On Body and Culture – Medicine and Embodiment

he paradigm of embodiment is relevant in several fields of (clinical) medicine; it has been applied in studying various diseases, conditions, and treatments. The aim of this short review – due to its spatial limitation – is to provide some insight into the diversity of the interpretation and application of embodiment within medicine. The question of embodiment was often discussed regarding diseases and conditions with physical modifications or lesions, as well as in the case of those with notable changes in perception (e.g., pregnancy, cancer, or organ transplantation). However, studies were also performed in seemingly distant areas such as psychiatry (skizofrénia, dementia, depression, anorexia), pulmonology (asthma and COPD), and endocrinology (perimenopause). Meanwhile, embodiment was most frequently explored in connection with the lived experience of femininity–masculinity, physical symptoms, movement limitations, altered body sensations; some works discussed more general concerns such as the therapeutic relationship, (disease) perceptions, adherence, and therapeutic efficacy.