An interesting article about how people use Eastern and Western medicine. Patients generally see the Eastern medicine as a more complete response to what ails them:
“They found that on the whole, Chinese consumers tend to prefer TCM but will opt for Western medicine in particular situations, such as when they are hoping to quickly alleviate their symptoms or when they are certain about what is making them sick.
Their study has implications beyond the Chinese market, Bolton and her co-authors note. “Consumers today face a wide array of choice options. Proliferation in choice extends to remedies for illness or disease — including drugs, supplements, radiation, surgery, chiropractics, acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, to name a few. In many countries of the world, medical pluralism is the norm, with Western and traditional medicine existing side-by-side in the marketplace. Even in countries with a dominant medical tradition, complementary and alternative medicines are increasingly available,” the authors write.
According to Bolton, China was an especially good place to study what influences people’s health decisions, because Western and traditional Chinese medicine operate alongside each other there, and both forms of medicine are respected. In fact, she says, people will pick what doctor or hospital to go to depending on whether they are looking for a Western or traditional approach.
“In China, TCM and WM have coexisted for more than 200 years … and both types of medication are licensed as patent medicine and are widely available at pharmacies, hospitals and other outlets,” the researchers write. “The majority of Chinese consumers purchase over-the-counter drugs for self-care, and the market performance of the two types of health remedies varies significantly across illnesses.”
Their research arose from collaboration initiated by the Guanghua-Wharton Joint Research Initiative. Bolton and her co-authors presented a basic tutorial on the differences between Western and traditional Chinese medicine. Western medicine “is closely linked to the scientific method and emphasizes empirically measurable biochemical processes that drive disease, its treatment and health,” they write, adding that this form of treatment “views all medical phenomena as cause-effect sequences” and relies on drugs, radiation and surgery to alleviate symptoms and cure disease.
“On the other hand, TCM favors a holistic approach, views the universe and body philosophically and develops inductive tools and methods … to guide restoring the total balance of the body.”
In Chinese medicine, they add, “the correct balance between Yin and Yang make up the vital energy, ‘Qi,’ an essential life-sustaining substance of which all things are made.”
Traditional remedies include herbal medicines, acupuncture, massage and moxibustion, an herbal heat therapy. Herbal medicines account for about 90 percent of the Chinese drug market, according to the paper. In China, drug labels are legally required to include all ingredients.
The researchers analyzed consumer perceptions and preferences by presenting small groups of undergraduate and graduate students in Beijing with various combinations of questions and health scenarios.
For instance, the students were asked what category of medicine they preferred for a variety of conditions. They favored traditional Chinese medicine for rheumatoid arthritis and insomnia, and Western medicine for the common cold, coronary heart disease and diarrhea.
“You’re matching your goal with the product,” Bolton says. “If you want a quick fix, you go for the Western medicine.”
For instance, a person may want quick relief from insomnia and choose to take a sleeping pill if he has to go on a long drive several days from now, as opposed to looking for a slower-acting remedy (stress reduction techniques, for instance) that may eventually address what’s causing the sleeplessness.
The ‘Boomerang’ Effect
Bolton and her colleagues also discovered that the decision to select Western medicine over traditional remedies has broader implications for health.
In one experiment, they asked participants to read hypothetical scenarios involving a patient’s high blood-pressure diagnosis and treatment advice based on either a Western medicine or TCM approach. Half of the scenarios in each group (WM and TCM) also included an “intervention” — additional information about health-protective behaviors that would complement the proposed treatment. Participants were then asked to gauge the patient’s motivation to follow through on the treatment advice and to what degree they would recognize the importance of healthy lifestyle factors.
The researchers found that, in general, Western medicine [versus TCM] “reduces the perceived importance of, and motivation to engage in, complementary health-protective behavior, thereby undermining a healthy lifestyle.” In other words, patients taking pills for their high blood pressure may be less apt to see the need to exercise, watch their diet or lose weight.
“We know what remedies are supposed to do. They are supposed to improve your health, but Western drugs can actually backfire and boomerang healthy lifestyle intentions,” Bolton says.”
