Growing up into the modern technology era of today, I was able to experience the grand shift between a pre-internet world to a post-internet world, and the effects of such a shift can be felt past culture, language, and distance. Modern technology, including smartphones, the internet, and eventually social media, has become a double-edged sword. The same technology that is able to connect millions of people together can also make them feel split apart, and those negative effects are what I aim to explore in my research. My generation and the newer generations that have arisen are known to have the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and various concerning mental disorders that have unfortunately outranked the past numbers of our populations in history. I aim to find the connections between those concerning rise in numbers, and how it is connected with the rise of social media and the unrestricted access to the internet.
From the first signs of modern technology such as the television, signs of ADHD and ADD have been linked with higher exposure. In the United States, the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have contributed to what has been famously stated as a decrease in attention span--so low that it is comparable to a goldfish. Growing up in a first-world country for most of my life has not only shown me how much opportunity we have had for the future of technology, but the downward effects of it as well. From iPad kids to screen-glued adolescents to computer-faced adults, the unlimited access to this technology and internet has appeared to get out of hand for the sake of mental health and appears to interfere with our well-being.
I aim to further the research behind this unrestricted access to social media and technology: to not only pin the underlying cause behind this technology and internet that truly makes it so damaging, but also to lead us into the right direction to not fall into the temptation of the trap that modern technology appears to be already for many people.
India is a second-world country that I believe has a fascinating culture that is deeply intertwined with it's people; something that contrasts from America's indivdualistic mindset that I believe can also be our weakness. This, in turn, makes India a great candidate for viewing adolescent samples that have been heavily influenced by modern technology per having access to it constantly throughout their daily lives, as well as other adolescent samples that do not have this access and may not be as heavily influenced by modern technology. Contrasted to the United States, mental health is not seen as high as a priority in India, and therefore the implicit and explicit attitudes people hold towards mental health concepts like depression, anxiety, and ADHD is something that needs to be strengthend in the research fields for pscyhology in this country.
I aim to ask the question: how does exposure to modern technology (specifically social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, etc.) affect participant's implicit and explicit attitudes towards depression, anxiety, and ADHD, as well as their own first/second-hand experiences of such disorders? I want to direct this question specifically at adolescents and young adults ages 13-25 who either have had constant exposure (more than two hours) of social media a day, compared to those who have had less exposure (less than two hours) or no exposure at all. I aim to survey these specific samples regarding their explicit attitudes regarding mental disorders, as well as time their implicit reactions using IAT. Would Indian culture influence these values compared to if it was done on American adolescents and young adults? Do collectivist cultures decrease plausible negative affects that may be linked to social media? And if so, is there a way for individualistic cultures to interject and adapt our own methods of these collecitivist ways into our solidified individualistic country? These are all questions I intend to touch upon, and will hopefully lead me onto more intricate networks of deeper questions that need to be solved.
The major concerns that I have regarding exploring this topic in India is the possible backlash that could ensue; not only the explicit rejection of mental health issues as a whole, but also the restricted responses that Indian locals could encounter due to fear of guilt or retaliation that may or may not be presently conscious, even when the surveys would be anonymous. Nevertheless, this is a concern that many researchers share amongst using surverys, and can only be permitted to be used by acknowledging this limit that exists within the nature of the method itself.
Ayurveda College and Hospital Visit
Prior to my field experiences in India regarding Ayurveda, I had little to no background on traditional medicinal practices. Growing up and being immersed in Western culture indirectly amplifies the advances of Western medicine, as well as deafens the impacts of Eastern traditional medicine practices. Thanks to JSS Ayurveda Medical College in Mysore, India, I was able to not only hear about the significance behind traditional Eastern medical practices, but to also witness the practices being placed into action. As part of the Global Health Study Abroad Program, I visited JSS Ayurveda Medical College and received a tour of their campus, labs, and classrooms; In the labs, I was able to witness an in-depth description of the methods in which the medicinal properties of Ayurvedic herbs are extracted in order to be implemented into health practices, as well as the technicalities of the boiling and separation of the medicinal properties and water using a distillation method. An active observation and discussion of the various plant varieties that the medical college had access to was also preceded by a history of research that the college had embarked on regarding the genetical family tree of different herbs, their properties, and how they are actively used in practice today. What I found most captivating was a personal demonstration and dissection of a preserved human body regarding the different organ structures and how negative health habits impact the visual representation of the organs in the body even after becoming expired. That experience truly opened my eyes to the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle, and that something as simple as traditional practices such as Ayurveda that focus on preventative care can help round a person’s health as much as possible. Attending the hospital connected to the college allowed for me to see the unique equipment for therapies involved in Ayurvedic medicine such as water baths, saunas, and sun therapy equipment.
What did the people or context I encountered teach me about myself, and global health issues that I did not have the opportunity to learn in a traditional classroom setting?
As previously stated, being a part of a western society—specifically western education—has isolated me from first-hand experience of Eastern medicinal practices such as Ayurveda. Due to the lack of such practices, Western society appears to minimize the positive effects of Ayurveda, leading to increased stigma attached to it. However, being able to note the scientific processes that Ayurveda medicine takes to maximize its effects has increased my curiosity of Eastern medicine and has inspired me to implement it into my own life along with a healthy balance of Western practices as well. Prior to this field experience, I was not aware of the wide range of research that is still being embarked regarding Ayurveda practices and how the western stigma of Ayurveda not being modernized is incorrect. Being able to visit such a college and hospital has allowed for me to experience the advancements that Ayurveda is implementing with more modern resources than when it was originally started with, which would not have stood out to me as important in a traditional classroom setting.
What health issues are involved? How can they be improved according to the research?
The health issues involved with Ayurvedic medicine mainly involve ENT disorders (anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, and analgesic) that works with improving blood circulation, decreasing toxic material in the blood, increasing immune system health, and pain relief. Minor mental health issues were also discussed, such as anxiety and depression that deal with coping with psychological trauma and stress. Chronic pain related issues such as the ENT disorders can be treated overtime with mainly water therapy, such as pressurized water massage, water baths that involve full-body absorption, and Eastern-style sauna baths that implement not only vaporized water, but also natural oils that help with de-inflammation. I believe that the most influential aspect that is directly correlated to the research is the medicinal plant extraction—finding ways to extract the medicinal components of herbs and plants without losing the medicinal part completely appeared to be the biggest challenge and yet the most important part of the research.
Where do we go from here? What’s the next step and how should it be implemented according to the research?
So far the greatest query amongst Ayurvedic medicine has been introducing it officially with the scientific research behind it to Western audiences. The first step to continue Ayurvedic medicine is by gaining more support by the scientific community to further the research needed to advance Ayurvedic findings and therefore obtain more evidence for Western medicine to help implement Ayurvedic medicine; more specifically, to use Ayurveda as preventative care that can be used alongside Western medicine. In order for that to be successful, it begins with educating the Western Hemisphere on the effects of Ayurveda, the preventative aspects of it, and helping to get rid of the stigma associated with it.
Ayurveda Lecture
Brief Summary:
During our insightful lectures throughout my time in Mysore, I encountered the topic of Ayurvedic medicine. Living in the United States for the majority of my life, the aspect of Eastern medicine was a foreign and unfamiliar subject that I was curious to explore during my time in India, especially from the science and medical perspective. Prior to starting the lecture, two questions came clear in my mind: Eastern and Western medicine—could they be used simultaneously? And if so, how?
What central questions about global health did this lecture raise? How would the research respond to these?
This lecture raised various questions about global health. The first: what medical bases are essential for a society to be healthy? Ayurvedic medicine would respond to this with the fact that it is a form of preventative care, and thus primary prevention would be one medical basis that Eastern medicine promotes. Western medicine, on the other hand, attempts to promote more secondary prevention, that comes as a result of advanced technologies promoted by our capitalistic approach to medicine. Eastern medicine also promotes a tripartite approach to health—tending to the mind, body, and spirit, where the latter is heavily emphasized on and just as important as the other two areas. In contrast, Western medicine tackles the health of the body first, then the mind. The spirit aspect of medicine is not widely popularized, or if at all ever rarely discussed as a priority in the more secular, Western hemisphere. The second most prominent question: how has Western medicine been an influence in the Eastern hemisphere? My response to this question prior to my lectures and first-hand experiences in India would have been that as a second-world country, India is attempting to rise at first-world levels of medical practices, which include mostly Western-influnced practices. I was surprised to learn of the stigma associated with Western medicine in India, particularly in rural areas. Turning to Western medicine as a primary approach to any medical emergency or plan was shunned in local villages. Their approach was to utilize Ayurvedic medicine to its maximum potential before ever turning to Westernized hospitals. I learned of women who would work as a sort of healthcare worker, an Asha, who per the population of 1,000 would help connect the village’s citizens to the healthcare organizations and care that was needed, without her necessarily being a licensed healthcare worker herself; she was a health middleman who would help bring her village the necessary resources for her village to healthily thrive.
What kinds of effective actions might I take in response to the content he/ she shared?
There are multiple effective actions that I constructed to place into my professional, educational, and personal career as a response to the content that was shared with me. The first, and the most important, is to continue educating myself. Education is the basis of our world, and in order to do anything with the information passed down to me, I want to make sure I am well-informed. After receiving more information as well as looking into research that has been done on Eastern medicine such as Ayurvedic, I want to teach others about this Eastern perspective, especially the aspects not even identified by Western medicine as a whole–such as the spirit, beginning with spreading this to my local communities. If I am able to comfortably discuss and educate my local community about Ayurvedic medicine, I know I would be able to spread this information on a state-wide or even national scale. My ultimate end goal, however, is to promote Ayurvedic methods within my own career practices in the future. I aim to open up my own practice in clinical psychology therapy/counseling, and thus I do believe that Western medicine and their methods of tackling mental health are missing a much more personal aspect of health that is not discussed in the Western perspective—a vital aspect, I believe, such as the spirit could be a breakthrough in terms of how mental health is treated in the United States as it unifies the processes of both the physical, bodily health, as well as the mental simultaneously. In the pursuit of a basic spiritual health, one is also concurrently working on their minds and bodies.
What is my reaction to the content in the lecture and what do I learn about myself from my reaction or interpretation?
My reaction to the lecture was a state of awe. A state of amazement at the historical roots of such an ancient practice filled with various cultures, multiple adaptations, and overall a great movement to improve one’s health in the most natural way possible. This particular lecture on Ayurvedic medicine, along with numerous of others throughout my study abroad, offered me the realization of how disconnected I was from the spiritual aspect of medicine, and how that aspect–although not universal for everyone–can influence and motivate millions of people to become healthier, and overall better citizens and people. It made me realize how much spirituality can create a positive ripple forward that connects and supports people throughout the globe, as well as promotes a sustainable way of life that aims to help both the human population as well as the Earth that provides for it.
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