Scenario 5:

Q1:

Traditional medicine is a culture’s collection of practices, knowledge and skills used to maintain
health and wellbeing. Traditional medicines are unique to each culture. Alternative and
complementary medicine are medical therapies that aren’t western medicine. Some traditional
medicine and alternative and complementary medicine overlap since some Alternative and
complementary medicine source their techniques from traditional medicine. Their similarity is that
they are not western medicine.

Q2:

Practitioners of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) provide a different viewpoint to the panel. They
can argue for TCM techniques. TCM practitioners and western practitioners are trained differently.
They may have opposing views on the effects of different types of medicine. Adding a TCM
practitioner to the panel adds a unique perspective on the issues. TCM practitioners treat their
patients using different methods to western practitioners. This means they value different medical
techniques to western practitioners.

Q3:

Evidence is the proof that the natural therapies are effective. What is considered as proof differs in
different settings. In western medicine the gold standard of experiment testing is what is considered
proof. The gold standard consists of a double-blind experiment usually lasting a few years. The only
result collected is the effect of the substance being tested and its measured effect. While in TCM
evidence is collected over hundreds of years over thousands of cases. In TCM the experience of the
participants is considered, and the methods are adjusted so. Scientific evidence focuses on the
western value of evidence with the gold standard experiment. They ignore the TCM methods. Even
when testing highly subjective experiences, the gold standard experiments ignore individual
experiences. What is considered evidence is collectively what is accepted by the scientific
community. If the community were to change their view and accept the TCM method as evidence it
could become part of the scientific process of evidence.