Free Custom «Health Care Providers and Faith Diversity» Essay Paper

Religious beliefs play an instrumental role in the lives of individuals around the globe. This essay focuses on the beliefs of Native American Spirituality, Buddhism, and Sikh beliefs, It  highlights various perceptions and beliefs relating to healing among individuals. In the essay, a number of popular practices among representatives of different faiths has been described. This has been done with the purpose of helping  medical providers understand and respect peoples’ beliefs. . In particular, it is vital for medical providers to pay attention to such religious practices as  meditation, prayer, and use of herbs when handling patients representative of different religions.  Such attitude, it is believed, will promote appreciation and respect to all religions around the globe.

Native Americans believe that diseases are caused by spiritual imbalances, and herbs are vital in their treatment. Buddhists, on the other hand believe that illnesses result  from negative deeds among individuals. Sikhs believe in one God and think that one can be healed through his or her belief in Waheguru. This essay also compares and contrasts the aforementioned beliefs to Christianity, which mostly emphasizes on the benefit of prayers to one God. Therefore, the contents of the essay mean  to reiterate the view that medical providers must always pay attention to the spiritual beliefs of their patients to promote effective treatment.

 

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Health Care Providers and Faith Diversity

Patients from different countries and religions visit different health care facilities in the United States today. . The key aim of their visits to health care facilities is to access the modern forms of treatment available at these centers. It is vital to note that visitors and health care providers alike represent different religions, faiths, and cultures around the globe. In cases when religious beliefs of health care providers differ from those of their patients, the former must be sensitive and accommodative in order to offer the best care available.

Given a variety of religions in the modern world, patients must be respected no matter what faith they profess  so that they could be treated   properly. Various faiths including  Native American Spirituality, Buddhism, and Sikh religion have different spiritual perspectives on healing because of the different beliefs they exhibit. It is vital for health care providers to understand and appreciate the demands of their patients relating to healing, as this will play an instrumental role in the process of patients’ treatment and healing.

Native American Spirituality headlining principle is to take into consideration body and mind techniques in  treatment of both physical and psychological conditions.  Shimer (2004) reiterates that  Native American Spirituality asserts that illnesses are caused by spiritual imbalances and are not rooted in the affected area. Therefore, herbs, rituals, and meditation will play an instrumental role in  healing of these spiritual imbalances.  

Native American Spirituality mainly relies on herbs in its  treatment of spiritual imbalances among individuals. The kinds of herbs used in the healing process include salves, teas, tinctures, and complaint derived from flowers, leaves, tree barks, and roots. More so,  Native American Spirituality exhibits immense belief in detoxification methods such as fasting and sitting in sweathouses in order to eliminate impurities causing illnesses.

When compared to Christianity, it is vital to note that both of these faiths believe in fasting as part of the healing process. Fasting plays a significant role in ensuring that the faith of individuals  strengthens in healing as well as their belief that  they will be healed. On the other hand, the Christian faith creates the confidence of healing through prayers, whereas Native American Spirituality does it  through meditation. Additionally, the Christian faith does not support fasting as a detoxification practice unlike  Native American Spirituality. In Christianity, fasting is believed to strengthen the relationship between God and a believer and  is not taken as a part of the healing process through the elimination of impurities from the body.

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The Buddhist perspective asserts that the mind is the creator of sickness and good health among individuals. Therefore, internal but not external forces  cause diseases. In their healing process, they strongly lay emphasis on the concept of karma, which means actions. These actions are categorized as positive, negative, and neutral.  According to Caine & Kaufman (2000), Buddhist beliefs assert that in order to heal some  sickness, individuals must engage in positive actions now. More so, they reiterate that in order to prevent the disease from recurring, individuals have to purify the negative karma that remains in their mainstream. The major way to healing  involves paying attention to the actions of the individual. According to Buddhism, it is vital to heal not only the present illness, but also the causes of the illness among individuals. Buddhism believes that ultimate healing can only be obtained through cleaning all  negative aspects  in a person’s  mind. The overall way to achieve healing  in Buddhism is to do good to others, and meditate.

When compared to the Christian belief of healing, Buddhism has some similar features. Namely,  both faiths urge their followers to attain a lasting healing. Buddhism urges individuals to achieve healing through meditation, and Christianity urges its believers to attain a healing through prayers to  God.

However,  these faiths differ in the administration of medical care. The Buddhist faith reiterates the practice of yoga in the administration of medical care among patients. Christianity mainly believes in prayers and any other acceptable medical practices among its faithful. In addition, the Christian faith is not based on the assumption that healing would be achieved through cleaning one’s mind focuses rather on a person’s soul, while Buddhism emphasizes the necessity of cleaning  one’s mind to ensure  healing is effectively achieved.

Guru Nanak founded Sikhism about 600 years ago. The Sikh faith believes in one God who is the ultimate healer of any disease. They spiritually believe that Waheguru cares for and loves everyone and therefore can heal any complications among individuals. Sikhs believe that Naam plays an instrumental role in healing any disease that is not responsive to any other remedy. Young & Koopsen (2006) assert that faith in Waheguru is generally thought to be the key to  healing among individuals. They also believe that God may  works through medical science. The process of healing can be accelerated through meditation, reciting Shabds from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, and chanting the name of God. Meditation is a key part of the healing process among Sikhs because it triggers the body to fight any disease naturally and increase its immunity.

The Sikh faith is similar to Christianity in the sense that they both believe that prayers to one God can lead to miraculous healing among individuals. They both believe that God heals miraculously through health care providers. On the other hand, Sikhs must attend Guru Nanak hospitals for effective healing , while Christians can attend any hospital as long as it works in line with acceptable medical practices.

Native American Spirituality, Buddhism, and Sikhism are  only related in matters relating to meditation as part of the healing process.  Individuals are supposed to meditate constantly and hold the belief that they will  be able to recover from the conditions they suffer from. Buddhism differs from both  Native American Spirituality and Sikhismby  its assertion that diseases emanate from negative actions among individuals, and healing can only be achieved through cleansing one’s mind. Sikhism also differs from  Native American Spirituality and Buddhism by asserting that only one God, Waheguru, has the ability to heal individuals through belief. In its turn, Native American Spirituality reiterates the significance of the detoxification process, such as fasting, which is not observed among Buddhists and Sikhs.

The most important thing to patients whose spiritual beliefs differ from those of health providers is to be given space to uphold their religious components of spirituality that are deemed to quicken the process of healing. Daniels (2004) affirms that patients are likely  appreciate health care providers who do not restrict them from practicing what their faith provides concerning the process of healing.. Therefore, the most significant thing to these patients is the allowance of free rituals practice, which may  contribute to their healing. Patients’  should be left to make religious decisions on their own and take part in practices that could play an instrumental part in quickening the process of their healing. A denial of this right would automatically translate into demeaning their faith and beliefs.

Patients have been found to view health providers who are ready to let them practice  their beliefs  as accommodative.  Notably, patients are always appreciative to health providers who sacrifice their beliefs for the sake of the patients’ better health. They think that such health providers  act in the best interests of the patients  and promotes spiritual teachings of tolerance and accommodativeness. All human beings are supposed to ensure that they respect the faith of other individuals and should be ready to sacrifice a part of it for the benefit of a patient of another faith. Therefore, patients view tolerant health providers as accommodative. Moreover, they believe the latter embody  the goodness that their faith emphasizes.

In conclusion, proper understanding of  patients’ beliefs will boost better treatment in line with these patients’ requirements. Medical providers are supposed to put into consideration the beliefs of their patients relating to effective treatment in order to promote quicker recovery. Thus, they should allow  carrying out practices, which, as patients believe, will help them to restore health. This essay has discussed  the practices within Native American Spirituality, Buddhism, and Sikhism  pertaining to healing. More so, it compared and contrasted these beliefs to the Christian practices that lead to healing. A conclusion can be made that  medical providers must be sensitive enough when dealing with patients of different religions and faiths as this will  promote quicker healing among them.