TCM efficacy for Shen disturbance

[Guest guest]

It is not correct to think that western medical concepts have not

been thoroughly translated into TCM terminology - and visa-versa.

Many of the worlds leading researchers, teachers, and clinicians in

Western medical issues are TCM educated. Just as many of the great

TCM researchers and Clinicians are trained in western scientific

concepts. A great deal of this work has been done by both the

Japanese and the Chinese (in Japan all Kampo practioners and

researchers are also trained in western medicine as this is required

to become a MD in Kampo medicine - in Japan ALL medical practioners

are MDs). The theoretical understandings in medicine and psychiatry

have been fully translated into the language of both modern and

traditional medicine.

 

Now many western people are doing research into translating TCM into

various western systems. This has been going on for many years. I

first came to the study of TCM through the work of the Lawson-Woods

in England - who wrote several books in the 1960s and 70s

translating TCM concepts into Homeopathic language - as they were

homeopaths - this was an important work and many others have

followed. Bob Flaws and James Lake have recently published an

important work that leads in this tradition 'Chinese Medical

Psychiatry " . They have masterfully written this work so that a

western and or TCM trained practioner can easily understand the

concepts. If one is interested in the subject of TCM Psychiatry then

many interesting articles on the subject can be found at Bob Flaw's

web site -

 

www.chinesemedicalpsychiatry.com

 

I suggest that at the minimum one understand the concept that Bob

promotes about the three causes of most psychiatric and emotional

problems - in TCM terms.

 

Another book on TCM psychological concepts that kept me thinking for

weeks (although I did not agree with all ideas there) was

Leon Hammer's work 'Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies'. This book goes

into great depth on the subject of the Psychological manifestations

of the TCM Organs and Elements. Hammer was a student of Alaxander

Lowen and is a practicing Bioenergetic's therapist who uses

accupuncture and herbs in his practice. This is a great first work

for those who are serious students of TCM psychology. This and the

other works I have mentioned are problably not useful except to

practioners and serious students as it requires some prerequisite

medical knowledge both TCM and Western.

 

Another very useful book for anyone interested in translating

western models of disease into TCM terminology or reversed then they

should start with Bob Flaw's and Phillipe Sionneau's work -

 

'The Treatment of Modern Medical Diseases with - A

Textbook and Clinical Manual'

 

Many people feel that there is nothing useful or important in

Western models of disease - I feel this is very incorrect. this is

in the same catagory in my mind as those people who feel there is

nothing useful or important in all such ideas are simple

prejudice and will not get us where we want to go.