combination of Navajo and Western culture

Dr. Alvord worldview reflects a combination of Navajo and Western culture. Dr. Alford stresses the importance of the duality of biomedicine and traditional healing in treating patients. Dr. Alford believes western medicine lacks in spirituality and emotional connection with the patient. Navajo healers works with a person’s mind and body while also using religion and medicine together to heal. Therefore incorporating surgery with spirituality and harmony with a patient will cause a positive outcome of surgery. She works as a surgeon primarily with Navajo patients at GIMC hospital. Many of the western doctors do not understand the Navajo’s worldview of healing; therefore Dr. Alvord is extremely beneficial to GIMC because she understands the Navajo’s culture. Dr. Alvord knows how to relate to a families culturally based religious orientations that many western doctors do not understand. Dr. Alford tries to form a bond or trust with her patients before a surgery because she believes that harmony will be balanced. The harmony shared between herself and the patient during surgery will cause the surgery to be successful. She is also very beneficial to the practice of biomedicine because she tries to teach the patient what the surgery will be like so the patient can trust her as a doctor to heal; therefore in the OR there will be a sense of hozho and beauty.

I know many people who feel uncomfortable going to a doctor’s especially opening up their bodies to someone they barely know. Doctors tend to not ease the anxiety for the patient by trying to emotionally connect to the patient instead the doctor just examines the patients body only asking questions related to the illness or the issue at hand. Dr. Alvord makes valid arguments on how this sense of emotional connection and spirituality is lost in biomedicine. However she does see the necessity for both biomedicine and elements of emotional connection with patients. For example she adjusted a patients surgery in order for the patient to attend a ceremony before the surgery. Dr. Alvord noticed that “the hataalii, sings, and ceremonies like the Yeibechei calmed patients considerably, and a calm patient was a much better candidate for surgery” (Alvord, 113). Dr. Alvord also mentions that having a calm patient also lowers the blood pressure and heart rate during surgery. Dr. Alvord believes a way of fixing biomedicine is to incorporate communities of care to integrate families and communities into patient care and for doctors to show respect for the patients culture and needs.

Dr. Alvord worldview reflects a combination of Navajo and Western culture. Dr. Alford stresses the importance of the duality of biomedicine and traditional healing in treating patients. Dr. Alford believes western medicine lacks in spirituality and emotional connection with the patient. Navajo healers works with a person’s mind and body while also using religion and medicine together to heal. Therefore incorporating surgery with spirituality and harmony with a patient will cause a positive outcome of surgery. She works as a surgeon primarily with Navajo patients at GIMC hospital. Many of the western doctors do not understand the Navajo’s worldview of healing; therefore Dr. Alvord is extremely beneficial to GIMC because she understands the Navajo’s culture. Dr. Alvord knows how to relate to a families culturally based religious orientations that many western doctors do not understand. Dr. Alford tries to form a bond or trust with her patients before a surgery because she believes that harmony will be balanced. The harmony shared between herself and the patient during surgery will cause the surgery to be successful. She is also very beneficial to the practice of biomedicine because she tries to teach the patient what the surgery will be like so the patient can trust her as a doctor to heal; therefore in the OR there will be a sense of hozho and beauty.

I know many people who feel uncomfortable going to a doctor’s especially opening up their bodies to someone they barely know. Doctors tend to not ease the anxiety for the patient by trying to emotionally connect to the patient instead the doctor just examines the patients body only asking questions related to the illness or the issue at hand. Dr. Alvord makes valid arguments on how this sense of emotional connection and spirituality is lost in biomedicine. However she does see the necessity for both biomedicine and elements of emotional connection with patients. For example she adjusted a patients surgery in order for the patient to attend a ceremony before the surgery. Dr. Alvord noticed that “the hataalii, sings, and ceremonies like the Yeibechei calmed patients considerably, and a calm patient was a much better candidate for surgery” (Alvord, 113). Dr. Alvord also mentions that having a calm patient also lowers the blood pressure and heart rate during surgery. Dr. Alvord believes a way of fixing biomedicine is to incorporate communities of care to integrate families and communities into patient care and for doctors to show respect for the patients culture and needs.