re: defining medicine/malpractice--disease causes

[Guest guest]

Dear Todd

 

I'm afraid you may have either misunderstood me or just forgotton

your good old TCM 101. This was a very common mistake made by myself

and classmates in school and used to frustrate my poor Chinese

teachers no end! When my teachers would ask " what are the causes of

this disease? " say epigastric pain (disease dx). We would all pipe

up and say " Liver invading the Stomach! " (actually diff dx not

causes) to which he would huff and roll his eyes. The causes (as

listed by G. Macciocia in the Foundations of

Chapter 15) would be either internal (seven affects), external

(climactic factors—phlegm is not a climactic factor, dampness is but

only in it's externally contracted evil form) or " other " being weak

constitution, over-exertion, excessive sexual activity, bad diet,

trauma, parasites and poisons, wrong treatment. Also possible are

prenatal causes induced either by the mother's internal, external

and other exposures or problems with the person's jing. By examining

somebody's lifestyle and the possible causes of disease that lurk

there, we can obtain clues to diff dx (the person is 65 years old,

digs ditches for a living and has chronic lower back pain---hmmm Kid

xu?). See what I'm saying? I know it sounds picky, but it is a very

important aspect of TCM that a lot of people just brush by in their

understanding.

So, as I have said, the seven affects are a major " cause " of

disease, especially in the US. It is important that we encourage our

patients to address and remove these causes in order to help our

treatments work better and alleviate their suffering. Instead of

mearly saying, " you need to quit your job because it makes you

worried and angry " can we not suggest methods for mediating worry

and anger which are proven and helpful. I'm still trying to work out

exactly how far I should go in that department (see posts by Bob

Flaws on this thread) with patients in a TCM practice, but I think

that at least " relaxation techniques " have been ok'd by the more

experienced practitioners in this group with respect to meditation.

Although I feel that Tonglen and Inner Smile are the best

almost " surgical " forms as they are precisely directed at resolving

specific internal causes, I am willing to listen to and accept

agreed upon, more general, less threatening practices for the good

of our profession as a whole and save the " surgery " for outside

workshops aimed at the interested.

Thanks for listening and stimulating a most interesting, important

thread!!

Shanna

 

 

, " "

wrote:

> , " shannahickle "

<shannahickle>

> wrote:

> >

> >

> > Identifying causes or etiologies of disease (and then alerting

the

> > patient to removing the causes) is not included within

differential

> > diagnostic process to the best of my knowledge.

>

>

> they absolutely are. if a person with bronchitis has phlegm,

thenthe advice is different

> than if they are lung qi xu. diff dx is relevant to all advice we

give the patient. generic

> advice is not medicine. it is health counseling, a vital skill,

but one that does not require

> medical training. In fact, the best health counselors I know are

not medical px.

>