Chinese medicine is an ancient study with a prehistoric past. Its first written history dates back to a time in China known as the Warring States period approximately 2400 years ago. By this time it was already a complex and comprehensive medical system complete with knowledge of anatomy & physiology, diagnostics, natural medicinals, acupoints, a large handful of treatment modalities, and pertinent lifestyle modifications in seek of restoring natural balance. It's very important to first understand that Chinese medicine is a constantly evolving practice and over the centuries and millennia it has by no means been static. We often think of China as being this one grand unified nation as we see it today, but this was not always the case. China was, and in some ways still is, a very diverse nation consisting of many different cultures, languages, religions and philosophies. Being such a large nation geographically, differences from province to province can contrast as much as the differences we see from one nation to another in the European continent.
Over the years China was ruled by several empires and dynasites including Muslim influence from the middle east, Mongol warlords, as well as large influences from Japan, India and many other cultures that utilized the Silk Road connection. This not only expanded the medical knowledge that existed in China but it also refined it. When new empires established rule there were revolutions and the rulers were not afraid to do away with the old, and that which did not match their ideals or threatened their cultural identity. At the same time these new rulers often added their unique contributions by appointing foreign ministers and specialists to head their respective fields of expertise. Chinese medicine is the result of the test of time, continually undergoing this same sort of spring cleaning. However, with that being said, the medical knowledge of China continued to grow and evolve for reasons that were nothing more than pragmatic. Of all the medical knowledge that entered China, that which worked and showed the best results continued to be passed forward regardless of cultural affiliations, and that which didn't was removed altogether. This was the nature of Chinese Medicine.
It can be difficult to truly define traditional Chinese medicine as being exclusively Chinese. Much of it is the result of cultural sharing and integration. There has existed several varying styles and schools of thought, each with their own advantages and shortcomings in treating specific conditions. Even the traditional Chinese herbal databasing expanded to include natural medicinals foreign to China's natural habitat. These medicinal were highly valued among silk road trade. Because of this, traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down through classic texts which more or less serve as abundant compilations of varying styles and techniques, which at times may even contradict one another. The art of knowing when and where to use what technique is still one of careful consideration by modern day practitioners.
During the Chinese cultural revolution in the 1940s and 50s the institution we know today as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was developed by the Chinese Communist Party under the lead of Chairman Mao Zedong. There has been a large critique of this 'institutionalized' TCM as being both impartial and somewhat incorrect. It was developed by political figures who were not the most medically knowledgeable, nor did they spend enough time researching the traditional Chinese medical practice in its deep entirety. In response to this, a divide was established in Chinese medicine labeling that which was institutionalized during the cultural revolution as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and the wide array of traditional medical knowledge existing prior to the cultural revolution became known as Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM). CCM typically shares a closer relationship with the naturalistic daoist philosophy, whereas TCM proves more systematically secular.
To this day Chinese medicine as a whole continues to evolve. Now we see it borrowing from the most modern of our medical knowledge being advanced globally under the combined efforts of North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. This modern method provides very detailed and specific diagnostic techniques (imaging, blood and serum screening, etc.), very detailed understandings of physiological mechanics, and an extremely good handle on treating exogenous diseases. To this day Chinese medicine continues to refine itself, borrowing from that which achieves results, all while continuing to stay true to its naturalistic, balanced and holistic principles that seek to safely and effectively restore homeostasis achieving truly lasting solutions. This modern Chinese medicine includes the use of herbal medicine, patented pharmaceuticals, surgery, manual therapy, acupoint therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet & lifestyle.
Since its introduction to the North Western world in the 1960s, Chinese medicine continues to gain popularity for the reason that it stays true to these natural and holistic methods in addressing disease from its root. Interestingly acupuncture has become the most popular and widely used traditional Chinese treatment option in the western world. In China the same can't be said, where both presently and historically acupuncture is typically 4th or 5th in command after natural medicinals, tuina massage, lifestyle modifications and cupping. The future of Chinese medicine in the western world continues to grow and develop as we already begin to see its integration into our traditional western medical system alongside new modern innovations.
If there's one thing that we can take from this it's that medicine simply is just that. For the sake of categorizing our understandings we have taken to classifying medicine with many different names, but when it all comes down to it, there truly is one field of medicine. If it works then its medicine, any other alternative is simply not medicine. Just as we've seen this happen over the millennia in China, we now see it happening today on a global scale. This is what integrative medicine is. Our medical knowledge is a fluid and dynamic entity, continually integrating new discoveries and innovations in the pursuit of becoming better at optimizing health from as many different angles as possible. Our future of medicine globally will be the practical integration of holistic and reductionist methods; the integration of quickly eliminating symptoms while also addressing the root; the integration of a balanced use of invasive surgical techniques with less invasive treatments whenever appropriate; equal consideration of both objective signs and subjective symptoms/sensations when establishing effective differential diagnostics, and lastly the integration of mind and body as an interconnected whole both in diagnosis and treatment.
In my eyes what characterizes Chinese medicine is not acupuncture, cupping, herbs, etcetera. These are just a handful of its traditional techniques. Instead, what defines Chinese medicine to me is its values and principles. These traditional Chinese medical values have began to lack in the modern world which is why integration is becoming such a popular and necessary move. In a medical system where quick-fixes and masking the symptoms of disease is often enough, where doctors and medical companies are happy keeping people sick and dependent on impartial therapies, where matters dealing with psyche and spirit are often tossed aside and ignored, and where the body is only viewed from the material and mechanistic standpoint without the understanding of the immaterial and functional aspects that unite it, it becomes difficult for the medicine to advance itself. Not to mention the amount of people in the general public operating in the realm of sub-health who receive nothing but reassurance and advised rest until the condition has worsened enough to warrant treatment. The integration of traditional Chinese and traditional western medicine fills in the gaps beautifully. Having a holistic and interconnected spiritual view of the body and health, a connection between the regulation of mind, emotion and physical health, a yearning to achieve lasting results in addition to eliminating symptoms, a trust, respect and awe for the natural world as being beyond the limits of our complete understanding, and with values that proactively build health into lifestyle. The principles of Chinese medicine have had a long journey but that journey is far from over. Here's to a future of integrated medicine in the 21st century and all the potential that it holds.
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