By: Caline Assilian- Area Director – Exhale Spa Miami
Florida Spa & Wellness Association Advisory Board Member
Western Medicine uses the approach of hypothetical deduction and separates the health of a person from the actual disease or ailment. Whereas Eastern Medicine uses the approach of the inductive method where disease is considered to be a state of imbalance within a person and health is a body in a balanced state. In Western medical theory the body and the symptoms are viewed individually and as isolated entities. It is an allopathic medicine, where treatment entails the use of medications or surgery to alleviate or suppress symptoms rather than necessarily address the underlying root cause that is creating the symptom. The individual is analyzed thoroughly from the perspective of the physical domain through biology and science; however, lesser regard is incorporated for the combination of the psychological, emotional and spiritual components and how they interact with the physical body.
Considering this nature of the symptom management rather than resolving the underlying origin and overall state of health, this medicine is more appropriate and effective in treating acute conditions and trauma rather than chronic disorders. Eastern Medicine comes from the perspective of a preventative approach to create optimal health before disease is able to arise; Western medicine comes from the approach of diagnostic, which treats symptoms that have already arisen. Both methodologies have their place and their value and the most comprehensive and optimal system of healthcare is to combine the best of both worlds and use each medicine for their particular strengths and advantage.