Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
Release Date: 2008-05-24 14:20:09
I graduated from the Department of Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical College, and for over thirty years, my education and practice have been rooted in formal Western medicine. Medical students are among the top scorers in college entrance exams, studying the most mainstream and popular field of Western medicine, which naturally fosters a sense of pride. We believed that Western medical approaches were always correct. However, after two to three decades of clinical experience, I began to vaguely sense that Western medicine’s treatments sometimes lacked rationality—yet there seemed to be no alternative. Over a decade ago, I immersed myself in studying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and successfully obtained a TCM practitioner’s license. By integrating TCM concepts into Western medical treatments, I discovered that the gaps and irrationalities in Western medicine could surprisingly be easily filled by TCM and herbal remedies.
One of TCM’s treatment principles is: “Strengthen the body’s resistance and eliminate pathogens.” This means that illness arises from external pathogens invading the body, so the first step is to “eliminate pathogens.” At the same time, illness also indicates a relative weakness in the body’s resistance, as the saying goes, “Where pathogens gather, the vital energy must be deficient,” hence the need to “strengthen the body’s resistance.” In the aspect of “eliminating pathogens,” TCM falls short compared to Western medicine. When Western antibiotics like penicillin were introduced, they overwhelmed TCM’s herbal plasters and heat-clearing detoxifying remedies, leaving even TCM practitioners’ confidence in tatters.
However, in the aspect of “strengthening the body’s resistance,” Western medicine is far inferior to TCM. Western medicine essentially lacks drugs that “enhance immunity.” The so-called “symptomatic treatment” in Western medicine is highly irrational. When the human body falls ill, it triggers reactions like coughing, runny nose, sneezing, fever, and pain as part of self-protection and repair. These reactions are not the illness itself but necessary actions for the body’s defense and recovery. Of course, these reactions cause discomfort, and the solution should be “assisting the body in completing these necessary reactions,” not suppressing them. When Western drugs efficiently suppress these reactions, the body’s defense mechanisms are also dismantled. “Instant relief” comes at the cost of harming the body.
The fever subsides, the runny nose disappears, nasal congestion clears, and the airways expand—breathing becomes smooth, but the price paid is allowing viruses to reach the alveoli directly, further weakening the body’s resistance. Consequently, “allergic rhinitis” and “asthma” follow. Fundamentally, this treatment approach is like “plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell” or “letting the wolf into the house”—it “creates illness” rather than “cures it.”
In contrast to Western medicine’s symptomatic suppression of cold symptoms, TCM is far more scientific. TCM categorizes colds into “wind-cold,” “wind-heat,” or “wind-dampness.” Following the principle of “warming the cold, cooling the heat, and drying the dampness,” “wind-cold” is treated with “pungent-warm diaphoretics” to assist the body, while “wind-heat” is addressed with “pungent-cool diaphoretics.” TCM’s fundamental treatment principle is “balancing yin and yang,” which means assisting the body in completing its reactions—a form of homeopathy. From this perspective, TCM is more scientific.
Practicing in my hometown of Taitung for many years, I’ve applied this integrated approach to Western medicine’s stubborn cases of “allergic rhinitis,” “sinusitis,” and “asthma,” with excellent results. One 79-year-old Mr. He, who had relied on steroids for over twenty years to manage his asthma, saw such improvement after three months of this treatment that he no longer needed steroids. He even traveled to mainland China twice without experiencing any attacks.
Treating “allergic rhinitis” and “asthma” with an integrated approach isn’t difficult. First, use Western ENT local treatments (thoroughly, not half-heartedly) to remove pathogens from the nasal cavity. Then, apply TCM herbal rinses (such as Houttuynia cordata, Centipeda minima, or Magnolia flower) to cleanse the nasal passages and boost the nasal mucosa’s immunity. For non-emergency cases, avoid Western drugs entirely and rely on compound TCM formulas to “strengthen the body’s resistance,” because “when the vital energy is strong, pathogens cannot invade.”Traditional Chinese medicine has formulations for strengthening the body and adjusting constitution, such as "Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang," "Yu Ping Feng San," "Xiao Qing Long Tang," and "Long Dan Xie Gan Tang." The key lies in syndrome differentiation and treatment. Most Western doctors do not understand traditional Chinese medicine and disdain learning it. They rely on the same antihistamines, bronchodilators, or even steroids, which ultimately worsen the body's condition .
In the United States, although doctors do not understand Chinese medicine, they adhere to Western medical principles. The public also recognizes that merely suppressing symptoms with medication is incorrect, so doctors do not prescribe unnecessary drugs, and patients avoid taking them. However, in Taiwan, Western doctors exploit the rapid symptom-relieving effects of Western drugs as a tool to boost clinic business—the stronger the medication and the faster the symptoms disappear, the more prosperous the clinic becomes. The knowledge imbalance between doctors and patients amounts to medical deception .
I have been diligently spreading the concept of avoiding Western drugs in rural Taitung, with some success. Taipei, as a hub of culture and higher education, will likely be more receptive. Starting the movement in Taipei will inspire its residents to act, and the rural south will follow. "The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind; the conduct of petty men is like grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it bends." Therefore, I resolutely left my clinic in Taitung and moved to Taipei.
I believe I am not the only one in Taiwan with this awareness. "Virtue is not left to stand alone; he who practices it will have neighbors." By casting this stone, I am certain others will respond.
Source: http:/ / lintc. 2pc. com. tw/ WebM……dule=news& func=_detail& id=19
Integrated Chinese-Western Therapy for Allergic Rhinitis by Dr. Lin Cancheng
I graduated from the Department of Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical College, and for over thirty years, my education and practice have been rooted in formal Western medicine. Medical students are among the top scorers in college entrance exams, studying the most mainstream and popular field of Western medicine, which naturally fosters a sense of pride. We believed that Western medical approaches were always correct. However, after two to three decades of clinical experience, I began to vaguely sense that Western medicine’s treatments sometimes lacked rationality—yet there seemed to be no alternative. Over a decade ago, I immersed myself in studying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and successfully obtained a TCM practitioner’s license. By integrating TCM concepts into Western medical treatments, I discovered that the gaps and irrationalities in Western medicine could surprisingly be easily filled by TCM and herbal remedies.
One of TCM’s treatment principles is: “Strengthen the body’s resistance and eliminate pathogens.” This means that illness arises from external pathogens invading the body, so the first step is to “eliminate pathogens.” At the same time, illness also indicates a relative weakness in the body’s resistance, as the saying goes, “Where pathogens gather, the vital energy must be deficient,” hence the need to “strengthen the body’s resistance.” In the aspect of “eliminating pathogens,” TCM falls short compared to Western medicine. When Western antibiotics like penicillin were introduced, they overwhelmed TCM’s herbal plasters and heat-clearing detoxifying remedies, leaving even TCM practitioners’ confidence in tatters.
However, in the aspect of “strengthening the body’s resistance,” Western medicine is far inferior to TCM. Western medicine essentially lacks drugs that “enhance immunity.” The so-called “symptomatic treatment” in Western medicine is highly irrational. When the human body falls ill, it triggers reactions like coughing, runny nose, sneezing, fever, and pain as part of self-protection and repair. These reactions are not the illness itself but necessary actions for the body’s defense and recovery. Of course, these reactions cause discomfort, and the solution should be “assisting the body in completing these necessary reactions,” not suppressing them. When Western drugs efficiently suppress these reactions, the body’s defense mechanisms are also dismantled. “Instant relief” comes at the cost of harming the body.
The fever subsides, the runny nose disappears, nasal congestion clears, and the airways expand—breathing becomes smooth, but the price paid is allowing viruses to reach the alveoli directly, further weakening the body’s resistance. Consequently, “allergic rhinitis” and “asthma” follow. Fundamentally, this treatment approach is like “plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell” or “letting the wolf into the house”—it “creates illness” rather than “cures it.”
In contrast to Western medicine’s symptomatic suppression of cold symptoms, TCM is far more scientific. TCM categorizes colds into “wind-cold,” “wind-heat,” or “wind-dampness.” Following the principle of “warming the cold, cooling the heat, and drying the dampness,” “wind-cold” is treated with “pungent-warm diaphoretics” to assist the body, while “wind-heat” is addressed with “pungent-cool diaphoretics.” TCM’s fundamental treatment principle is “balancing yin and yang,” which means assisting the body in completing its reactions—a form of homeopathy. From this perspective, TCM is more scientific.
Practicing in my hometown of Taitung for many years, I’ve applied this integrated approach to Western medicine’s stubborn cases of “allergic rhinitis,” “sinusitis,” and “asthma,” with excellent results. One 79-year-old Mr. He, who had relied on steroids for over twenty years to manage his asthma, saw such improvement after three months of this treatment that he no longer needed steroids. He even traveled to mainland China twice without experiencing any attacks.
Treating “allergic rhinitis” and “asthma” with an integrated approach isn’t difficult. First, use Western ENT local treatments (thoroughly, not half-heartedly) to remove pathogens from the nasal cavity. Then, apply TCM herbal rinses (such as Houttuynia cordata, Centipeda minima, or Magnolia flower) to cleanse the nasal passages and boost the nasal mucosa’s immunity. For non-emergency cases, avoid Western drugs entirely and rely on compound TCM formulas to “strengthen the body’s resistance,” because “when the vital energy is strong, pathogens cannot invade.”Traditional Chinese medicine has formulations for strengthening the body and adjusting constitution, such as "Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang," "Yu Ping Feng San," "Xiao Qing Long Tang," and "Long Dan Xie Gan Tang." The key lies in syndrome differentiation and treatment. Most Western doctors do not understand traditional Chinese medicine and disdain learning it. They rely on the same antihistamines, bronchodilators, or even steroids, which ultimately worsen the body's condition .
In the United States, although doctors do not understand Chinese medicine, they adhere to Western medical principles. The public also recognizes that merely suppressing symptoms with medication is incorrect, so doctors do not prescribe unnecessary drugs, and patients avoid taking them. However, in Taiwan, Western doctors exploit the rapid symptom-relieving effects of Western drugs as a tool to boost clinic business—the stronger the medication and the faster the symptoms disappear, the more prosperous the clinic becomes. The knowledge imbalance between doctors and patients amounts to medical deception .
I have been diligently spreading the concept of avoiding Western drugs in rural Taitung, with some success. Taipei, as a hub of culture and higher education, will likely be more receptive. Starting the movement in Taipei will inspire its residents to act, and the rural south will follow. "The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind; the conduct of petty men is like grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it bends." Therefore, I resolutely left my clinic in Taitung and moved to Taipei.
I believe I am not the only one in Taiwan with this awareness. "Virtue is not left to stand alone; he who practices it will have neighbors." By casting this stone, I am certain others will respond.
Source: http:/ / lintc. 2pc. com. tw/ WebM……dule=news& func=_detail& id=19