I recently wrote an article that discusses the topic of negotiations around Chinese herbal medicine. This is actually part of a much larger topic having to do with the comprehensiveness of Chinese medicine.
It is my impression that most people who utilize Chinese medicine – acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary therapy – do not understand the scope and potential of this ancient, comprehensive medical system. More and more, acupuncture (the most well-known and utilized modality within Chinese medicine in the United States) is promoted as just another alternative therapy, not terribly different from chiropractic, physical therapy, massage, essential oils, or anything else. In fact, given how it is commonly taught and practiced in the United States, this has unfortunately become true even in practice.
Chinese medicine is a complex, comprehensive and internally consistent medical system. It can diagnose and treat the full scope of human ailments, and delivers a consistent approach in view and therapy. This means that there is an overriding, umbrella philosophy and outlook of Chinese medicine that carries through to all of its therapies. Chinese medicine does not follow or recommend pieces of various systems or trends from social media. Recommendations for diet, lifestyle, herbs, and acupuncture all have the same focus and work together to move the body towards balance.
It is often that case that an acupuncturist, having received poor education and training as is sadly common in the United States at this point, will practice in this disjointed way. They might administer electro-acupuncture, prescribe a ketogenic diet, recommend nutritional supplements, perform reflexology, and suggest ice plunges for the immune system. None of this is Chinese medicine. On the surface, it seems to be fine. But it is a problem.
In response to exposure to varying and often conflicting recommendations, people have difficulty discerning what is appropriate for them. Their solution is to try and use all of it. When I tell people not to ice their back, and the patient has been told by their physical therapist to do exactly the opposite, it causes confusion. The confusion can easily lead to choices that negatively impact the therapy or even cause damage. If the patient decides to ice their back after I have administered dry needling and acupuncture, the cold will lead to impeded flow of qi and blood. The body’s ability to heal both from the treatment and the condition will be impacted. Cold stasis can set in, setting up a condition that if repeated over time can predispose the area to arthritis. As another example, I may be prescribing warming herbs to strengthen a person’s Spleen and digestive function. But another practitioner has recommended a juicing and raw food diet to that same patient. The diet counteracts the action of the herbs and the patient does not get better, and in fact gets worse. They might determine that Chinese herbs don’t work and stop treatment. It is my responsibility to educate my patients over time about these contraindications. This article is part of my attempt to do so, as patients do not always inform me about what other treatments they are receiving, supplements they are taking, or therapies they are experimenting with at home on their own.
The above-mentioned examples are simple but represent how a lack of focus and/or commitment to one therapeutic system can inhibit the healing process. It is my experience that the majority of people who come for Chinese medicine do not really expect much from it, even though they hope it will work. To “cover their bases”, they utilize many approaches at one time. These therapies are almost always in conflict with the principles of Chinese medicine. To obtain the best therapeutic effect from Chinese medicine, focus on it and do not indiscriminately use dietary suggestions, supplements, or treatments from other systems at the same time. My advice to patients is always the same – pick a lane. Choose one system, commit to it for a reasonable period of time, and then move on if you are not satisfied and need to do something else. Over time this will lead to better and faster results than mixing approaches.