by: Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc
Q: My doctor is skeptical of Chinese medicine. Is there a way to make it acceptable to the western medicine way of thinking?A: This is a complicated issue. Ideally, we could use scientific research to make this possible. This has been done to some extent. However, there are still problems with research and its acceptance.Not Testing Authentic Chinese MedicineStudies often diverge from authentic Chinese medicine methodology. Investigators rarely make use of pattern discrimination, which is fundamental to Chinese medicine. Also, studies have yet to acknowledge another reality of CM - its plurality. There are many ways to practice it, and many many herb formulas, herb combinations, acupuncture point combinations, and needling techniques.See What You Want To SeePlus, studies of people reading and using studies have proven that when we disagree with a study's conclusions, we are much more critical of its methodology and validity than when the results agree with our beliefs. That is a breakdown in the scientific method. In the scientific method, we let study outcomes revise our beliefs - not the other way around.The Good Research That's Out ThereIf you want to see good acupuncture research, and great commentary by an MD who devotes his medical practice fully to acupuncture, and who studies authentic CM, go to Acubriefs.com.I did a short review of the best acupuncture studies since the 1997 National Institutes of Health statement.Effectiveness and Proof are SecondaryAn interesting twist: Historian and anthropologist Paul Unschuld's suggests that the acceptance of any medicine has more to do with how it fits or doesn't fit with the social zeitgeist (spirit of the times). People must understand a medicine in a way that fits with their beliefs and values first. Scientific evidence, and personal experience of effectiveness are secondary.Acceptance by Western MedicineBut as for acceptance by western docs- it depends on the doc. I doubt the AMA is going to be accepting Chinese medicine as a separate and equally valid medical system. But some individual docs might.Who Speaks For Western Medicine?According to Modern Healthcare Magazine, "Not counting medical students and residents, who are lured by deep discounts in annual dues, AMA members account for only about 29 per cent of 726,000 practicing doctors in America."This raises the question- who represents most doctors? How do we know what they think or want?I did an internet search, both on Google and Yahoo, for other medical organizations... most of them were state, or country-oriented.I did find a few others, but their membership numbers may overlap:The Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) - 17,000 members American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) - 2,000 members American Holistic Medicine Association (AHMA) - membership not listed So even though the AMA represents less than one-third of physicians, it doesn't appear that any other organization has nearly as many members. Perhaps no one speaks for Western medicine.Pattern Discrimination Isn't So StrangeBesides all the distinct ontology (the study of what exists) like meridians and organ-systems, a fundamentally unique feature of CM (used in China to differentiate CM from WM) is pattern discrimination.Different treatment for different symptom/sign patterns is not really that strange. Western docs don't give all patients the same antihypertensive drugs, for example. It depends on the patient, and there are specific groupings according to symptoms, signs, and other diagnoses. We do the same thing - just different groupings.Regardless, many Western docs look down their nose at pattern discrimination. Perhaps they don't think it's scientific enough? They don't see the benefit. It's outside their paradigm.Inequality in Credibility and AuthorityChinese medicine's biggest obstacle to making progress politically and in the media is that MD's are seen as the one true medical authority. They are the experts on everything. Pure scientists don't get as much attention, nor do scholars, or Master's degree people. Politicians and journalists both have this perspective. Because of this, our objections (to the actions of AMA, FDA, and drug companies against Chinese herbal medicine) go unheard. We are not seen as being as competent to assess dangers. Nor do they take Chinese docs very seriously. You have to either be an MD or affiliated with a big institution.So, to summarize, you can't convince some people no matter what. Others will get behind Chinese medicine regardless. Those in the middle will be swayed by the media and their friends.It's going to take some time for enough of us to have the degrees, affiliations, and willingness to make statements loud enough to be heard above the din of the prevailing winds.
For more information please visit www.honostreview.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Benefits of Alternative Medicine
by: Ruby Boyd
With the growing number of people being affected by newly discovered chronic degenerative diseases such as AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome, Are you worried or wondering....Is it possible to maintain good health?What your body needs to function properly?Why conventional medicine is becoming more complicated and costly and in some cases simply ineffective?A growing number of people are turning to alternative medicine andnatural healing--simple, traditional low-tech methods of preventing illnesses and solving everyday health problems.Do you have unanswered questions on....Why are people flocking to health food stores, with their lotions and potions, and what keeps them going back for more?What to do if you or someone in your family falls ill?Are these therapies really old wives tales or can they really work?Even mainstream doctors have begun to recommend natural druglesstherapies' to treat both everyday complaints and serious illnesses.Dietary modifications, for instance, has become the weapons ofchoice against a number of diseases that would have been treatedmainly with prescription drugs a generation ago.It is now known that many conditions are caused by the wrong diet and can be reversed by the right diet.Heart disease, cancer, weight problems, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure--they can all be treated to some degree with foods.Natural therapies found in alternative medicine are actually much older than Western treatments such as surgeries and antibiotics. Experts estimate that herbal remedies and Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, has been around for 5,000 years.Many alternative medicine remedies began with scientific research or clinical impressions reported by physicians working with safe, natural substances.But we live in a generation now that has been cut off from this age-old tradition of self-reliance. Healing and health carehave become almost--the exclusive province of duly licensedphysicians. While doctors and other professionals-are indeedgreat to have around, what is not so great is when you cannotdo anything without them.Shouldn't we be able to do something to save our health--maybeeven our lives--without a doctor?What happens when medical help is not so readily available?What happens when doctoring simply does not work?Some of us go to doctor after doctor, and still no help. Is that the end of the line?While antibiotics have saved millions of lives, they have notreally solved some resurgence of germs that are turning up innew forms that do not respond to conventional therapies.There has been a real shift in the way people think about their health. Rising health care cost is a factor in the recent surgeof interest in alternative medicine. Many people are attracted to the alternative physicians emphasison treating the whole person--body, mind and spirit. Most importantly some physicians use intensive counseling to helppatients find out whether aspects of their daily lives, such as job stress, marital problems diet or sleeping habits mightbe behind their symptoms.In this age of managed care and impersonal group practices patientsfind this individualized approach of alternative medicineparticularly appealing.One of the principal goals of natural healing is to break thecycle of dependency and allow people to be more in control of their own lives.
For more information please visit www.honostreview.com
With the growing number of people being affected by newly discovered chronic degenerative diseases such as AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome, Are you worried or wondering....Is it possible to maintain good health?What your body needs to function properly?Why conventional medicine is becoming more complicated and costly and in some cases simply ineffective?A growing number of people are turning to alternative medicine andnatural healing--simple, traditional low-tech methods of preventing illnesses and solving everyday health problems.Do you have unanswered questions on....Why are people flocking to health food stores, with their lotions and potions, and what keeps them going back for more?What to do if you or someone in your family falls ill?Are these therapies really old wives tales or can they really work?Even mainstream doctors have begun to recommend natural druglesstherapies' to treat both everyday complaints and serious illnesses.Dietary modifications, for instance, has become the weapons ofchoice against a number of diseases that would have been treatedmainly with prescription drugs a generation ago.It is now known that many conditions are caused by the wrong diet and can be reversed by the right diet.Heart disease, cancer, weight problems, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure--they can all be treated to some degree with foods.Natural therapies found in alternative medicine are actually much older than Western treatments such as surgeries and antibiotics. Experts estimate that herbal remedies and Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, has been around for 5,000 years.Many alternative medicine remedies began with scientific research or clinical impressions reported by physicians working with safe, natural substances.But we live in a generation now that has been cut off from this age-old tradition of self-reliance. Healing and health carehave become almost--the exclusive province of duly licensedphysicians. While doctors and other professionals-are indeedgreat to have around, what is not so great is when you cannotdo anything without them.Shouldn't we be able to do something to save our health--maybeeven our lives--without a doctor?What happens when medical help is not so readily available?What happens when doctoring simply does not work?Some of us go to doctor after doctor, and still no help. Is that the end of the line?While antibiotics have saved millions of lives, they have notreally solved some resurgence of germs that are turning up innew forms that do not respond to conventional therapies.There has been a real shift in the way people think about their health. Rising health care cost is a factor in the recent surgeof interest in alternative medicine. Many people are attracted to the alternative physicians emphasison treating the whole person--body, mind and spirit. Most importantly some physicians use intensive counseling to helppatients find out whether aspects of their daily lives, such as job stress, marital problems diet or sleeping habits mightbe behind their symptoms.In this age of managed care and impersonal group practices patientsfind this individualized approach of alternative medicineparticularly appealing.One of the principal goals of natural healing is to break thecycle of dependency and allow people to be more in control of their own lives.
For more information please visit www.honostreview.com
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
by: C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
There are over 50 Acupuncture Schools in the United States. Acupuncture laws differ from state to state, therefore, each acupuncture school entails its own philosophy and instruction outline. Acupuncture School education and training is approximately 3,000 credit hours. Because there are varying therories of Acupuncture, some schools teach the 5-Element style of acupuncture as opposed to the more familiar TCM style. While some acupuncture schools have mandatory herbal curriculum, other acupuncture schools list this course-study as an option. The main purpose of attending an acupuncture school is to be educated and trained to be healers in the art, to learn the science and philosophy of acupuncture, and to be instructed in herbal and Oriental medicine. Attaining a professional license as an acupuncturist is rewarding in many ways. One not only learns to heal others but also learns to heal himself - spiritually, mentally and physically.Fundamentally, all aspects of traditional Oriental medicine are introduced in the first year of academic instruction. This includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, anatomy, body therapy, biosciences and Tai Chi. This prepares the aspiring acupuncturist for clinical apprenticehsip. During the second year at an acupuncture school, classroom experience teaches in-depth philosophy of acupuncture practice, Oriental medicine and advance needling techniques.
For more information please visit www.honostreview.com
There are over 50 Acupuncture Schools in the United States. Acupuncture laws differ from state to state, therefore, each acupuncture school entails its own philosophy and instruction outline. Acupuncture School education and training is approximately 3,000 credit hours. Because there are varying therories of Acupuncture, some schools teach the 5-Element style of acupuncture as opposed to the more familiar TCM style. While some acupuncture schools have mandatory herbal curriculum, other acupuncture schools list this course-study as an option. The main purpose of attending an acupuncture school is to be educated and trained to be healers in the art, to learn the science and philosophy of acupuncture, and to be instructed in herbal and Oriental medicine. Attaining a professional license as an acupuncturist is rewarding in many ways. One not only learns to heal others but also learns to heal himself - spiritually, mentally and physically.Fundamentally, all aspects of traditional Oriental medicine are introduced in the first year of academic instruction. This includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, anatomy, body therapy, biosciences and Tai Chi. This prepares the aspiring acupuncturist for clinical apprenticehsip. During the second year at an acupuncture school, classroom experience teaches in-depth philosophy of acupuncture practice, Oriental medicine and advance needling techniques.
For more information please visit www.honostreview.com
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