During the interview, my father, a 52-year old Chinese who was born and brought up in Mainland China, provided insight into the practices, attitude, and beliefs of the traditional Chinese people about health. He explained that though we do not practice out traditional culture strictly currently, most people still observe various aspects of the culture. The fundamental belief of the Chinese people about health is that health is mainly determined by the balance between the body, mind, and spirit. This concept is expressed as yin and yang in Chinese. The balance can be hot and cold, or internal and external. As long as the balance is maintained, one remains healthy and in the appropriate emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being. However, if the balance is disturbed, one becomes ill.
In particular, Chinese people believe that diseases and illnesses are caused by the imbalance between two polar principles expressed as yin and yang (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 18). Besides, consumption of specific foods or medicine also causes diseases. Chinese view good health as a desirable thing since good health implies that the human system is intact. However, disease and illnesses symbolize the presence of flaws in the human system. Chinese also consider both the Western and traditional medicine equally important in offsetting disease and illnesses. The traditional Chinese people acknowledge that approaches used for treating diseases are not completely effective. Rather, they are meant to restore the state of balance. If a disease is not cured, it would be concluded that the state of balance has not been attained. The aim of interventions for illnesses is to restore harmony. The common health care interventions in the traditional Chinese society include the use of herbs, acupuncture, and specific foods among others. Whenever one is sick, the medicine man would carry out a diagnosis based on the symptoms involved. The interviewee, my father, explained that various methods were used. They include observation, pulse taking and palpation, olfaction and auscultation, and interrogation. Observation method involves examining the patient’s outward appearance to tell the patient’s condition. This method relies on the concept that condition of the internal organ influences the condition of the external parts of the body. Olfaction and auscultation method involves collecting data through the hearing of the sound and smelling of odor. On the other hand, while taking the pulse and palpation, the doctor would feel the pulse condition of the patient at the radial artery. By the pulse condition determined, doctors can tell the condition of the inner organs. Interrogation method involves questioning the patient and the patient’s relatives to know the nature of the symptoms of the disease, how the condition evolved, and the previous treatments received for the same condition or any other condition.
The treatment for any condition would take a holistic approach. In other words, the interventions do not focus exclusively on the condition of the patient. Rather, they focus on all aspects of the human as a world in miniature. Herbs are usually prescribed holistically. In this case, whenever one falls sick, different herbs would be given. Besides, various interventions would be given other than the use of herbs. In general, health is regarded as a state of balance between the mind, body, and spirit that must remain intact for one to remain in a good state of health.
My father was born and brought up in Mainland China in Heilongjiang province. He lived in the countryside at a time when traditional Chinese practices were widely embraced and followed. He holds the Chinese traditional practices strongly. However, he does not practice some of the aspects of Chinese culture currently. Having grown up in a traditional Chinese society, he has deep knowledge of the traditional Chinese culture. Besides, his father was a medicine man. In many occasions, he would accompany him when going out to fetch herbs. His father used to make most decisions in the family. Besides, he used to teach him the Chinese culture and beliefs. My dad has also taken part in many traditions. For instance, he was trained in Tai Chi from the age of 6 to 17 years old. In this case, he learned three of the five styles of Tai Chi. They include the following: Chen-style, Wu-style, and Sun-style. My father, however, admits that learning Tai Chi is hard especially at the preliminary stages. However, he points out that concentration and dedication is all that is required for one to complete it successfully. My father’s high experience in Chinese culture made him suitable as a source of information concerning the Chinese culture.
In general, the Chinese people view health as a state of imbalance between the forces of yin and yang. This state of imbalance is undesirable. Therefore, efforts are always made to eliminate it. The Chinese people have an elaborate system for responding to any state of imbalance between the yin and yang forces. The use of herbs, specific foods, and acupuncture are some of the main interventions for disease and illnesses. The interview was highly successful since I gained many insights into the Chinese beliefs about health. I got to know the concept guiding all the interventions for diseases.
Interview Transcript
Chinese Culture
Interviewer: Could you tell me about the Chinese people’s belief about health?
Interviewee: Well, the Chinese believe that good health is influenced by the state of balance between two opposing forces referred to as yin and yang. The two forces are complementary, yet opposing. One becomes sick if the yin and yang forces are not balanced.
Interviewer: Thank you. What about the Chinese people’s attitude towards disease and illness? How is disease viewed in the Chinese society?
Interviewee: Well, the Chinese people consider disease an indication of the presence of flaw in the human system. They fear disease and make every possible effort to prevent sickness. An imbalance between the yin and yang is undesirable.
Interviewer: Alright. Let us now talk about some of the health-related practices performed by the Chinese. What interventions are given to sick people?
Interviewee: Well, there are various approaches for treating diseases in the Chinese society. They include the use of herbs, specific foods, and acupuncture among others. It is important to note that regardless of the method used, the guiding principle is that all interventions for diseases must focus on restoring the state of balance between the yin and yang forces. This is achieved by approaching the problem holistically. Therefore, various interventions are often used collectively.
Interviewer: Thank you. Could you also tell me whether diagnosis is done to detect the condition one is suffering from?
Interviewee: Yes of course. Traditional Chinese doctors perform diagnosis before treating the disorder. In this case, various methods are used. They include mainly observation, pulse taking and palpation, olfaction and auscultation, and interrogation.
Works Cited
Center for Disease Control and Prevention "Chapter 2. Overview of Chinese Culture." Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016 <www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/guidestoolkits/ethnographicguides/China/chapters/chapter2.pdf
