Toolbox for managing traditional approaches and practices

• Health is viewed as a state of harmony within an integral body and between the individual and his/her environment and nature, for most East Asians. However, disharmony and ill health may have different meanings for different clients, depending on their philosophical orientation. Ask your clients about what they believe has contributed to their ill health. These factors will be integral to their regaining health and need to be taken into account in treatment.
• Pluralistic health practices are common amongst East Asians. Ask clients if they are using TCM or alternative practices to manage their condition. Show support when you ask your questions about complimentary practices; research indicates that clients are often hesitant to disclose to biomedical practitioners for fear of dismissal.
• If clients disclose that they are using herbal medicines, it is necessary to find out what these are. If you are unsure of their potential interactions with any prescribed or recommended medicines, clients need to be assisted in the simultaneous management, or encouraged to delay the herbal medicines until prescribed medicines are completed. Explain the reasons fully for your recommendations.
• Many clients regulate their diet according to the 'hot' and 'cold' qualities of foods. The requirements can change with health conditions, seasons and circumstances. Hospital food, or western dietary regimes may need to be adjusted to accommodate these preferences (where possible), or reasons for particular foods being included or excluded from diet will need detailed explanation. By being supportive of, and showing some understanding of traditional dietary principles, clients are more likely to comply with changes if they feel that practitioners are not simply dismissing their practices.
• Some medical practices (e.g. drawing of blood) may conflict with traditional beliefs. Check with clients about their acceptance of treatments, give explanations for the need for these, and look for alternatives if possible (and if necessary) if clients are hesitant. A reminder that clients may reply in the affirmative but not necessarily follow-through with treatment out of deference to the practitioner’s authority. Practitioners may need to ‘listen between the lines' to assess client’s receptivity to treatment suggestions.