There are quite a few folks who would like to discount Chinese medicine out of hand. These people are unlikely to be convinced of its benefits until Western materialistic methods so thoroughly confirm it that there is no shadow of a doubt. Really, this group of people want to see all concepts of Chinese medicine translated into Western terms – eventually rendering Chinese medicine as just a quaint alternative way to discuss In my opinion, this promised land of verification is unlikely to be achieved. Much of the benefit of Classical Chinese medicine simply cannot be verified by the current commonly accepted forms of study. This is not to say that some level of verification is impossible to achieve – I think some level can and will be achieved. It simply isn’t likely to come from the land of double-blind placebo controlled studies or the realm of extraction, purification and verification of individual chemicals within herbs. No such verification is necessary, as Chinese medicine grows from its own ground and has internally consistent methods of testing and verification that have yielded a medicine that is remarkably safe and effective.
There are other people who, instead of discounting the medicine out of hand, simply want to strip it of all of the elements that seem to conflict with the findings of materialism. This is what Mao and Co. did when they took the diverse and interrelated parts of ancient Chinese medicine, sanitized them and gave birth to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This is what many people continue to do. The argument is that discussions of Spirit, demons, elementals and possession are superstition, while Qi and Blood are medicine. To make Chinese medicine relevant, they say, we need to purge it of all of that silly nonsense and retain that which is more reasonable.
To be sure, there are things that should be included in the official canon of Chinese medicine and there are things that should not be included. But to purge things simply because they relate to non-material aspects of being or involve language that some people are uncomfortable with is irresponsible. We need to understand what these things mean, interpret them within their ancient context and understand their relevance. It may be that we find different language is more appropriate for our contemporary context to describe some of these concepts – or it may be simply that we need to discard our prejudice and embrace more complex medical terminology.
Let’s take one concrete example – the concept of Shen 神, often translated as Spirit. Shen is said to be the domain of the Heart, it is also said to be the light of consciousness, the animating principle. It is present in every part of the body, carried in the blood, but it is uniquely carried in the Heart. The primary pathology involving Shen, “Shen Disturbance” is often likened to various forms of mental illness. To illustrate, in the Neijing, Qi Bo says, “神 有 餘 則 笑 不休 ， 神 不 足 則 悲” which can be translated as “When Shen is in an excess state, one has hysteria or mania. When Shen is in a deficient state, one has depression or profound sadness.” Here we can see the emotional dimensions of the Shen. It would be tempting to leave it at that, but elsewhere in the Neijing and other texts we find many different functions and concepts attributed to the Shen. Some of these functions and concepts do relate more to “spiritual” matters as they are seen in many Western cultures. Shen includes all of these things.
I think it is this multifaceted nature of Chinese medical terminology that puts people off of it and compels them to demand that it be as monodimensional as other forms of medicine. Because many terms cannot be easily defined or put in a one-to-one relationship with easily recognized Western medical concepts, people simply dismiss it. However, it is this complexity that make the medicine so powerful. If we take the time to study these concepts, to understand them intellectually as well as experientially we can understand a complex disease like clinical depression much better. I have used this approach trying to understand my own medical problems and have found it to be very helpful in finding new treatment directions.
Eric
Tags: tea, clinic, Chinese herbs, nature, language, Science, disease, materialism
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, you get major kudos for the headline! That was a real attention grabber that made me chuckle in anticipation for the answer.
I agree, and phrase it like this: we have to translate these terms from the inside. No, we have to embody the meaning.
(new bumper sticker: Embody Meaning).
Haha! I had saved that title for another post but thought it fit with this one. I’d like to do more delving into definitions. I feel like I bandy terms about quite a bit without really understanding what they mean or how I can use them in a therapeutic context. I’m currently working on an article about Qi, for instance. In a class last term, several days were devoted to the puzzling out of the meaning of Jing… If we can understand and EMBODY these things… well, we’re in trouble.
I love your bumperstickers. :D
Eric
as a former engineer i run into this argument a lot in my own head and with my friends. in fact, the whole first year of school i had to figure out how i would come into relationship with this medicine (note: its a lifelong process i think). something i like to refer to is this article by
pokert which distinguishes scientific methods from scientific criteria.
http://www.jungtao.edu/ccm/articles/porkert1.html
if you want to really integrate western and eastern medicines i think you have to take the findings and theories of both seriously. there’s another great tidbit by chomsky on the mind-brain problem
http://www.jungtao.edu/ccm/articles/porkert1.html
wherein he describes what it took to integrate physics and chemistry. basically they can constrain each other and develop independently, building a sufficient body of evidence until such a time comes that new discoveries bridge the gap.
my opinion? it will probably not occur under any current framework, and new discoveries in both fields will further lead to an enlightenment of man where he realizes the true relationship of matter and energy/spirit. i’m not using the term enlightenment lightly either: i think this is an individual process and one that can be guided but not taught.
Brandon,
I couldn’t agree with you more on all points.
Regarding integration – the word has rarely meant well for any of the parties involved. If integration means Western med does what they do well and we do what we do well and we refer between us – that’s great. Fine.
But as you’ve said, it’s unlikely to happen under the current framework.
Some part of me sees that it may be inevitable that there are simply different realms of medicine competing in a free market. It’s sad, of course, because mutual appreciation and cooperation is more likely to yield significant fruits for the largest number of individuals (human and not).
Or maybe it isn’t sad – maybe there is something inherently important about the competitive process. I’m not sure on that.
In any event, so long as government intervenes minimally I feel that patients will choose the medicine that is best for what ails them at the current time. For most things, it will be Chinese medicine and other natural medicines. For trauma and certain acute life threatening situations, it may be contemporary Western medicine.
I do appreciate your hope for an Enlightened species, though. I work for that every day. :)
Eric
Medicine, like spirituality, should draw from all cultures. Discounting Chinese medicine with it’s long history is as foolish as the AMA trying to discredit Chiropractic for all those years. Thank God the climate has changed, and many insurance policies now cover chiropractic expense, but as little as 15 years ago it was another story.
Fortunately my family uses a medical doctor that is receptive to “alternative medicine”, and has no problem referring me to a chiropractor, or even recommending acupuncture depending on the issue.