Being a Native American, I have grown up with the advantage of having health insurance that covers pretty much everything. Is healthcare a right or a privilege? This question arose in class and I was interested in what other people who may or may not have healthcare would think about this question. There are so many issues going on with this question in the U.S. because of debates of ObamaCare. In class I saw whole new perspectives of health care and how it effects each and every one of us. Particularly when health disparities were discussed, which involves one cultural group having different health issues than other cultural groups. Access to health care also impacts a person's life through low life expectancy, chronic versus acute issues, and socio economic status.
Another important question was raised in class. Is inequality making us sick? The U.S. spends trillions of dollars on medicine updates and advancements. However, life expectancy is low. How can this be? This really makes me see the benefits of a holistic/natural approach to medicine, which some Ecuadorians use today. The holistic approach views humans and nature as a single system, using treatments that will help the body, spirit, and mind. Although this isn't so common in the U.S., where I will be treated for whenever I am sick, it is something I wish I could lean towards, for it provides benefits. This being unpopular in the U.S. has to do with cultural orientations, especially because of high uncertainty avoidance, meaning there is less tolerance to diversity and not as much openness to change.
I was also lucky enough to participate in a demonstrate of an Andean medicine man who used the holistic approach to medicine. His purpose was to transmit love through his thoughts, speech, and actions. He set up an area using rocks, which represented cosmos and stars. They were all set up in a distinct spot, each representing and carrying importance. He wrote, "Todos somos necesarios. Nadie es indispensale." This means, "Everyone is necessary. No one is indispensable." He made a point that he disagrees with the outlook of people not accepting "outsiders." Humans are the reality, we are all family, we are all connected, we all love one another, and we are all necessary. I saw some of the ways he would diagnose his patients using the holistic approach. He then gave his "patients" a particular kind of plant that would help with whatever ache/issue they had. I was sure to keep an open mind throughout his presentation and although I may be a little doubtful of how reliable this method is, it was without a doubt one of the most intriguing and amazing things I have been able to be apart of. I am blessed to have even been able to experience it, whether I fully believed in it or not.
