Tradition and innovation in Chinese medicine

As I was working on one of my upcoming reviews, MORE books came to review – one of these being the masterful volume on Pulse Diagnosis by Dr. Leon Hammer. I’ve only just read the introduction, which has given me plenty of food for thought. I have a keen interest in the pulse and I hope to deepen my ability to read the pulse for the rest of my life. I believe it is the most nuanced and accurate method of diagnosis available, bar none. At NCNM, we do take courses in diagnosis – but the majority of our education in this regard comes from our relationships with the doctors in clinic. As it should be. That being said, some doctors focus more on pulse than others – though they all use it in forming their treatment protocols.

In Dr. Hammer’s book, he discusses the Mai Jing and other ancient writing about the pulse, concluding that while we should have our feet planted firmly in the soil of the Classics we should also seek to adapt that information for our times, our place and our language and understanding. He seems to take this idea a few steps further than others have, suggesting that some of the pulse correlations (such as tight for internal cold contraction) are no longer significantly relevant for those of us treating patients in the Western world. I have to admit that my initial internal response to these statements was not entirely positive – and anyone who has been reading me for a while should understand why. But recent experiences have made me realize that it is important to stay open to multiple perspectives, even to the point of confusion. This confusion always resolves at some point, so it’s okay to be in that state for a while. It’s a means to an end.

Last night I was in a meeting of a group I am privileged to be part of called the Presidential Ambassador Leadership Society or PALS. It is currently based at NCNM but has a larger vision of being replicated at other natural medicine schools. The purpose of PALS is manyfold, but last night it was most definitely focused on developing our own capacities in various areas of personal development including leadership, vision and most importantly – openness to new ideas. While listening to the talk, I wondered about Chinese medicine and the tension that seems to be there between the need to adhere to tradition and the inevitable human urge to innovate. My school and particularly certain professors in the school tend to privilege tradition over innovation, though several professors are extremely innovative and I consider them to be on the bleeding edge of Chinese medicine development. So this tension, so present at the AAAOM conference, so present in academic journals, so present in online interactions between practitioners is fully displayed in the hallowed halls of NCNM as well.

I am not, by nature, a conservative person. I thrive in an environment of near constant change, particularly internal change. I have always been the first in my peer group and my family to try new things, to reach towards new vistas and to adapt to new technology. In my undergraduate studies in both biology and philosophy and later in my graduate studies in ethics, I sought out new theories and methodologies and looked to the future as the answer to many of our most perplexing questions in the present. But my study of Chinese medicine has changed me a little. In some ways, I see moving back towards the Classics and the Classical way of perceiving the world as the most significant advance we can make today. I find myself EXCEEDINGLY reluctant to adopt new systems of diagnosis and treatment, even if they are purported to be clinically viable.

But these last few weeks have found me discovering a middle ground between the futurism and love of innovation of my past and the canonical conservatism of recent years. For every branch and leaf you see on a tree there is a long root and many rootlets to support it. The tree doesn’t ignore its roots, and there is no favoring of upward growth over deep nourishment from the Earth for a healthy specimen. My roots lie in the Classical texts and in the methods of reasoning and understanding that I can extract from them. But my leaves and branches rise to the sun. I think this is a healthy approach. But I would like to talk more about what it means.

What kind of balance are you striking between adherence to tradition and respect for innovation? Where do your tensions lie?

Eric

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