To an average Western patient, the concept of sticking needles into people's bodies as a medical treatment is as foreign as the idea of UFO. On the other hand, a hard core doctor of Korean Medicine would be aghast by the thought of amputating a diseased part of the body. This wide gap of thinking is fundamentally based on how Western Medicine and Korean Medicine view the body differently. In the West, doctors try to treat the specific part of the body that shows illness. However, Eastern physicians take on a more holistic view and tries to treat an illness by restoring the balance of the body as a whole. These days, in the flow of globalization, efforts are being made to bridge the differences of these two entirely different medical sciences. Because both contribute greatly to elevating the health and welfare of humanity, no efforts should be spared in bringing them together. Westerners should learn from Korean Medicine with an open mind; Korean Medicine practitioners should do what they can to make people in the West fully appreciate the merits of their art of traditional medicine.

People who are accustomed to the Western way of thinking are apt to turn their backs on more traditional medicine, like Korean Medicine, saying that it is a bunch of hoax. However, just because something is unfamiliar doesn't necessarily mean that it is uncivilized and unscientific. For instance, if humanity hadn't plunged into the uncharted territory of the ocean, many life-saving, convenience-promoting discoveries would not have been made and it would be hard to expect the richness we enjoy in our lives. Also, seemingly simple traditional methods like acupuncture are based on a highly sophisticated philosophy of the universe. What may seem like merely sticking needles into people's bodies is actually the fruit of Eastern philosophy that has evolved for more than thousands of years. In fact, acupuncture has been around for about 2200 years, and it would be foolish to dismiss it as fraud when it has been time tested by numerous people over the years. Regardless of the difference in views or philosophies, one thing is for sure: it works. Everyone should learn what they can, even if it is something unfamiliar and puzzling.

People in the field of Eastern philosophy, especially doctors of Korean Medicine, should welcome these new interests and strive to make it easy for a total outsider to approach traditional eastern treatment. With more and more people recognizing lackings and limitations in their lives, the Eastern outlook on life and health is becoming quite popular all around the world. However, for someone who has lived one's entire life drenched in the Western way of thinking, it is difficult to understand the complex and cryptic Eastern philosophy of Ki and Eum-Yang. Thus, the need to translate these enigmatic concepts into something everyone can understand is quite essential. Some practitioners of Korean Medicine may believe that there is no need to translate something Eastern to make sense in the Western sense. Yes, it is absolutely unnecessary to try to fit the Eastern way of thinking into the frame of Western philosophy. If they just keep to their own small circle, however, one day, they may be susceptible to becoming extinct. Also, as people dedicating their lives to the well-being of others, Korean Medicine scholars should allow a wider range of people to benefit from their art.

Globalization can be defined as an exchange of goods and ideas without boundaries. The true significance of this unstoppable phenomena lies in enriching the lives of humanity by learning the merits of other cultures and sharing our own strong points. Snubbing one's nose at something foreign or alienating others because they don't "understand" are both acts that go against the good of all parties. If we can respect the different philosophies and recognize the differences, there will be no need to snub or alienate one another. They are just two totally different ways of thinking, and both have contributed greatly to making us healthier and happier. If we learn to embrace them both, imagine how greatly improved our lives would be.