Question

1. How would you respond to the following patient situations.

1. A young woman diagnosed with breast cancer tells you she would like to explore other methods of healing prior to scheduling a mastectomy.
2. A Native American woman refuses to allow an emergency department physician to start a transfusion on her husband who was involved in a car accident. She requests a consult with their shaman first.
3. A patient undergoing chemotherapy is unable to find relief from her pain medication.
4. A 60-year-old Chinese-American man is undergoing evaluation for back pain. He expresses an interest in exploring the healing powers of traditional Chinese medicine, which he researched on the Internet.

2. Discuss how you would respond to a young woman diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome who tells you she would like to explore alternative therapies that would support the power of her own body to “heal itself.”

Contrast the woman’s perspective with the tenets of allopathic medicine.

3. Describe how you feel about the use of botanicals, nutritional substances, and other herbal medicines. Describe the role of the FDA in regulating these substances. Is there any issue with using these items in conjunction with traditional medications?

Answer 1

A. Yes , offcourse you can and it's your right to explore other methods of treatment prior to mastectomy .

B. I would make her understand that her husband has severe blood loss and he requires blood . We respect your belief and culture but we can't wait it as it could be fatal . If she is ready to take the risk i will allow her time to consult with her shaman .

C. When pharmacological approches are not helpful for pain management we will use non - pharmacological methods like imagery guidence , deep breathing , etc and also will refer to palliative care .

D. We should respect pateints belief and their culture . If they want to explore their alternative therapies ,they should be allowed as they have right to treatment they want . The women's perspective is that allopathic treatment heals the disease with medications while alternative therapies support the power of her own body to heal itself.