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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Things We Can Learn From Eastern Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is fascinating to learn about, especially in contrast to the Western medicine we recognize in the U.S. today. Though many people believe these types of Eastern medicine techniques lack evidence, there are tremendous benefits we can all learn can be applicable to Western medical practices. The following are just a few things Eastern medicine has taught us so far:
First Eastern medicine, and in particular TCM, teaches us to listen to our bodies by playing close attention to them. According to a recent article published by Psychology Today, Leana Wen, M.D., went on a research trip to China to study Eastern medicine in relation to its Western counterpart. During her trip, she watched a doctor diagnose a woman just by paying close attention with every sense he had. She writes, “I watched this doctor as he diagnosed a woman with new-onset cervical cancer and severe anemia the moment she walked into his exam room, and within two minutes, without blood tests or CTs, sent her to be admitted to a (Western) medical service,” (6 Lessons We Can Learn from Eastern Chinese Medicine).
The doctor went on to describe that he saw she was anemic with his eyes and could even smell the cervical cancer from her body. She then looked at the patient’s records and confirmed the doctor’s initial beliefs.
Another key practice of Eastern medicine is to treat the whole person. According Dr. Wen’s article, “‘A big difference between our two practices,’ said one TCM doctor, ‘Is that Western medicine treats people as organs. Eastern medicine treats people as a whole,’” (6 Lessons We Can Learn from Eastern Chinese Medicine). Treating somebody as a whole can take into account a number of factors that are causing a person to have poor help – such as family, diet, and various life stresses. By doing this, we can realize that being sick is generally caused by multiple circumstance and will help us toward finding the route of illness in the long-run, not just what needs to be cured immediately.
Lastly, Dr. Wen’s studies found that Eastern medicine teaches us health is not just about disease, but about wellness. Many people in China choose to see doctors not because they have fallen in, but because they want to continue to be healthy. According to Dr. Wen, “They believe TCM helps them keep in balance. It’s an important lesson for doctors and patients alike to address wellness and prevention,” (6 Lessons We Can Learn from Eastern Chinese Medicine). In Eastern medicine, preventing illness is just as important, if not more so, than treating it – a mentality that Western medicine should move closer to.
For more information about Dr. Wen’s findings regarding Eastern medicine, check out her article here.
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