Chinese medicine and the troubled economy
It’s a natural thing for all of us to be thinking about the economy right now. While I think that people often pay too much attention to the news, allowing their Shen to get seriously disturbed, there’s really no question that we’re in a bit of an economic downturn. I have seen that our school clinic seems to be drawing relatively fewer patients, and my practitioner friends have also seen an overall reduction in patient visits. Some students in my class, facing immanent graduation, are getting a little nervous.
Deepest Health reader Jason suggested that I write an article about this topic, which spurred me to action. He writes:
“With the economy in a very precarious situation, what does that mean for practitioners of Chinese medicine, or indeed any CAM therapist? What would be some good strategies for weathering an economic downturn (or heaven forbid, an economic meltdown)? And for people like me, is this even a good time to invest the time and money for an education is Chinese medicine? In my perfect world, I’d do it anyway, and then I would treat anyone regardless of what they can pay. Just can’t ignore the money though, can you?”
Indeed.
There are a number of issues embedded in Jason’s statement. Before I offer my observations, I’d love to pose the two main questions to Deepest Health readers - post your responses in the comments. I look forward to a lively discussion!
1. From a practitioner perspective, what are some good business strategies for weathering an economic downturn?
2. From a student perspective, is this a good time to pursue education in Chinese medicine?
If you like what you read here, you may want to keep updated by using my RSS feed. Want to know more about RSS/feeds? - read more here. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: Business, economy, graduate school, moneyRelated posts
What do my personal finances have to do with Classical Chinese herbal formulas?
As part of my February Year of Sagely Living commitment, I am listening to Steven Covey’s Principle Centred Leadership
As I prepare for launching my professional career, I’ve been trying to clean up my personal finances. I have plenty of debt (mostly from school) and I haven’t always attended to my financial health. I’ve tried in the past to keep to a budget, to clean up my credit and to live frugally, but I haven’t always been particularly successful. It seems in this year of the Rat, full of energy for cutting away old habits and launching new ones, I have been given new life for this part of my life. Within the last month, I was introduced to the financial philosophy of Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover
Dave Ramsey offers old time advice. Save money for a rainy day. Don’t rely on others to take care of you! Look out for your future. Small sacrifices now reap huge benefits in the future. A penny saved is a penny earned (and then some, in certain cases!) Often simple thoughts are dismissed as sound in a time OTHER than the one we are living in. They are thought to be interesting, but antiquated. In the financial world, it seems that savvy modern people use credit to their advantage. They game the market. Sometimes it seems that there’s a latent idea that savvy, hip, and especially young people don’t worry about tomorrow - or at best, they employ some misunderstood principle of the “Law of Attraction” to bring them what they will need when their gambles don’t pay off. Dave Ramsey, with lots of huffing and puffing, brings a timely and easily understood message to all of the above - don’t be stupid. Take care of yourself.
For me, the philosophy resonates very strongly with what I’m learning about Chinese herbal formulas. Funny, right? The philosophy is, in essence - don’t try to get savvy and creative with things until you are absolutely certain you understand the principles. This is such an unpopular idea that it’s probably hard for many people to comprehend.
But, please, learn the principles! Learn them so thoroughly that you’re loathe to leave their stead. With Dave Ramsey you learn simple principles - no credit, pay cash, focus on debt payoff and preparation for the future first, delay gratification, focus on a simple and principle focused life. He teaches a program and that program, when lived, drives the principles very deep indeed. Eventually you will run into situations that the program didn’t give you specific practices to implement - and that’s ok. Because you know the principles so well that the creativity you spontaneously exhibit is absolutely in line with the wisdom you’ve received.
The same is true of formulas, at least how I am learning them from Dr. Versluys. For the next ten or fifteen years, I will have one focus with regards to Chinese herbalism. Learn, use and seek to understand the classical formulas. This does include original modifications, modification formulas, and the basic formula combination principles that are apparent within Zhang Zhong Jing’s writing. Sometimes these formulas will be applied to situations that aren’t exactly spelled out and that’s ok. As the formulas and their language become utterly embedded in my psyche - creativity will naturally emerge. That creativity will be absolutely rooted in undeniable wisdom, it will have grown naturally, with no attempt to rush, with no worry that the basics won’t suffice.
Eric
Tags: chinese-herb, commitment, habits, Leadership, Learning, money, philosophy, versluys, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
New features of Deepest Health: Exploring Classical Chinese Medicine
I can’t overlook an opportunity to put my entire blog title in a post title, sorry. :) I just wanted to quickly point out that I’ve made a few changes to the site.
1. In order to increase community interaction, I’ve added recent comment and trackback sections to the far right sidebar. Believe it or not, people are finding this site for the first time every day and they often comment to quite old posts! By monitoring this sidebar widget, you can keep up with the latest conversation on well aged articles.
2. In order to try to pay for my last year in Classical Chinese Medicine at NCNM, I’ve added a few monetization features. I’ve always run a few ads, which I hope haven’t been too intrusive. I’ve added an Advertise page (still tweaking it) where interested companies/websites can purchase ad space and sponsored reviews. I hope that you, my intrepid readers, will give your blessing for these changes. I intend to make them seamlessly integrated and no detraction to your reading experience. Any paid reviews will be indicated as such, except when compensation is simply a review copy of the book/product being reviewed. Ads will be minimal, highly relevant, and well placed. Please email me any concerns.
3. I have recently updated my Year of Sagely Living page. The story has been less than fascinating, I’m afraid, but hopefully the experience has some worth to folks. I expect some months will be more prolific than others - as with everything. I’m looking forward to February’s business/strategy focus, as lots of that energy has been coming into my field of awareness as of late.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
Eric
Tags: Blogging, business strategy, community, money, websitesRelated posts
-
-
What am I up to?
-
Subscribe to Deepest Health
