An East-West approach to mind-body health of Chinese elderly

Abstract

Mind–body medicine is rooted in the traditional Eastern models of health emphasizing nurturing life, attaining balance, and an integrated view of being. Meanwhile, scientific evidence for the mind–body connection and the development of such therapies in treating disorders have given rise to an assimilation of the Eastern and Western approaches to health and illnesses. In recent decades, there has been an influx of Western medical approaches in China, and Chinese elderly are subjected to an alternative dimension of health that advocates targeted treatment and disease eradication. This chapter discusses how the interplay of Eastern health philosophies and the Western biomedical model can promote the physical and psychological condition of Chinese elderly and to flexibly adapt to their inevitable decline in health statuses.