Do you believe traditional Chinese medicine?
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at
5:04 pm
We know that traditional Chinese medicine and drug are quite different
from modern medicine ("western medicine"), so will you turn to a
traditional Chinese doctor for help when you suffer a disease? Will
you buy traditional Chinese drugs which have been approved by FDA?
I believe science, but I have found Chinese medicine really effective sometimes. Not only Chinese & Taiwanese people believe Chinese medicine, but also Japanese and Korean people.
Filed under: Traditional Chinese Medicine
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
no, the origin of a treatment, or the age of a treatment, is irrelevant. if trials show that they work beyond that of the placebo effect than i’ll use it. and typically treatments that do that don’t need to be advertised as being "traditional Chinese" it’s advertised as "medicine"
Remember one thing; Western Medicine has only been working well and confidently in the last few decades. Chinese Medicine has been working well and confidently for centuries and centuries. You have a think which is better to use.
"Medicine" of any kind that works does not require belief.
If medicine works, then it’s medicine and you can get it from any qualified medical doctor.
If it doesn’t work (or barely has any effect) then it’s called ‘traditional chinese medicine’, ‘herbal medicine’. ‘voodoo medicine’ etc and tends to be offered by those without any medical training.
The "Appeal to Tradition" Fallacy doesn’t wash.
I went on short course that was explaining Chinese medicine and gained a great deal of insight into how my body functions from this small course. I would suggest anyone looks at how the body is explained in Chinese medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM, includes a range of traditional medicine practices originating in China. Although well accepted in the mainstream of medical care throughout East Asia, it is considered an alternative medical system in much of the Western world.
TCM practices include such treatments as Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy, and both Tui na and Shiatsu massage. Qigong and Taijiquan are also closely associated with TCM.
I am not sure I would listen to the FDA when it comes to the Chinese medicine, but in the same breath I would say that I would not just take some strange medicine from someone I don’t know. This is why I would suggest meeting someone and trying to do some of your basic studies on the subject.
You’re asking me to choose between a doctor trained in modern science and technology and one who is trained in Chinese medicine that has no basis in science and whose remedies are not known to work?
I’ll choose Chinese medicine if my will to live isn’t that strong anymore. For now, I like living.
Also, any "traditional" medicine that has been approved by the FDA will most likely be incorporated into modern medicine. Again, not a reason to go to a Chinese medicine doctor.
edit: @thenoseknows (Mr. Natural Health Student): You said: "There is very little rational science behind pharmaceuticals — it’s mostly marketing hype and the political lobby that has billions to back it up."
Do you say that based on your extensive study of pharmacology or are you just parroting stuff you found on University of Google Search?
edit: So you say you have found it to be helpful sometimes. Have you ever considered that it might be just because of the placebo effect? Many times we feel better just because we think we have done something to make ourselves feel better. For a drug to be called effective, it must work on most people whether they believe in it or not.
Are we talking religion or medicine here? People want results, not a philosophical debate.
I would make sure that the TCM practitioner was certified by a recognized organization. There have been numerous studies showing that TCM and acupuncture are highly effective — many MD’s have taken courses in TCM and acupuncture and practise them when appropriate.
The FDA has mostly become a clearing house for anything the pharmaceutical companies want to market, including drugs that have known dangerous effects — like Vioxx and now Avandia, a diabetic drug that is causing hundreds of heart attacks a day.
There is very little rational science behind pharmaceuticals — it’s mostly marketing hype and the political lobby that has billions to back it up. Prescription drugs really don’t deserve any more credibility than they had a hundred years ago, when most "patent" medicines were watered down cocaine and opium products.
Yes, I would. I’ve had acupuncture for about 2 years on and off as needed. I have found it very effective for my lower back issues, but I didn’t retain long-lasting results. I suppose one has to keep going every few weeks or months to maintain healing. And I’ve used Chinese herbs as well which didn’t do anything more or less than regular herbs. But I absolutely believe in the body’s meridians as a way into the body to heal. There is something to this energy medicine that ‘western’ medical science has yet to figure out.