need comments for manhattan essay

[vgmat_24]

• "Art and music have long been understood to have therapeutic effects for individuals who suffer from either physical or mental illnesses. However, most doctors rarely recommend to patients some form of art or music therapy. Instead, doctors focus almost all of their attention on costly drug treatments and invasive procedures that carry serious risks and side-effects. By focusing on these expensive procedures rather than low-cost treatments such as art and music therapy, doctors are doing a disservice to their patients and contributing to the rising cost of health care in the United States."
  Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
  
  YOUR RESPONSE:
• The argument states that doctors are doing a disservice to their patients and contributing to the rising cost of health care in the United States, because doctors rarely recommend to patients some form of art or music therapy. The author's line of reasoning is that doctors focus almost all of their attention on costly drug treatments. The argument is unconvincing for several reasons. The argument omits some important concerns that must be considered to substantiate the argument.
  
  First of all, the argument is based on a questionable assumption that art or music therapy will cure the physical or mental illnesses in a short period as taken by the drugs to cure the physical or mental illnesses. However, that cannot be assumed. Studies suggests that art or music therapy takes several years to cure a patient who suffer from physical or mental illnesses, whereas the drug treatments cure a patient in a short period of time.
  
  Secondly, the argument assumes that art or music therapy can cure all the forms of physical illnesses. It is well known that by art or music therapy can cure only certain forms of physical illnesses, so the argument is unreasonable if all of the drug treatments involve illnesses which cannot be cured by art or music therapy.
  
  Finally, the author fails to consider that sometimes art or music therapy may not cure the patient even after proper treatment. Because of the unknown result after several years of treatment, relatives of the patients prefer drug treatments to the patients so the result of treatments could be known in a short period of time.

Thus the argument is not completely sound. The evidence in support of conclusion that doctors rarely recommend art or music therapy is not reasonable. Ultimately, the argument might have been strengthened if the author of magazine has stated that doctors suggest drug treatments for illnesses which can be easily cured by art or music therapy and it is sure that those illnesses will be completely cured by art or msic therapy.