|
THE STORY OF CHINESE MEDICINE IN A NUTSHELL The birth of high-tech herbal medicine For 50 years, China has been the one place on earth where Western medicine and biotechnology have systematically embraced traditional medicine—and vice versa.  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is at least 4,000 years old. The first written records first appear about 3,500 years ago and a richly developed text—the Haung-di Nei-jing, which is still studied today—appeared about 2,300 years ago. For most of its history, TCM clearly surpassed medicine in the West. Beginning in the 17th century, literate, urban Chinese medicine began a long, slow decline and Western medicine rose to ascendancy in urban China, especially from the mid-19th century. From 1911, the Chinese Nationalists-headed first by Sun Yat Sen, a Western doctor, and later by Chiang Kai Shek-were actively antagonistic toward traditional medicine. Despite its reduced circumstances and suppression in modern times, TCM continued to be the medicine of the masses. It sustained the Chinese masses through the millennia to the present and, most importantly, it sustained the People's Liberation Army when it was in exile in the remote North of China—a debt they later repaid. By 1953, after vigorous debate, the P.R.C. officially recognized that TCM was a treasure, with skills, remedies and knowledge of enormous value. After five more years of scientific study and evaluation, the government awarded equality to Western and Traditional medicine, in terms of status, funding, and facilities. Each discipline was enjoined to study and assimilate the strengths of the other. Western medicine was given the task of researching the efficacy of traditional practices, "clarifying" its theoretical basis, and explaining it in biomedical terms. The alliance between modern medical technology and TCM produced changes in both systems, but a third medical modality emerged as well—Integrated Medicine—which is distinct from the other two, with strengths borrowed from both. It is becoming the standard medicine of China today. The integration of TCM with modern medicine has produced extraordinary results with profound implications for Western doctors, patients, and our health care system. Modern medical technology has uncovered the secrets of thousands of traditional remedies, proved their efficacy with scientific experiments and studies, improved their formulation, and brought production in certain companies up to modern international pharmaceutical standards. Results from 50 years of integration: proof that it works A massive body of modern medical research and clinical data proves that TCM is highly effective and, of particular note, that it is effective in areas where Western medicine is not, such as immune disorders and chronic illnesses, or where no specific disease mechanism has been identified. The World Health Organization recommends TCM because it is effective and inexpensive. Comparing Chinese and Western medicine Chinese medicine and Western medicine are fundamentally different; so different that one cannot be described using terms of the other. Yet both disciplines are effective in their own ways and can even be used at the same time with the same patient. To comprehend the underlying theory of Chinese medicine, a western person must first be able to suspend life-long patterns of thinking and devote several years to intense study, immersed in Chinese thinking. Many efforts have been made to deliver a short course on the subject in popular books, but these tend to be superficial and, worse, confusing. Keep in mind that very few people study biochemistry and pharmacology before taking a Western prescription drug. Treating the disease: Western medicine is concerned primarily with isolating the cause of a disease which it then isolates and attempts to change, control or destroy. The Western physician starts with a symptom, then searches for the underlying disease mechanism. Treating the whole person: In contrast, the Chinese physician studies the complete physical and mental being of the patient, weaving all signs and symptoms into a "pattern of disharmony" or "imbalance" in the patient. Oriental diagnostic does not seek a specific disease entity or a precise cause, but renders an almost poetic, yet workable, description of the whole person-patterns of disharmony that provide the framework for treatment that attempts to restore balance and harmony to the whole individual. In fact, the most precise description of the patient's patterns is the exact combination of acupuncture points and herbs used. The role of acupuncture. While acupuncture is widely practiced in China, herbs are generally considered to be more important. They work together to the same end: balance and harmony of the person. SUMMARY: Chinese medicine is the only "alternative" medicine in the world with a theoretical framework and vast body of clinical experience that can match Western medicine in breadth, depth, richness, complexity and proven efficacy—and yet, it is the least expensive to deliver. © 1998 Ed Sherman |
