Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2017
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1494237188580218 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu14942371885802182021-08-03T07:02:32Z Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education Wells, Mark J. Medical Ethics Medicine Alternative Medicine Religion bioethics yoga conscientious objection conscience medicine medical school medical education Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy Christianity religion conscientious practice ethics alternative medicine mindfulness meditation Since the 1990s, medical educators have endeavored to integrate traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) into medical school curriculums in the United States. Motivated by National Institute of Health recommendations, approximately half of American programs have implemented coursework in TCAM to supplement the biomedical model of health. Curriculums vary in how this coursework is integrated, from teaching students on how to incorporate TCAM practitioners into care plans to providing student self-care sessions. This education has come under scrutiny due to questions regarding its effectiveness in promoting health, as well as to recognize the historical religions from whence therapies originate. As examples, yogic and mindfulness practices will be examined here to elucidate whether (and if so, how) such practices ought to be integrated into medical education.Yoga and mindfulness are historically linked to the religious practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. Yoga integrates body posturing with simple meditations in efforts to achieve harmony of body and mind, and of self, with Brahman. Practitioners introduced yoga to Europe and the Americas in the late nineteenth century, with subsequent popularization in the late twentieth century. Drawing primarily from the physical postures in hatha yoga, contemporary practices have been used to complement treatment of physical and mental health conditions of both medical practitioners and patients. Mindfulness derives from the Pali term sati, which refers to recollection and acquisition of insight regarding the value of objects or ideas, and constitutes one element of the Buddhist noble eightfold path. Its modern medicalization can be traced to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s opening of Stress Reduction Program in the mid-twentieth century, which supported the spread of mindfulness to other hospital systems. Applications of mindfulness have included treatment of psychiatric conditions and burnout prevention among professionals.Due to these practices’ histories, traditional religious groups such as conservative Islam and evangelical Protestants object to their adherents’ participation. To understand these objections, the specific case of Orthodox Christianity is considered with regard to its grounds for prohibition in engaging these practices. While secular medicine assumes a state of disenchantment in these practices once uprooted from their respective traditions, this presupposition is not shared by Orthodox Christians, who would claim that their participation in secularized versions constitutes engagement with spiritual dangers. In light of these considerations, medical schools should not mandate participation in yoga or mindfulness, but instead, should focus on the biomedical implications of these practices and how physicians should interact with TCAM practitioners. 2017-10-09 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1494237188580218 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1494237188580218 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Medical Ethics Medicine Alternative Medicine Religion bioethics yoga conscientious objection conscience medicine medical school medical education Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy Christianity religion conscientious practice ethics alternative medicine mindfulness meditation |
| spellingShingle |
Medical Ethics Medicine Alternative Medicine Religion bioethics yoga conscientious objection conscience medicine medical school medical education Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy Christianity religion conscientious practice ethics alternative medicine mindfulness meditation Wells, Mark J. Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| author |
Wells, Mark J. |
| author_facet |
Wells, Mark J. |
| author_sort |
Wells, Mark J. |
| title |
Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| title_short |
Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| title_full |
Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| title_fullStr |
Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Proselytizing a Disenchanted Religion to Medical Students: On why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| title_sort |
proselytizing a disenchanted religion to medical students: on why secularized yoga and mindfulness should not be required in medical education |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1494237188580218 |
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