ROVIN' AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE
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I have lain half-naked with needles sticking out of my body, and I have stuck needles into another. I memorized perhaps a fifth of the hundreds of traditional acupuncture points, which a practitioner must learn to locate by traditional body measurement as well as by modern scientific identification. |
Since several readers responded with interest to an earlier article, "Herbs to Your Health," I’m continuing the exploration of complementary (or alternative) medicine with an introduction to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), or acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine, however, includes the whole medical philosophy, science, art, and practice of the Chinese medical tradition. Acupuncture (from the Latin "acus," needle) is just one mode of treatment in this rich, varied, and effective medical tradition. |
Since several readers responded with interest to an earlier article, "Herbs to Your Health," I’m continuing the exploration of complementary (or alternative) medicine with an introduction to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), or acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine, however, includes the whole medical philosophy, science, art, and practice of the Chinese medical tradition. Acupuncture (from the Latin "acus," needle) is just one mode of treatment in this rich, varied, and effective medical tradition.
A better short-hand name might be "qi-medicine," because the basis of traditional Chinese medical theory and practice is qi (pronounced "chee"), a mysterious life force that manifests—according to tradition—in a variety of ways. When diet, exercise, emotions, and weather are all in accord, the qi flows smoothly. But, when things are out of balance, when there is a deficiency or an excess of qi, when qi is blocked, then illness occurs. One of my teachers taught us, in Chinese, the proverb that—
You see, I am not writing from research but from my own experience. Several years ago, I had a series of acupuncture treatments by an American-born, American-trained acupuncturist in an American city. So effective were those treatments that when I reached a point (no pun) for a career change, I began the three-year program of study at an American school of traditional Chinese medicine.
And so, back to my teacher’s proverb: Same disease, different treatment; different disease, same treatment. A disease in traditional Chinese medicine (or TCM) is much like a symptom in Western medicine. Two people can have the same disease, but each has a different cause, a different blockage or imbalance, and so, each has a different treatment. Or, the different diseases of two different people might have the same cause, so that each would have a different treatment.
The TCM practitioner determines the causes by conducting a lengthy interview with questions that cover one’s whole lifestyle pretty thoroughly, as well as extensive observation of the body and especially of the tongue. One of my most vivid memories of a TCM class is of a slide show of tongues in hues and shades that I still don’t think tongues ever appear in. Taking the pulse is such an important part of the examination that in Chinese, going to the medical practitioner is referred to as having one’s pulse taken. Completing the examinations, the practitioner determines the causes of the complaint, then draws upon a repertoire of treatments.
Acupuncture involves the placement of needles at points in the body to affect the flow of qi, to stimulate it, to calm it, to unblock it. The two questions I’ve been asked about TCM most often involve the needles. No, they don’t hurt. I once illustrated the painlessness of the needles for a friend by sticking a needle through my hand: don’t try this at home. Modern acupuncture needles are hardly as thick as wires, and in my experience cause neither pain nor blood loss.
And, no, there is hardly any risk of contamination. The standard practice in America today is to use disposable needles, individually packaged at the factory, and once used, disposed of according to state laws for the disposal of medical waste. Whether practitioners protect themselves with plastic gloves is a personal decision. As an intern, I never used gloves, even when removing needles from a man with hepatitis C.
But, for those who can’t deal with needles, there are a couple of modern options. One is electronic acupuncture, which involves weak electrical stimulus of the acu-points, or laser acupuncture, the use of lasers on acu-points. Another is acupressure, the use of finger pressure on the points. More traditional treatments involve moxibustion, cupping, and massage. Moxibustion is the burning of a compressed herb on the acu-points. I’ve never had this treatment, because in the TCM view of things, my illnesses have always been the result of excess heat.
Cupping is a popular remedy in China, where lay people practice it, and it is recorded in other medical traditions. In the film and novel "Zorba the Greek," Zorba practices it on his beloved Boubelina as she is dying. Cupping involves burning paper, then thrusting it into a rounded cup to burn out the oxygen. Then, the cup is applied to the skin, creating suction, and according to TCM theory, moving qi. It is a strangely relaxing treatment, although traditionally, it is considered not to be effective unless it raises a distinct "hickey." One acupuncturist told me that he could hardly convince a client’s husband that he had just been practicing medicine….
Then, there are the herbal remedies. TCM does not propose a specific treatment against a specific disease. It treats the person rather than the illness, and so, there are no treatments--either involving needles or herbs-- against hypertension, for example. Instead, the regimen involves treating the person, balancing the imbalances, and in a sort of round-about way, resolving the illness. So, the herbs are often administered in a prescription of six, eight, or more, to be brewed into an inevitably awful concoction. The other option, much more popular among Americans, is the use of patent medicines, tiny pills based on the classic herbal compounds, taken in doses of sometimes thirty or forty a day.
TCM seems poorly suited to our quick-fix, one-shot, drive-thru mentality. It developed slowly at the court of the emperor and in the peasant village. It is the product of prescientific times, and I never try to offer any scientific explanation for why it works, or why it doesn’t work. Many Americans are drawn to TCM because it traditionally was a medicine not only of body but also of mind and soul, and because we feel that the TCM practitioner gives us more individual attention. But, in China, as friends of mine who have received TCM treatments there report, TCM is often practiced in an open ward, almost on an assembly line, and since the time of Mao, the spiritual aspect has declined. Interestingly, in China, TCM and Western medicine are not a matter of either/or choice. Instead, both modes of medicine are generally practiced in the same clinic.
Are there risks? Well, there are reports of enthusiastic and energetic practitioners driving a needle into a bone or a lung. Despite the assurances, the herbs do have side effects, especially since so many are often mixed together. And, realistically, one has to say that one might waste time with a TCM practitioner when the M.D. might recognize a serious ailment for which time would be of importance.
But, as a rule, most people I know who turn to TCM have felt that they have exhausted themselves, their patience, and the range of Western medicine. TCM seems especially effective with the stress-related issues for which the M.D. often can do little more than write a prescription for a mind-altering substance. As I said in the article on herbs, however, I am not a medical practitioner, and neither Peanut.org nor I can offer any medical advice to you. I can just encourage you to research other options as you take control of your own destiny and health. One point where you can start (without needles) is Acupuncture.com.
Regulations vary from state to state. I have referred to the practitioner throughout as, indeed, the practitioner. In some states, such as Florida, TCM practitioners may legally call themselves physicians. In Rhode Island, state licensure allows the practitioner to use the academic title "doctor." The national standard for licensure is to pass the test of the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. In most states, the M.D. who has completed a weekend seminar can practice acupuncture. Just remember, that the standard education for acupuncturists at schools accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Schools and Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is three years. As an acupuncturist friend said, would you want an acupuncturist to practice surgery after a weekend seminar on surgery?
Again, you must make your own choices, and with all the choices out there today, you must be an increasingly educated consumer of medical services. So, be well, although, since I’m no longer an acupuncture student, I can no longer threaten to get my needles after you. Keep your feet dry—the better to avoid a blockage of qi—and your heart full of noble and healthy thoughts.
Here is a thorough video introduction to acupuncture:
Rovin' Through Medical Alternatives