our patient population and what else they may understand to be good for their bodies. If anything, the true meaning of applying a socio-cultural understanding to the field of medicine is to keep objectivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding where your patient is coming from will strengthen the doctor-patient bond and will only improve your ability to help them in the tradition of medicine you practice. Many practitioners and students have already experienced cultural influences in medicine without even being aware of them. Below are a few different cultural concepts of medicine that are fairly common that you may encounter during your tenure as a physician, all of which I have encountered in just my first year of clinical rotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"165\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/temp-change-asia-south-america-1.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a human body with a lower temperature and high temperature thermometer imposed over it to indicate the use of hot and cold in medicine.\" class=\"wp-image-4605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/temp-change-asia-south-america-1.png 165w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/temp-change-asia-south-america-1.png?resize=124,300 124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 165px) 100vw, 165px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hot_vs_Cold_Medicine\"><\/span>Hot vs. Cold Medicine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The body\u2019s balance of hot and cold is an old practice found in different Latino and Asian populations. Its basic theory is that illness and disease states are caused by an imbalance of these two core temperatures. So, to correct an imbalance, the person is typically submitted to whichever temperature they are thought to be lacking. This is typically done through different foods based on their physical temperature and certain ingredient effects on a person&#8217;s temperature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Chinese medicine for example, cooling herbs have sour, bitter and salty tastes, while heating herbs have pungent and sweet tastes. Of course, these vary by differing cultural groups. The hospital where I have trained has populations from Southeast Asia and Latin America who have both been allowed to bring their own food into the hospital for healing purposes. I was part of the treatment team for a woman with peritonitis from Myanmar, whose families brought special foods and tea for her to eat along with the antibiotics and medicines we used to treat her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"275\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/accupuncture-smaller.png\" alt=\"An illustration of acupuncture needles in place.\" class=\"wp-image-4606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/accupuncture-smaller.png 400w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/accupuncture-smaller.png?resize=300,206 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Acupuncture\"><\/span>Acupuncture<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acupuncture is t<a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/osmosis-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Culture-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a>he practice of stimulating certain points in the skin using needles in conjunction with temperature, pressure, and sometimes light. This is extremely common and one of the better-known cultural practices known to physicians. The practice comes from Chinese medicine and is now applied to many different settings with much success. In fact, many studies have proven its benefits in post-operative settings and in aiding in pain control. The U.S. military has even spent significant time investigating this method of treatment to aid soldiers in both pain relief and anti-anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bloodless_Protocols\"><\/span>Bloodless Protocols<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another fairly well-known cultural concept of medicine is that different groups are not able to accept blood products. Most commonly, Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses believe that they are not to accept blood products based on scripture. During one of my internal medicine services, we had a patient who was suffering from an unidentified GI bleed and was becoming severely anemic but could not accept a transfusion. Our team worked together to research bloodless protocols that many institutions across the country have created for such situations. These protocols involve storing the patients\u2019 own blood prior to surgery so that if they need blood, they can receive their own. They also include plans for hematopoietic stimulation using erythropoietin and iron infusions. It is important that if your patient is declining a transfusion, you understand why. If they are amenable to certain bloodless protocols, it is important to involve your hematology\/oncology team in respecting the patient\u2019s wishes and setting the patient and yourself up for the best outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/indian-flag.png\" alt=\"India's flag, orange, white, and green, with a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra, in the middle of it.\" class=\"wp-image-4607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/indian-flag.png 400w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/indian-flag.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/indian-flag.png?resize=300,300 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ayurvedic_Medicine\"><\/span>Ayurvedic Medicine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ancient <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/osmosis-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/culture-4.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a>practice of medicine that began in India from the Hindu tradition is one of the most common ancient medicine practices still seen today. This falls in a group with other ancient types of medicine, such as traditional Chinese medicine. While the traditions stem from different religions and cultures, they are fairly similar in their actual practice. Most rely on traditional healers or medicine-men\/women to administer different therapies to patients, whether it is food, spices, ointments, creams, teas, broths, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> The range for these practices is vast, covering things from small cuts and abrasions to treating heart failure and COPD. These different practices are important to understand because many can greatly conflict with Western treatments. It is important to know what other medicines your patient is taking because many spices and plants interact with modern Western medicines. For example, St. John&#8217;s wort stimulates enzymes in the liver, causing it to interact with many medications, including many antibiotics and Warfarin. Many of the substances used in ancient healing practices are not dangerous, and a number have proven health benefits, such as ginger and honey, but it is important to counsel your patient on the potential effects of mixing multiple therapies together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"341\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/woman-meditating.png\" alt=\"A medical professional meditating with her legs crossed, hands up and open, and eyes closed.\" class=\"wp-image-4608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/woman-meditating.png 341w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/woman-meditating.png?resize=256,300 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meditation\"><\/span>Meditation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an<a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/osmosis-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Culture-3.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a>other fairly common practice that has been studied for its benefits in helping battle mental illness and anxiety. However, meditation and biofeedback are also often used for other health problems as well, especially pain disorders.5 Both practices focus on self-awareness and using the mind to better control the body. This improves control of mental state, which may help the patient overcome pain, anxiety, and other stress.5 Many patients practice this in conjunction with their Western medical therapies to help them combat disease as a whole. Meditation is a very diverse area of practice and includes a variety of options, including yoga and Tai Chi, which, once again, can aid patients in developing self-awareness and balance. It&#8217;s important to understand the different modes of healing patients explore and to support them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This small set of examples just scrapes the surface of cultural medical practices encountered by practicing physicians. It is very important to truly be an advocate for your patients to understand things through their eyes. Remember to have an open mind and be objective to get your patients the best results!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Resources\"><\/span>Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li> Juckett, Gregory, M.D., M.P.H. &#8220;Cross-Cultural Medicine.&#8221;&nbsp;<em>American Family Physician<\/em>&nbsp;72.11 (2005): 2267-274.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chon, Tony Y., MD, and Mark C. Lee, MD. &#8220;Acupuncture.&#8221;&nbsp;<em>Mayo Clinic Proceedings<\/em>&nbsp;88.10 (2013): 1141-146.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brown, Nicole., RN, Matthews, Barbara, OCN, RN, and Patricia A. Ford MD. \u201cTreatment of a Jehovah\u2019s Witness using a transfusion-free autologous stem cell transplant protocol.\u201d Community Oncology. 2.12 (2006): 776-781.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ayurvedanama.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.ayurvedanama.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paturel, Amy, M.S., M.P.H. &#8220;Meditation as Medicine.&#8221;&nbsp;<em>Neurology Now<\/em>&nbsp;8.4 (2012): 30-33.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/create\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png?w=700\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Try Osmosis today! Access your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a>&nbsp;and find out why millions of current and future clinicians and caregivers love learning with us.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a medical student who also studied anthropology, it&#8217;s easy for me to apply my socio-cultural lens to the practice of medicine. Throughout my first year of clinical medicine, I&#8217;ve run across a number of examples of alternative practices and cultural healing. Although we are being trained in Western medicine, it&#8217;s imperative for best practice [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":7214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,18,16,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine","category-equity-diversity-and-inclusion","category-do","category-student-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Socio-cultural Awareness: 5 Common Cultural Treatment Practices - Osmosis Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/socio-cultural-awareness-5-common-cultural-treatment-practices\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Socio-cultural Awareness: 5 Common Cultural Treatment Practices - Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a medical student who also studied anthropology, it&#8217;s easy for me to apply my socio-cultural lens to the practice of medicine. Throughout my first year of clinical medicine, I&#8217;ve run across a number of examples of alternative practices and cultural healing. 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