Chinese Medicine or Western Medicine?
Read the first post in this series of articles about Traditional Chinese Medicine: What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Western medicine focuses strictly on the evidence of a condition based on the findings of technology, anatomy and chemistry of a person’s physicality in minute detail whereas Chinese medicine, on the other hand, experiments with the big picture of an individual’s signs and symptoms to eventually arrive at a diagnosis. In other words, this is a huge and significant gulf between the micro level of detail and the macro required for diagnosis in both. For example, a bad back in Western medicine is narrowed down to the specific vertebrae, tendon or muscle thought to be causing the bad back. Chinese medicine looks at the strength, flexibility, elasticity of all the muscles, bones, blood as well as the aetilogical reasons contributing to the bad back.
In Western medicine, doctors believe that diseases and viruses are caused by bacteria or genetic disorder, and to resolve the problem patients will be prescribed pharmaceutic drugs.In TCM, doctors believe is that diseases and viruses are caused by a lack of balance in the body, originating from the Yin and the Yang of the whole body and the flow of Qi. TCM is not about boiling everything down to a single issue, it’s about a collection of S&S, but also understanding patient’s history, the way they live their life, what’s going on in their life, and family history. All of this data informs the eventual diagnosis.
Which is best?
I am going to put my cards on the table here. I believe Western medicine and Chinese Medicine have the potential to be mutually beneficial to each other. There are many conditions which most credible practitioners of TCM would never purport to be able to resolve. Equally, there is a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence for the use of acupuncture in managing and resolving a number of conditions, which are often managed through pills in Western society. Which brings me to my conclusion. Chinese Medicine can massively enrich your life, whether you are seeking support with emotional or physical issues; it needs to be used in harmony with Western medicine, not in conflict.
It helps you create balance in life and is reliant on you taking self-care seriously; you don’t need to have something wrong with you to seek support; a good massage is hugely beneficial – think of the endorphin release!
Self-care is not selfish, it is essential if we want to avoid pounding away at our blood vessels with unnecessarily high levels of pressure and creating stress as a state of normality.
For potential consumers of Chinese Medicine my advice would be, assure yourself of the credentials and training of a practitioner before you book and go with an open heart and open mind.
This post is one in a four part series on Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Part 1: What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Part 2: The Evolution Of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Part 3: What is the Difference Between Western and Chinese Medicine?
