To question whether TCM works or not is one of the most popular inquires ever. TCM is not exactly a proven science and many have coined it as a quasi-science or a result of the Placebo effect. Much of it relies on an individual’s feeling and spirituality, both of which are difficult to quantify.
How then has TCM managed to stay relevant over the millenniums that it has existed? How is it that there exists schools of TCM all around the world, from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine to the Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine in South Africa?
To the cynics, I question, why must something be scientifically proven to be for it to be accepted by mainstream society? Religion, a socio-cultural faculty, has been in conflict with the world of science and is yet subscribed by millions all around the world. We continue to fund millions of dollars to explore the outer space even though we have yet to procure any concrete proof that there’s life on Mars. Why then is TCM so largely rejected?
I believe that it is mainly due to the way that it has been portrayed in media.
Even though only 8.7% of TCM drugs are from animal parts, the media tends to focus on its use of animal parts and its contribution to the illegal wildlife trade and poaching issue. While I do agree that it is paramount that we tackle the use of threatened species in its practice, it deceives the uninformed public about what TCM truly entails.
The western medicine model tends to view the body as a series of individual systems (cardiovascular, skeletal, digestive etc) and thus, prescribe individual solutions to deal with health issues. The TCM model however views the body as one whole system with meridians interconnected with all body parts. During their version of triage, TCM physicians diagnose using 4 fundamental skills – sight (望), smell (闻), touch (切) and inquiry (问). Apart from recording about the same data as a western triage would, physicians will look at the tongue to gauge the internal conditions of the body and ask the patient about their lifestyle habits, diets and mental wellbeing to fully understand the root cause of the illness. Listen to this TED talk by Charmian Wylde, an acupuncturist based in London, to better visualise the holistic nature of TCM.
As we continue to address the upcoming issues surrounding this ancient art of healing, I implore you to approach it with an open mind and to explore TCM objectively. In a world doomed by the effects of anthropogenic climate change, TCM offers a potential to remodel our approach to medicine for a more sustainable future, but in order for this change to occur, we must be willing to believe in agencies that may not proven scientifically, but supported empirically. Before I end, do check out this short video of a critic trying out TCM for the first time. See you next week!
Jia Wei
October 11, 2020 — 4:39 pm
Hi Yin Chuan,
Your post about TCM has really piqued my interest!
My family rely on both TCM and the “scientific” Western medicine so it is very interesting to consider the environmental impacts of both practices.
TCM indeed gets a bad rep from articles calling it pseudoscience and criticism of using endangered animal parts as treatment. On the flip side, I actually only learnt about how the pharmaceutical industry is causing environmental damage through your previous post.
As you mentioned, the two practices actually follow very similar diagnostic approaches; so why is it that TCM gets viewed with so much more skepticism? TCM has been around longer than pharmaceutical science, so why do more people trust western medicine more?
I wonder what your thoughts on this biasness are, cheers!
yinchuan
October 12, 2020 — 1:50 am
Hi Jia Wei, I think the bias stem from mainly 3 driving forces.
1. Western medications are mostly scientifically proven to work whereas TCM has yet to be. In a world driven by theories and logics, without growing up with TCM, it is tough to simply believe that TCM will be effective.
2. Bulk of the world rely mainly on western pharmaceuticals whereas TCM still remains as sort of a cultural practice. As such, with the mentality of “follow the crowd”, more people will likely choose western drugs instead. Furthermore, this majority comprises of the more affluent demographic as well. As an uninformed individual, one may simply abide blindly the lifestyle choices of those richer.
3. Depending on treatments, western practices often offer more immediate results than TCM. This means that an impatient patient may not yet experience its full benefits before deeming it useless and turning to western medications.
Though the media plays a huge part in influencing our decisions, I think most disdain towards TCM comes from a lack of willingness to fully comprehend what it is about. Personally, I don’t think its right to enforce one’s practices on another, but neither is it right to immediately dismiss them without giving them much thought. Together, we should learn to be more accepting of other cultures and only then can we learn from each other and begin to reinvent our past unsustainable practices.
Thank you for visiting my blog!
ENV3102
October 13, 2020 — 5:43 pm
Hi Chuan,
Great post content-wise (though I wish there were more of an environmental slant, I suppose it’s OK to deviate for this express purpose).
In my experience, I have seen widespread recognition of the wisdom & value of traditional medicines generally. Including by scientists. I believe (though I could be wrong) most of us acknowledge that for millennia, indigenous peoples around the world have been healing themselves successfully using elements of Nature. Indeed, this traditional knowledge is the basis for many ‘Western’ treatments.
Here are two sources that may interest you.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244015597726
https://theconversation.com/how-indigenous-knowledge-advances-modern-science-and-technology-89351
To me, TCM is no different (in theory). I neither dismiss nor dispute its merit out of hand (and I’m open to trying it).
That said, as a conservation biologist, I argue that we can’t pretend there isn’t a reliance on rare / endangered species as cures or ‘improvements’. Practices that go back a very long time are utterly unfounded and, tbh, ludicrous. There’s no way rhino horn delivers any benefits greater than those you’d get from eating your own hair or fingernails. Same idea for tiger bone – it’s bone – biochemically like our bones.
So, I’m open and curious to see what you mean when you say TCM can offer a more sustainable approach to healing. But I’m hoping you don’t sweep a critically important issue under the rug. Because the extinction of species for the sake of their perceived medicinal value is a terrible folly – one that undermines our health and that future generations won’t forgive us for.
jc
yinchuan
October 13, 2020 — 6:53 pm
Hi Dr Coleman, thank you for reading my post!
My post this week will actually be about wildlife conservation in TCM so hopefully I can address the points you’ve given in this comment then! I 100% agree with you that it is extremely kafkaesque to continue hunting wildlife (especially threatened ones) for medicinal use. Even if such animal products work, if hunted till extinction, what then will we rely on for a remedy? In this post, I just wanted to highlight the aspect of TCM that is normally ignored by naysayers – the narrative of lifestyle changes and effects and seeing the body as an interconnected object depended on internal and external influences.
I do hope my next post can fully embody the complexity of conservation in TCM and I hope they will answer your queries too!