evolution of our field

[Guest guest]

Something interesting occurred to me as I wrote the last post. I have

loudly bemoaned the fact that our profession is heavily dominated by

those (other than the orthopods) whose main interest seems to be

bodymind balance. I do not think this has been a prominent part of CM

in the past and it obscures the historically proven value of this

pragmatic medicine. I wanted to participate in dramatically affecting

life, health, longevity and morbidity and this medicine seemed to have

the potential for that. Yet at dinner one night a few years back, Paul

Unschuld said to me (yes, I have dined with the man) that he thought

the main value of CM for the future of humanity was its worldview, not

its medical effectiveness. In fact, PU does not think CM is that

medically effective and this is perhaps why he is encouraging his

current followers to plough through ancient texts looking for insight.

He is an anthropologist, not a doctor, after all.

 

Now lets consider that the dominant evolving worldview of CM in the

west is actually a synthesis of ideas found in western holistic health

and new age circles with those of CM. Whenever actual CM texts fail to

validate an approach, primacy is given by many to the new age

influences instead. I have thought this is a terrible thing as it

relegates us to the back burner of medicine since this approach will

never solve most health problems (though it certainly may ease your

burden). But if we can't fight evolution, then perhaps this is what is

best and appropriate. In most of our lifetimes, I predict CM will

decline worldwide as an important internal medicine intervention, but

perhaps it will actually take on it full life as a psychosocial

intervention. Most of the field pretty much already practices it this

way, using low dose patents and weak stimulation needling, neither of

which has any detectable effect on physiology (set aside the manaka

experiments which do not show what changes, just that something changes

and that something may be solely perceptual). Our patients typically

benefit most from our TLC and advice, IMO. I have found this very

upsetting because it is not internal medicine and it is unprecedented

in chinese culture itself. so what?

 

I am sure that CM can be applied with significant physiological

effects, but it usefulness will soon be eclipsed by medical advances

just as sure as the current pharmaceutical industry will. When you can

use WM without any downside, the average joe will not go the CM route

any longer for internal medicine complaints (just as AIDs patients

don't since the cocktail - they go for QOL issues). But people will

still suffer in their perfect bodyminds and they will need care.

Psychosocial CM is arguably better such care than old style

psychoanalysis, so it could have large role to play. It is ironic that

I accidentally sent the nil illegitimus carborundum post to the list by

mistake yesterday. I wonder if that counts as a high tech freudian

slip. Because people do get me down, but I don't think of them as

bastards. I have close friends on this list with who I rarely agree.

But perhaps its time for ME to wake up and smell the bacon. This is

the direction of our profession, one which has evolved this way despite

my ardent attempts to stop it. I can't argue against the futility of

stopping evolution in one arena and trying to accomplish the same in

another. Perhaps the ideal role for CM in the future will indeed be

bodymind balancing. So I hereby concede that very distinct

possibility. It doesn't mean I will stop writing about the negative

impact of religion on science, medicine and society throughout all of

human history. Nor does it convince me in any way of the truth of

spirit. But I know that bodymind balance achieved by qi gong and

acupuncture (or such things) are still necessary for optimal wellbeing

even after you have tonified qi and soothed the liver with herbs and

relieved most of the physical suffering. For those who would embrace

this, yet feel as I do that concepts of spirit should be introduced,

the field of behavioral medicine is the umbrella term for a wide range

of what are clearly psychosocial interventions. So go to town. I will

not fight you on this point any longer.

 

 

 

Chinese Herbs