western diseases

[Guest guest]

, juliej8@a... wrote:

> Heiko wrote:

>

> <<

> > If I only treated patients who wanted me to be

> > experienced in treating such and such western medical disease label I

> > wouldn't have had many patients.

> >>

> Julie writes:

>

> I agree. Someone called the other day to ask if I had specifically treated

> Graves disease (I had not). I explained to her that we treat patterns, and it

> is quite likely I had treated a pattern similar to what she would exhibit.

 

Chinese medicine treats bing (diseases) and zheng (patterns). Modern

TCM includes traditional and modern bing. It is incorrect to state

that we treat patterns and not diseases. All chinese internal medicine

texts make bing and zheng diagnoses. We treat the patterns underlying

specific diseases. The disease dx gives us information that aids in

our treatment. Liver qi constraint manifesting as major depression is

treated quite differently than liver qi constraint manifesting as

dysmenorrhea. the modern disease dx also tells us something about

course and prognosis that is not contained in the pattern dx. for

instance, graves disease and silent thyroiditis can both manifest as

hyperthyroid conditions, but silent thyroiditis often remits

spontaneously and permanently after a few months, while graves disease

is chronic and progressive with many serious complications. A

pituitary tumor may also be the cause of hyperthyroidism. Without

familiarity with the unique disease process, one is likely to mistake

their treatment of the disease for cure when it is actually spontaneous

remission or mere palliation of symptoms. Grave's disease may be

curable. Chinese research suggests this is possible about in 20% of

cases. another 60% of cases get varying degrees of relief, but will

generally require lifelong treatment with herbs to control. Another

20% of cases are resistant to herbal treatment. Successful treatment

of this disease requires far more than correct pattern dx in my

opinion. I do not think that graves disease can be successfully

treated by referring only to the treatment of patterns of heart

palpitations, for example, just because this is one of the chinese bing

associated with grave's disease. Unless one knows to look carefully

for signs of the blood stasis that modern chinese physicians believe is

central to most cases of this illness, one will merely address branches

and never get to the root.

 

[Guest guest]

Todd

I see your points but .....

 

" Unless one knows to look carefully

for signs of the blood stasis that modern chinese physicians believe is

central to most cases of this illness, one will merely address branches

and never get to the root. "

 

So it still comes back to treating the blood stasis or phlegm or yang xu

etc.

I am sure you could tackel a case of Graves disease with TCM without

ever having seen a case of it before, and you would probably get better

sucess than the GP Graves Disease specialist who only sees that

disease. This is the point I am trying to make .I would refer a patient

with bipolar to you even if I knew you NEVER saw one in your life.

 

Are there TCM doctors in China who for example ONLY see MS, or only see

Graves Disease or Bipolor .?I know some specialise in gyno , infertility

etc.

 

Heiko