Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
2006/11/29 00:15
By Buxiaosheng
Not long ago, a Japanese TV station aired a segment about a Japanese actress who, for the sake of her son born with allergies, sought out renowned doctors across Japan, enduring great hardships, yet never achieving a cure. Finally, in a last-ditch effort, she consulted a mainland Chinese traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor practicing in Japan. The doctor took her son's pulse, prescribed medicine, and instructed the mother and son to follow a careful regimen. Miraculously, the actress's son gradually recovered.
Three months later, seeing her son's condition improve, the grateful actress sought out the TCM doctor again, only to be told he had returned to Beijing. It turned out the doctor lacked a medical license in Japan, and the medical institution, fearing potential issues, had asked him to leave. Other Japanese doctors at the same institution prescribed the same medicine for her son, but this time it had no effect, and his condition worsened again. Desperate, the actress flew to Beijing with her son, found the TCM doctor, and finally cured her son completely.
Such miraculous stories of TCM doctors are likely familiar to many online. Especially in Japan, "TCM" has long been regarded as a mysterious and effective medical practice. The Japanese revere "kampo medicine" (traditional Japanese herbal medicine derived from TCM) almost to the point of superstition. When Japanese people visit mainland China, they often buy large quantities of Chinese medicine from stores like "Tongrentang."
As for me, I’m somewhere between belief and skepticism when it comes to this ancestral medical method. I’d rather believe the miraculous TCM stories mentioned above. Unfortunately, I haven’t been so lucky—my experiences with TCM haven’t yielded any miracles. For example, it’s often said that Chinese medicine has no side effects and is particularly good for treating colds and coughs. Sadly, my attempts to cure colds with TCM haven’t been particularly effective. After taking Chinese medicine for a month, the cold was gone, but without the medicine, the cold would likely have resolved on its own in a month anyway. So, it’s unclear whether the medicine cured the illness or if it was just a natural recovery.
Mainland China has made efforts in integrating "TCM and Western medicine." When I sought medical treatment in Shanghai, I noticed that what Western medicine typically calls "ENT" (ear, nose, and throat) is referred to as "facial features department" in mainland China, which even includes ophthalmology, forming a comprehensive medical system. Doctors often prescribe both TCM and Western medicine, a practice almost unheard of in Taiwan and a unique feature. However, this "integration of TCM and Western medicine" often feels superficial. Doctors sometimes skip even the basic step of pulse-taking and directly prescribe TCM. If that’s the case, why force the integration? It’s likely due to national policy, and even if the integration hits a bottleneck, it must be maintained.
The development of TCM in Taiwan isn’t much better. Medical schools often admit TCM students as a second or third choice. My personal experiences also confirm that the standard of TCM practice needs improvement. Once, when I visited a TCM doctor for a persistent cough, the doctor helplessly said, "I’m following TCM theory, so why isn’t it working?" It almost sounded like the problem was that my body wasn’t growing according to TCM theory!
In the hearts of the Japanese, Chinese kampo medicine and TCM remain worthy of reverence. Yet, as Chinese people, we often find it hard to speak openly about this. Whenever Japanese friends ask me where to seek TCM treatment or buy kampo medicine in China, I’m often at a loss for words. Whether in Taiwan or mainland China, I can’t recommend any TCM clinics that are absolutely reliable and satisfactory. Mainland China’s "Tongrentang" and "Leiyunshang," despite their claims of "centuries of history," were long ago taken over by the "proletarian regime" and turned into state-owned enterprises, with the "People’s Government" as the owner. With the original owners gone, how can the spirit of these businesses truly carry on for centuries? The "centuries-old" label is just a facade to impress outsiders.In the early years, this government treated the national bourgeoisie in such a manner, which is indeed a "historical legacy issue" and cannot be harshly criticized. However, today, the production line of Beijing's "Tongrentang" relies on imported machinery from Japan, while the prescriptions remain unchanged. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is living off the legacy of our ancestors. In Shanghai, "Leiyunshang" even earns more profit from Western medicine than from traditional Chinese medicine. As for the issue of pesticides in Chinese medicinal materials, it has become a "necessary evil" of herbal medicine, "curing" while also "causing" diseases. All these factors make me break into a cold sweat over the Japanese's persistent superstitious belief in traditional Chinese medicine. Fortunately, being Chinese, even if one has no skills, people still believe that you must have something from five thousand years of history that can amaze them. I am just afraid that one day the Japanese will also wake up and realize that the current state of Chinese medicine is merely "this much skill," and our good days of relying on our ancestors will inevitably come to an end.
My views on traditional Chinese medicine may be somewhat extreme, but they stem from a desire for improvement. After all, as Chinese, we often hear about the miraculous deeds of Chinese medicine practitioners. We would rather believe that Chinese medicine has its value, but I believe that it lacks a scientific theoretical basis and is still based on the principles of yin and yang and the five elements. Most medical experiences are passed down orally, and occasionally a famous doctor emerges, but their knowledge dies with them. Medical miracles are only heard of but never happen to us. All these factors are enough to make people lose confidence in Chinese medicine.
Recently, I heard that Chinese medicine experts from China, Japan, and South Korea have redefined some controversial acupuncture points through the comparison and verification of classical texts from the three countries. Upon hearing this news, I felt both tears and laughter. The tears are for the fact that the Chinese medicine we rely on has even diverged in the understanding of acupuncture points, leading to countless misdiagnoses over the centuries. The laughter is for the fact that such scientific collation and verification work has finally taken its first step. This is a "cultural heritage" shared by East Asian countries. If it can be developed and expanded on a scientific basis, it will naturally be a blessing for all humanity. We hope that one day, people won't have to go to great lengths to find one or two miraculous Chinese medicine practitioners, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, but that any Chinese medicine practitioner will be a guarantee of quality!
Source: http://www. ettoday. com/ 2006/ 11/ 29/ 142- 2020910. htm
Where to Find Renowned Doctors
By Buxiaosheng
Not long ago, a Japanese TV station aired a segment about a Japanese actress who, for the sake of her son born with allergies, sought out renowned doctors across Japan, enduring great hardships, yet never achieving a cure. Finally, in a last-ditch effort, she consulted a mainland Chinese traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor practicing in Japan. The doctor took her son's pulse, prescribed medicine, and instructed the mother and son to follow a careful regimen. Miraculously, the actress's son gradually recovered.
Three months later, seeing her son's condition improve, the grateful actress sought out the TCM doctor again, only to be told he had returned to Beijing. It turned out the doctor lacked a medical license in Japan, and the medical institution, fearing potential issues, had asked him to leave. Other Japanese doctors at the same institution prescribed the same medicine for her son, but this time it had no effect, and his condition worsened again. Desperate, the actress flew to Beijing with her son, found the TCM doctor, and finally cured her son completely.
Such miraculous stories of TCM doctors are likely familiar to many online. Especially in Japan, "TCM" has long been regarded as a mysterious and effective medical practice. The Japanese revere "kampo medicine" (traditional Japanese herbal medicine derived from TCM) almost to the point of superstition. When Japanese people visit mainland China, they often buy large quantities of Chinese medicine from stores like "Tongrentang."
As for me, I’m somewhere between belief and skepticism when it comes to this ancestral medical method. I’d rather believe the miraculous TCM stories mentioned above. Unfortunately, I haven’t been so lucky—my experiences with TCM haven’t yielded any miracles. For example, it’s often said that Chinese medicine has no side effects and is particularly good for treating colds and coughs. Sadly, my attempts to cure colds with TCM haven’t been particularly effective. After taking Chinese medicine for a month, the cold was gone, but without the medicine, the cold would likely have resolved on its own in a month anyway. So, it’s unclear whether the medicine cured the illness or if it was just a natural recovery.
Mainland China has made efforts in integrating "TCM and Western medicine." When I sought medical treatment in Shanghai, I noticed that what Western medicine typically calls "ENT" (ear, nose, and throat) is referred to as "facial features department" in mainland China, which even includes ophthalmology, forming a comprehensive medical system. Doctors often prescribe both TCM and Western medicine, a practice almost unheard of in Taiwan and a unique feature. However, this "integration of TCM and Western medicine" often feels superficial. Doctors sometimes skip even the basic step of pulse-taking and directly prescribe TCM. If that’s the case, why force the integration? It’s likely due to national policy, and even if the integration hits a bottleneck, it must be maintained.
The development of TCM in Taiwan isn’t much better. Medical schools often admit TCM students as a second or third choice. My personal experiences also confirm that the standard of TCM practice needs improvement. Once, when I visited a TCM doctor for a persistent cough, the doctor helplessly said, "I’m following TCM theory, so why isn’t it working?" It almost sounded like the problem was that my body wasn’t growing according to TCM theory!
In the hearts of the Japanese, Chinese kampo medicine and TCM remain worthy of reverence. Yet, as Chinese people, we often find it hard to speak openly about this. Whenever Japanese friends ask me where to seek TCM treatment or buy kampo medicine in China, I’m often at a loss for words. Whether in Taiwan or mainland China, I can’t recommend any TCM clinics that are absolutely reliable and satisfactory. Mainland China’s "Tongrentang" and "Leiyunshang," despite their claims of "centuries of history," were long ago taken over by the "proletarian regime" and turned into state-owned enterprises, with the "People’s Government" as the owner. With the original owners gone, how can the spirit of these businesses truly carry on for centuries? The "centuries-old" label is just a facade to impress outsiders.In the early years, this government treated the national bourgeoisie in such a manner, which is indeed a "historical legacy issue" and cannot be harshly criticized. However, today, the production line of Beijing's "Tongrentang" relies on imported machinery from Japan, while the prescriptions remain unchanged. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is living off the legacy of our ancestors. In Shanghai, "Leiyunshang" even earns more profit from Western medicine than from traditional Chinese medicine. As for the issue of pesticides in Chinese medicinal materials, it has become a "necessary evil" of herbal medicine, "curing" while also "causing" diseases. All these factors make me break into a cold sweat over the Japanese's persistent superstitious belief in traditional Chinese medicine. Fortunately, being Chinese, even if one has no skills, people still believe that you must have something from five thousand years of history that can amaze them. I am just afraid that one day the Japanese will also wake up and realize that the current state of Chinese medicine is merely "this much skill," and our good days of relying on our ancestors will inevitably come to an end.
My views on traditional Chinese medicine may be somewhat extreme, but they stem from a desire for improvement. After all, as Chinese, we often hear about the miraculous deeds of Chinese medicine practitioners. We would rather believe that Chinese medicine has its value, but I believe that it lacks a scientific theoretical basis and is still based on the principles of yin and yang and the five elements. Most medical experiences are passed down orally, and occasionally a famous doctor emerges, but their knowledge dies with them. Medical miracles are only heard of but never happen to us. All these factors are enough to make people lose confidence in Chinese medicine.
Recently, I heard that Chinese medicine experts from China, Japan, and South Korea have redefined some controversial acupuncture points through the comparison and verification of classical texts from the three countries. Upon hearing this news, I felt both tears and laughter. The tears are for the fact that the Chinese medicine we rely on has even diverged in the understanding of acupuncture points, leading to countless misdiagnoses over the centuries. The laughter is for the fact that such scientific collation and verification work has finally taken its first step. This is a "cultural heritage" shared by East Asian countries. If it can be developed and expanded on a scientific basis, it will naturally be a blessing for all humanity. We hope that one day, people won't have to go to great lengths to find one or two miraculous Chinese medicine practitioners, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, but that any Chinese medicine practitioner will be a guarantee of quality!
Source: http://www. ettoday. com/ 2006/ 11/ 29/ 142- 2020910. htm