Monday, 1 October 2007

Uitilization of TCM - Comparison between Rural & Urban Communities

TCM in Malaysia is generally well accepted by both rural and urban communities.

However, rural communities have a greater tendency to use TCM for certain conditions like musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses that are thought to be supernatural in nature.

Reasons for greater usage of TCM in rural communities:

· Perceived longer period of recovery from orthodox medicine (Musculoskeletal injuries)
· Fear of undergoing surgery & implantation with foreign objects like plaster & cast
· Trust experienced TCM practitioners more than young rural doctors
· Modern hospital or clinical setting provides limited opportunities for patients or family members to be involved
· Objections from elders and community residents in seeking modern treatment
· Cost - modern medicine generally more expensive than TCM
· Orthodox medicine tend to treat symptoms rather than causes/ Orthodox physicians do not address the concerns of the patients
· Inclusion of spiritual elements in TCM - key factor for rural Malay communities who respect the unseen supernatural forces of nature and their concept of universe

Contributed by John Lee

Source:
Preferential Utilization of Healthcare Systems by a Malaysian Rural Community for the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Injuries by K M Ariff

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