Nostalgic Trend in Health Domain: Secularism and Alternative Medicine Interventions as an Oxymoron

Abstract

Health has always been at the center of human life in its history. People had gone to the religious and dogma-oriented priests or priests-physicians in order to improve their deteriorated health conditions in the primitive era. Physicians had evaluated patients according to common beliefs and mobilized diagnosis and treatment processes. The impact of beliefs and dogmas on the provision of healthcare in the modern era has been significantly reduced. In addition to the developments in medical knowledge and practice, technological developments have revealed the necessity of presenting healthcare in the light of scientific knowledge and experiences. Diseases have become complex with the modern era which demonstrates the deficiency of primitive methods in the treatment of the diseases. For the sake of different fields of expertise and health technology, secularization has gained strength in health. In recent years, evidence-based medicine, disease-based management, and similar concepts illustrate the experience of secularization in health. However, the number of people applying to complementary and alternative medicine interventions has increased dramatically in recent years. Moreover, they are seeking alternative ways to satisfy the needs they cannot get through modern medicine. Considering this aspect, it can be mentioned that there is a nostalgic tendency which can be expressed as health reversal. This can be understood as an oxymoron where secularity and alternative medicine interventions are at different poles. The oxymoron that created by nostalgic tendency in health has been discussed in the context of the debates of secularity and widespread using of alternative medicine interventions.

Keywords

• Health
• Medicine
• Complementary Therapies

Sağlık Alanında Nostaljik Eğilim: Bir Oksimoron Olarak Sekülerlik ve Alternatif Tıp Uygulamaları

Abstract

Tarihsel yolculuğunda sağlık sürekli olarak insan hayatının merkezinde yer almıştır. İlkel dönemde insanlar bozulan sağlık durumlarını iyileştirmek ve geliştirmek için daha çok dini inanış ve dogma eksenli yetişen rahip veya rahip-hekim kişilere başvurma yoluna gitmiştir. Hekimler de bu hastaları bağlı bulunduğu inanışa göre değerlendirmiş ve tanı ve tedavi süreçlerini bunlara göre harekete geçirmiştir. Modern dönemle birlikte dini inanış ve dogmaların sağlık hizmeti sunumu üzerinde sahip olduğu etkide önemli ölçüde kırılmalar yaşanmıştır. Tıbbi bilgi ve pratikteki gelişmelere ek olarak teknolojik gelişmeler, sağlık hizmetini bilimsel bilgi ve tecrübeler ışığında sunmanın gerekliliğini ortaya koymuştur. Hastalıklar modern dönemle birlikte çok karmaşık bir hale gelmiştir, bu durum ilkel yöntemlerin söz konusu hastalıkların tedavisindeki acziyetini ortaya koymuştur. Farklı uzmanlık alanlarının ve sağlık teknolojisinin gelişimiyle birlikte sağlıkta sekülerleşme akımı güç kazanmıştır. Son yıllarda çokça konuşulan kesin tıp, kanıta dayalı tıp, hastalık bazlı yönetim vb. kavramlar sağlıkta sekülerleşmenin yaşandığını gözler önüne sermektedir. Ancak özellikle son yıllarda modern tıbbın yerine tamamlayıcı ve alternatif tıp uygulamalarına başvuran kişi sayısı çarpıcı biçimde artış göstermiştir. Bunun da ötesinde bu kişiler modern tıp aracılığıyla karşılayamadıkları ihtiyaçlarını tatmin için alternatif yollar aramaktadırlar. Bu yönüyle değerlendirildiğinde, sağlıkta geriye dönüş olarak ifade edilebilecek nostaljik bir eğilimin varlığından söz edilebilir. Bu durum, sekülerlik ve alternatif tıp uygulamalarının farklı kutuplarda olduğu bir oksimoron olarak anlaşılabilir. Bu çalışmada, nostaljik eğilimin sağlık alanında yarattığı oksimoron, sekülerlik tartışmaları ve kullanımı git gide yaygınlık kazanan tamamlayıcı ve alternatif tıp uygulamaları bağlamında irdelenmiştir.

Keywords

• Sağlık
• Tıp
• Tamamlayıcı Terapiler

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