1) How can religion and spirituality enhance the healing process?

2- Why might people in the United States seek out alternative forms of health care such as acupuncture? How might intercultural communication misunderstandings arise between patients, their families, and health care professionals?  

 

Religion and spirituality can enhance the process of healing in that it provides a basis of meaning and purpose to the patients who hold onto beliefs as accorded by their religion. Healing is experienced in a couple of ways which are physical healing and acceptance of illness (which is spiritual). Spirituality offers answers to certain questions that patients ask themselves such as; Why is this happening to me? what will happen if I die? Will I be remembered? This is part of the healing process. Studies have also shown that people with regular spiritual practices tend to live longer. The theory behind this is that religious commitment offers better coping mechanism and strength of personal values therefore reducing stress levels. Also patients with spiritual beliefs utilize the beliefs to cope with illness, pain and life generally. Patients find comfort in their beliefs and prayers.

People in the United states seek alternative forms of treatment due to factors like;

The need to have control over their health care decisions. Patients tend to see the alternative forms as less authoritarian and more empowering giving them personal control.

Patients have found conventional treatment to be inefficient hence dissatisfactory. They therefore seek alternative forms which are less costly and not too technologically oriented.

Patients see the alternative ways to be more compatible with their values, meaning of health and illness and also in line with their beliefs.

Intercultural misunderstandings arise between patients, their families, and health care professionals due to the following underlying issues;

Dominance of the health care professionals. Dominance leads to the health care professionals not being able to consider the patient's views and role in the illness and treatment process. It opens room for biasness leading to misunderstanding.

Patients withholding information. This can be caused by the uncertainty in cross cultural inquiry. The patients have existing fear about what to expect in their experience with the health professionals and diagnostic. They withhold information about their beliefs to avoid labelling and also to cope with anxiety about the illness. This makes them report differently about their illness which leads to misunderstanding.

There are cases where family is supposed to provide information to enable the health care professional become familiar with the patient and understand his/her background. This helps establish possible causes or similar symptoms of the illness in the family in order to treat the patient. However, due to some cultural beliefs you may find family withholding information and this leads to misunderstanding.

Step-by-step explanation

Religion and spirituality can enhance the process of healing in that it provides a basis of meaning and purpose to the patients who hold onto beliefs as accorded by their religion. Healing is experienced in a couple of ways which are physical healing and acceptance of illness (which is spiritual). Spirituality offers answers to certain questions that patients ask themselves such as; Why is this happening to me? what will happen if I die? Will I be remembered? This is part of the healing process. Studies have also shown that people with regular spiritual practices tend to live longer. The theory behind this is that religious commitment offers better coping mechanism and strength of personal values therefore reducing stress levels. Also patients with spiritual beliefs utilize the beliefs to cope with illness, pain and life generally. Patients find comfort in their beliefs and prayers.

People in the United states seek alternative forms of treatment due to factors like;

The need to have control over their health care decisions. Patients tend to see the alternative forms as less authoritarian and more empowering giving them personal control.

Patients have found conventional treatment to be inefficient hence dissatisfactory. They therefore seek alternative forms which are less costly and not too technologically oriented.

Patients see the alternative ways to be more compatible with their values, meaning of health and illness and also in line with their beliefs.

Intercultural misunderstandings arise between patients, their families, and health care professionals due to the following underlying issues;

Dominance of the health care professionals. Dominance leads to the health care professionals not being able to consider the patient's views and role in the illness and treatment process. It opens room for biasness leading to misunderstanding.

Patients withholding information. This can be caused by the uncertainty in cross cultural inquiry. The patients have existing fear about what to expect in their experience with the health professionals and diagnostic. They withhold information about their beliefs to avoid labelling and also to cope with anxiety about the illness. This makes them report differently about their illness which leads to misunderstanding.

There are cases where family is supposed to provide information to enable the health care professional become familiar with the patient and understand his/her background. This helps establish possible causes or similar symptoms of the illness in the family in order to treat the patient. However, due to some cultural beliefs you may find family withholding information and this leads to misunderstanding.