The study of TCM (Rich)

[Guest guest]

Wed, 28 Jul 2004 12:52:00, Rich wrote:

 

> >These products may or may not have had (have) relevancy to the original

cultural roots. Just like movies in Hollywood were packaged for foreign

distribution when that market became lucrative - e.g. very little dialog

and lots of action scenes.

 

I definitely affirm the value of travel and study of Chinese culture and

medicine in the homeland. My intent is to add this sort of perspective. A

lot of the packaged study programs are just that. Not that there aren't

notable doctors/teachers at work there, but it takes special connections to

get to them, and appropriate attitude/behavior to get them to communicate

their treasures to foreigners.

 

Of course, the sheer volume and hence intensity of clinical exposure one

can experience there is an important factor, as long as one, again, retains

a perspective on it. Intense clinical exposure is found also in Western MD

internship, and can result in a sort of overload and indoctrination wherein

one loses sight of the forest for the trees, and in some ways becomes

traumatized in the learning muscles, so to speak. That is, get stagnated

into patterns of response, reaction to pressured conditions that cut off

reflective insight and flexibility.

 

The issue of clinical experience is, in general, separate from the issue of

learning the language. But in the cases where one gains access to masters

of practice and teaching, lack of fluency in the language will become more

limiting.

 

> > I very much agree. My wife is Chinese, is practicing Chinese

tuina/qigong along with me, and is fluent in the language as well as the

culture and concepts. However, … [t]he deciding factor has been our

understanding the nature of " qi " and the role it plays in the conception

and maintenance of life.

 

and

> > It appears the West and East may be trading places.

 

It turns out we have something in common here. My wife is also Chinese,

from the PRC and a medical family. Their orientation, however, is strictly

the Western medical model, and much like Paul Unschuld describes in an

interesting, if somewhat facile observation (1): In the West we look to the

preventative promise of CM, but often end up with patients in extreme

conditions coming to us as a last resort. The modern Chinese adapt Western,

attacking modalities but often apply them inappropriately as preventative

measures (i.e. antibiotics as the 1st signs of GanMao and/or slight fever).

On the other hand, they come up with surprises at times, like: " Careful not

to breath/swallow cold air - it will hurt your stomach (PiWei)! "

 

Also, the immigrant doctors/teachers I have had the good fortune to learn

from here in the USA all have strong roots in Daoist philosophy and

practices, i.e. areas of traditional know-how which are rigorously censored

out of contemporary training in " traditional " Chinese medicine. When I

brooch such topics with my wife or her family, or with other PRC Chinese I

have worked closely with in a TCM school locally, they immediately

withdraw. It tends to evoke associations in their minds with things like

FaLunGong - not in any substantive way, but as a political taboo, and

potentially dangerous. (My wife's family experienced, first hand, the

Cultural Revolution, and from the wrong end.) It would be like trying to

engage Americans in a serious and unprejudiced discussion of socialism or

communism. (Not that I do this. It's just a illustrative analog. That I

feel compelled to apologize for the analogy further illustrates the point.)

 

> >… though I have many Chinese friends, very few have any knowledge or

interest in discussing or investigating the language and culture.

 

Apropos, and to the point I raise above about gaining perspective: My major

trans-cultural educational excursion was living and working in Germany for

a decade. Prior I had gained a fluent reading ability in the Germany

language in terms of philosophy and music. One motivation for living there

was to experience more vividly what attracted me in these areas. Upon

arriving, I could understand very little of common speech; magazines and

newspapers were inscrutable; and I realized quickly that most Germans are

more into ambition, Fussball, fast cars, fashion, and rancorous political

debate. (Probably much like contemporary Chinese as they become more

affluent and informed - with the exception of the element of open political

debate!) Not that the deeper cultural values are not still alive in German

culture, but subtly, and in relatively small circles.

 

> >. I think that it is very difficult to " transmit " this knowledge via texts.

 

Text book learning, we must remember, comes from the West. My understanding

is that the transmission of both/either the Confucian or Daoist flavored

medical traditions was primarily oral and practice- (if not family-)

oriented. The classical writings were used for reference as mnemonic aids,

and in deeper study and scholarship -- largely interpretation (i.e.

adaptation) to find their relevance in contemporary life. And the

overwhelming majority of medical practitioners through history were NOT

highly educated scholars.

 

Thanks for your input,

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Chris,

>

> Text book learning, we must remember, comes from the West. My

understanding

> is that the transmission of both/either the Confucian or Daoist flavored

> medical traditions was primarily oral and practice- (if not family-)

> oriented. The classical writings were used for reference as mnemonic

aids,

> and in deeper study and scholarship -- largely interpretation (i.e.

> adaptation) to find their relevance in contemporary life. And the

> overwhelming majority of medical practitioners through history were NOT

> highly educated scholars.

>

> Thanks for your input,

>

 

I really liked this point. And it echos my own observations. A medical

practitioner, it seems, requires keens senses and an ability to

" attune " to the current practitioner/patient relationship. In other

words to understand " what is happening " and what is causing the

decline in health. I personally use images such as a " plumbing system "

or a " steel refinary " to try to imagine that processes that may be

going on within a body and what may be going wrong. Yes, the furnace

may be not hot enough - but for many, many possible reasons.

 

I don't try to make the " furnace hotter " (i.e, tonify) using temporary

external means (e.g. herbs) because it doesn't create a long lasting

stable " system " . What I try to do is investigate the whole refinary

plant and make sure everything is " flowing " - that is the intake is

open so that fuel can come in from the outside, that the pipes are

free and clear, that the furnance is clean and operating, that the

pipes from the furnance are clear. Simply tonifying or sedating the

furnace is not only temporary, but can actually be damaging. For

example, I can " overtonify " (because the " waste system is clogged) and

the furnace can overheat and explode.

 

The skills to " clean out a plant " are much different than those

required for studying blueprints of the plant - and therefore requires

different training and indeed, possibily, a different type of person

altogether.

 

Thanks for taking the time to relate to me your thoughts.

 

Regards,

Rich