Professional Presence and Influence
Professional Presence and Influence
Professional Presence and Influence
Professional Presence
Western medicine has progressed both scientifically and socially as new mandates of healthcare requirements are implemented as well as the rising demand for the most current and scientifically advanced care is desired. As not simply a nation, but a world, we have great progress yet to be made. Comparatively speaking of the quality, type and availability of healthcare across our globe, there is a clear lag and imbalance for those in other countries where healthcare is still antiquated and minimal at best. Evidence of this advancement in health and healing is described in Dossey’s three eras of medicine. Two of these eras describe the periods of time whereas progression has been made since the second half of the 19th century. Era 1, which began roughly in the 1860’s, describes what is known as “mechanical medicine” (Dossey, n.d.). This era is considered as the era which is totally physical in nature and therefore all therapies utilized should be physical as well. Examples of these therapies include surgical procedures and drugs. Era 2, beginning after World War II, begins to connect the mind and the body. Practitioners began to realize that emotions and feelings can impact health. It is thought that disease can have a psychosomatic component. This simply means that one’s emotions and feelings can influence the function and health of an individual therefore suggesting that a stressful or psychological event can impact the physical function and well-being of a person.
When we examine both eras closely for the differences, they may seem subtle but yet are rather vast. Era I has a primary focus on the physical being and treatment. As the first era is focused on the physical, it was considered that health, illness and disease were thought to be totally caused by something physically wrong...