Today's Japan, tomorrow's America

[Guest guest]

Dear group,

 

I was inspired to post by Dou's original post of 'So much for Kampo' and a news

about 2 months ago. It states 270,000+ Japanese petitioned to reverse the law

made by the health authority that citizens will no longer be subsidized by the

government for their reimburement for purchasing OTC Chinese herbal patent

formulas. It means they will pay 10 times more for the medication they favor.

 

Some historical perpective about Chinese medicine in Japan. Please correct me if

wrong. Chinese medicine education is not legitimate in Japan any more. It had

been eliminated/closed down/discontinued by local health authority as a

legitimate practice. Since local senior citizens still favor the use of Chinese

herbal, the government allow s MD, western medicine trained doctors to prescribe

them to patients.

 

As they have no training in CM, they prescribe patent formula such as Xiao Chai

Hu Tang (Bupleurum Decoction) as treatment for whatsoever liver issues or what

the label indicates. From time to time, report of accidents or even causalty

about such application of Chinese medicine patent formula which is therefore to

be blamed.

It is a tragedy we lose Japan as she had contributed a lot to the Chinese

medicine as a profession. One of them is to preserve lots of Chinese medical

texts from China, as thousands of Japanese foreign students flooded in China

back in Tang dynasty to study Chinese culture. They well keep all those Chinese

medical texts that had lost in China.

 

If acupuncturists in states (correct me if i am wrong as I am from the other

pond) do not disassociate them from those who claimed acupuncturists (mostly

naturpath, and other medical profession, paramedic) and practice fake pseduo

acupuncture (so called medical acupuncture), the general will think WE are birds

of the same feathers. Those they deny meridians or acupoints but claimed they

practice 'medical acupuncture' and do 'needling' disgrace the profession of

acupuncture, to say the least. The general American laymen will soon abandon

acupuncture when they find out acupuncture does not work as claimed.

 

Don't get me wrong. I believe what they are doing is 'evidence-based' and

'seientific' as they claim. The needling method is in line with muscles, bones

structure, trigger points bla bla bla. It is needling anyone can do at home.

 

I remember watching an Korean tv show. A layman housewife treated her own

dizziness (seems high blood pressure issue) by letting a couple of drops of

blood out in the tip of her middle finger in a absolutely sophisicated and

professional way. I am hestitated to call her acupuncturist and treat my high

blood pressure issue if I had.

 

I am saying this because the similar phenomenon happening in Hong Kong as well.

 

Focus upon the study of genuine Chinese medicine is the only survival tact.

 

Warmly,

 

Sung, Yuk-ming

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply. I hope someone from or in Japan can add to this. What I

also heard was that Japan had a medical insurance crisis such as we now have in

the United States. The government looked at everything that worked and what

didn't. To their credit they saw that Chinese herbs were effective and cost

effective as well. So when they redid their insurance policies, Kampo was

included.

That is the story I got at some point.

 

What is also odd about the other Asian countries is how many Koreans, Japanese

and Taiwanese study in China and the United States because of the lack or the

impossibility of getting into schools in their home countries.

any others?

Doug