Nocturia - LV Qi Stasis/ healing

[Guest guest]

, " Alon Marcus "

<alonmarcus wrote:

>

>I know many functional problems are helped and i see this every

day, but again i still say many patients tell us they feel much

better even when clinical assessment does not show much change.

Perhaps my expectation are two high, i was told that by students and

friends someof whom are on this list. Maybe they can put their 2

cents worth.

 

.. . . . . .

When I was in TCM school, I walked out of a clinical theater class,

and a classmate commented to me about the excellent progress in the

patient's condition. I had seen little progress. Had we not observed

the same interview? I'd always been the 'skeptic' and this was

another instance of that, I thought. Maybe I was too optimistic

initially about a 'cure' and when I didn't see it, I jumped to

a 'pessimistic' conclusion about the ability of TCM to help people.

 

In the decade since then, I've moderated both the optimist and the

pessimist within. I try not to depend on obtaining a 'cure' while I

use my perhaps overly critical thinking to problem-solve. I've

developed a more genuine, realistic kind of optimism that I believe

nurtures healing. Healing is often facilitated by clients being

honest with themselves and their helper/healer. If I thought a

client were lying to make me feel better then I'd look for a way to

make them feel comfortable to be more honest. Being 'honest with

themselves' may be mundane like being mindful of the position in

which they sleep or drive their car. Or, it may be something

emotional or spiritual -- In many cases, mindfulness and honesty

help heal--sometimes they even define healing.

 

Among the vast spectrum of factors involved in healing, only a small

portion are acknowledged, let alone tracked. I think 'healers'

give their method more credit than it often deserves. I'm an

acupuncturist, so when people heal, I credit acupuncture--so does

the client. The other factors are partly mysterious to us, partly

out of our control ... so we 'attach' to what we know. It's ego-

driven. Perhaps if we give too much credit to the method, we miss an

opportunity to discover and nurture those other factors. And we're

less motivated to develop superior methods. I think I share your

skepticism about healing methods, Alon, but I'm focusing more on

the 'other factors' these days--partly because they fascinate me and

partly because I'm tired of searching for the 'best' method. I

applaud skepticism--I think it provides an impetus for developing

better methods.

 

If I think a client's inclined to see an improvement in 'signs' as

an important measure, then I look for that. But I'm most interested

in figuring out what will ameliorate their 'suffering' and sometimes

that has little to do with the signs.

 

Marian

[Guest guest]

Hi Marian

Your story reminds me of so many similar experiences i had at school and when i

was following other doctors with other students. Many times i just could not

believe i just heard the same story a patient was telling as other students. Too

often people were just caught in the presenting symptoms of each appointment

never really assessing the overall outcome. We never tried to use any objective

measurements. At our school much of the problem was students lack of prior

exposure to medical pathology, natural course of diseases etc.

At this point i am a little less patient than you and also mostly interested in

purely physical aspects of treatment. I tend to refer pt to get other level of

support. Especially in the pain clinic i work at i see people with severe pain

syndromes and it would be almost impossible to take on all aspects of their

care, especially mental. Many of the pt have serious psychiatric comorbidity and

need extensive mental health interventions from very patient care takers. As you

know i like fast results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

Marian Blum, L.Ac., DNBAO

Saturday, May 19, 2007 5:29 PM

Re: Nocturia - LV Qi Stasis/ healing

 

 

, " Alon Marcus "

<alonmarcus wrote:

>

>I know many functional problems are helped and i see this every

day, but again i still say many patients tell us they feel much

better even when clinical assessment does not show much change.

Perhaps my expectation are two high, i was told that by students and

friends someof whom are on this list. Maybe they can put their 2

cents worth.

 

. . . . . .

When I was in TCM school, I walked out of a clinical theater class,

and a classmate commented to me about the excellent progress in the

patient's condition. I had seen little progress. Had we not observed

the same interview? I'd always been the 'skeptic' and this was

another instance of that, I thought. Maybe I was too optimistic

initially about a 'cure' and when I didn't see it, I jumped to

a 'pessimistic' conclusion about the ability of TCM to help people.

 

In the decade since then, I've moderated both the optimist and the

pessimist within. I try not to depend on obtaining a 'cure' while I

use my perhaps overly critical thinking to problem-solve. I've

developed a more genuine, realistic kind of optimism that I believe

nurtures healing. Healing is often facilitated by clients being

honest with themselves and their helper/healer. If I thought a

client were lying to make me feel better then I'd look for a way to

make them feel comfortable to be more honest. Being 'honest with

themselves' may be mundane like being mindful of the position in

which they sleep or drive their car. Or, it may be something

emotional or spiritual -- In many cases, mindfulness and honesty

help heal--sometimes they even define healing.

 

Among the vast spectrum of factors involved in healing, only a small

portion are acknowledged, let alone tracked. I think 'healers'

give their method more credit than it often deserves. I'm an

acupuncturist, so when people heal, I credit acupuncture--so does

the client. The other factors are partly mysterious to us, partly

out of our control ... so we 'attach' to what we know. It's ego-

driven. Perhaps if we give too much credit to the method, we miss an

opportunity to discover and nurture those other factors. And we're

less motivated to develop superior methods. I think I share your

skepticism about healing methods, Alon, but I'm focusing more on

the 'other factors' these days--partly because they fascinate me and

partly because I'm tired of searching for the 'best' method. I

applaud skepticism--I think it provides an impetus for developing

better methods.

 

If I think a client's inclined to see an improvement in 'signs' as

an important measure, then I look for that. But I'm most interested

in figuring out what will ameliorate their 'suffering' and sometimes

that has little to do with the signs.

 

Marian