M4 Discussion - Medical Arts & Medical Traditions

For this discussion, you are invited to explore one of three great medical traditions – Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Greco-Islamic Medicine – which left ample, ancient bodies of written work and an elaborate system of medical education. You can use online research, including quality TED and YouTube videos. In addition, please watch one or more of the following TEDx videos about the art and practice of medicine and reflect upon the speaker's views regarding the effectiveness of current medical practices. Some questions you may consider: What aspects of "old ways" or "other medical traditions" appear still relevant or potentially effective? How can those be adapted to today's needs and standards of care in the context of developed societies? What can mainstream/regular doctors can learn from traditional and alternative medicine practitioners? Talks by Healers and Medical Practitioners on Diverse Practices and Traditions: Abraham Verghese. (2014). A Linguistic Prescription for Ailing Communication. (17:34) [version with accurate captions] Abraham Verghese. (2011). A doctor's touch. (18:25) Charmian Wylde. (2010). The Wonder of Chinese Medicine. (13:26) [version with accurate captions] Ted Kaptchuk. (2014). Placebo effects make good medicine better. (17:21) [version with accurate captions] Lixin Huang. (2012). Traditional Chinese Medicine and harmony of the planet. (22:15) [version with accurate captions] Atul Gawande. (2012). How do we heal medicine?. (19:19) Elizabeth Kenny. (2014). On a scale of 1-10, how crazy are you?. (15:08) [version with accurate captions] Remember: Refer specifically to the assigned readings and video in your posts. Your initial post should be a minimum 300 (max 500) words in length. Course material: Hardin, Jessica; Brewis, Alexandra; Trainer, Sarah; Sturtzsreetharan, Cindi & Wutich, Amber. (2021). Fat in Four Cultures: A Global Ethnography of Weight in Samoa, Paraguay, Japan and the US. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.