Comments on: Isn’t Chinese medicine just a bunch of spiritual mumbo-jumbo pseudo-science?

By: mlankton

mlankton — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 14:07:00 +0000

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.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:42:32 +0000

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

By: brandon

brandon — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:42:35 +0000

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.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:29:03 +0000

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

By: Abdallah

Abdallah — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:19:26 +0000

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).