WHY TURN TO CHINESE MEDICINE.....
when we have a highly developed medical system in place, with
a strong regulatory agency (Food and Drug Administration), numerous
facilities (hospitals, clinics, and private offices), and insurance
coverage available privately, through employment, or by public assistance
that covers the major part of expenses? Why turn to Chinese medicine
as an alternative, when we already have nutritional supplements, Western
herbs, massage, chiropractic, homeopathy, and a dozen other health
care options that were developed in the U.S. and Europe?
It is because all the health care approaches mentioned above do not fully cope with the complexity of health issues that arise. Despite the progress made in modern and alternative medicine, there are substantial deficiencies in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, AIDS, arthritis and other auto immune diseases, and diabetes and other metabolic diseases. That is, there exists a deficiency compared to what is believed to be ultimately possible--namely to cure most people with the disease, or at least reduce the manifestation of the disease to a relatively mild problem. Modern medicine and the alternatives that were developed here make a contribution to this goal, but additional assistance is sometimes needed.
The term "Chinese medicine" makes reference to a number of practices, especially acupuncture and prescription of herbal formulas, and to their theoretical basis that has been developed in China during a period of about 2,500 years. A view of nature--and of health and disease--was set forth in the concepts of two essential forces--yin and yang, and further propounded in the ideas that are numbered as an aid to memorizing the information: three essences (treasures), five elements, six climatic influences, seven emotional factors, eight principles of therapy, fourteen meridians, and other notions. These ancient concepts continued to evolve over the centuries until the collision of Chinese and Western culture ensued in the nineteenth century. Today, Chinese medicine represents a combination of ideas and methods from earlier times coupled with the findings from modern research methods--chemical analysis, pharmacological and physiological testing in the laboratory, and clinical trials. Chinese medicine is a major health care method in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Its apparent success there has led it to be adopted, in much smaller measure thus far, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.
At the very least, it can make you feel more energetic, yet more relaxed, and it can alleviate some disease symptoms; at its best, Chinese medicine can cure or help to cure conditions that have been called incurable; in some cases it may have as good an effect as Western medicines without the side effects, and in other cases it will be used to relieve side-effects of standard medical treatments. The benefits of Chinese medicine will depend on several factors, including the nature of the problems being addressed, the competence of the practitioner, and the willingness of the individual to follow through with various aspects of the proposed treatment.
With regard to herbal medicine, there are three strong pieces of
evidence
suggesting that it is a viable means of treatment:
Since Chinese medicine was introduced to America in late 1972, less than twenty-five years ago, about 10,000 practitioners have taken up this method as an important part of their medical practice. By far the largest group are the acupuncturists, who are licensed or certified by the state in which they are working (about half of them are also certified by a national testing organization called National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists--NCCA). There are also some other health professionals who have adopted one or more portions of the Chinese medical techniques--medical doctors, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, and massage therapists. Visiting any of these practitioners can serve as a basis for beginning Chinese medical therapy. If yours is a particularly difficult case, you may be referred to a more experienced practitioner.
Each health profession has different types and levels of training. For example, a medical doctor necessarily has extensive training in modern medicine, but can practice acupuncture therapy with little or no training in that particular field. An acupuncturist might have received little training in modern medicine, but instead spent three years intensively studying acupuncture. Prescribing of Chinese herbs has been emphasized in training programs in California, and only recently (during the past decade) elsewhere. Doctors from China also have varying training. Nearly all are trained as medical doctors, but their training in Western medicine might be considerably less comprehensive than that of a person who was trained in the U.S.; on the other hand, they may have received additional training by highly experienced practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in a favorable clinical setting, yielding a better understanding than is usually obtained by students attending colleges of traditional medicine in the U.S. Acupuncturists attend annual continuing education seminars to further their understanding of Chinese medicine and the techniques that can be applied.
Clearly, the exact cost would depend on the nature of the condition being treated, how extensively the method would be pursued, and what the particular practitioner charges. Recently, a rough cost/benefit analysis was conducted by ITM. It revealed that a typical three-month treatment program for a chronic ailment that employed acupuncture and Chinese herbs as the main mode of therapy would have an average cost of about $1,000. This amount is comparable to a one night stay in a metropolitan hospital, the cost of standard drug therapy for six months to a year for a serious illness, and the amount of money spent on a group health insurance policy to cover one person for half a year. Many insurance policies will cover a portion of these costs (those related to office visits and acupuncture, but not herbal prescriptions). Many practitioners provide discount rates for those in financial need. If cost is a major concern, a more limited program of treatment might be developed.
In general, herb therapies are best for functional disorders, hormonal imbalances, and "organic problems" (changes in tissue structure). For example, herb therapy can be applied to resolve weak digestion, estrogen deficiency conditions, and cysts and tumors. The effects of herbs are usually (but not always) seen after several days of regular use, rather than immediately, but once the effects are established, they often persist for a long time.
Chinese medicine is well-known for its lack of side effects. Minor problems can arise: acupuncture can cause minor and temporary bleeding or bruising at the site of insertion; Chinese herbs can cause gastro-intestinal reactions (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting), or allergic reactions (skin rash).
The potentially dangerous result of Chinese herb therapy would be anaphylaxis (a severe type of allergic reaction). This has never been reported in the U.S., but has occurred in China, where herbs are provided by injection and more reactive substances are sometimes used. People who take an herb for formula for longer than is suitable may develop a negative reaction that is not evident until it becomes serious (for example, if someone develops liver or kidney sensitivity to a substance); a practitioner would usually change the formula as the individual's condition changes and avoid this problem, or, if the therapy needs to be undertaken for a prolonged period, would suggest blood tests to evaluate liver and kidney functions.
Medical authorities point out, however, that as an unproved method of therapy, Chinese medicine might be applied in some cases without effect when there exists an effective modern therapy. By choosing Chinese methods over the currently accepted methods, one may miss out on effective treatment until the disease has progressed to an unrecoverable stage. Therefore, knowing the options offered by modern medicine and their expected effectiveness is important. Do not substitute Chinese medicine for a well-established treatment in Western medicine just because you may wish to avoid using drugs; Chinese medicine should be used in cases where Western medicine is ineffective or produces serious side-effects.
Not only can the two systems of medicine be combined, they can enhance each others' effects. Chinese herbs may make it possible to take a lower dosage of modern medicines, to reduce their side-effects, and obtain a better overall effect. Modern drugs may provide emergency relief for serious conditions that will allow long-term application of Chinese herbs the rest of the time. It is advised that modern drugs be taken at a different time (e.g. an hour apart) from herb combinations in order to avoid any chance of interaction within the digestive system, and that monitoring of the effects of drugs be continued, and perhaps increased (so that dosage changes can be made), while an herb therapy is being used. Acupuncture is compatible with virtually all modern medical techniques.
The vast majority of Chinese herbs are collected from the wild or cultivated with little or no pesticides. A few herbs, however, are grown with pesticides. Due to care taken in this procedure, there are no detectable pesticide residues in the finished herb products, as confirmed by laboratory tests that were conducted at the request of a major importer in San Francisco's Chinatown. In general, Chinese herbs are not fumigated at the ports where they arrive in the U.S. because of the cleanliness of the shipment. Deer antlers are irradiated after arrival in order to assure no transference of germs that could contaminate animal populations. A few herbs are steamed with sulfur (which keeps them moist, preserves their color and freshness) and this does leave a small residue of sulfur, according to an herb distributor specializing in organically-produced Western herbs that has sent several of these materials to a laboratory for chemical analysis. No adverse responses to the sulfur have been reported. The FDA has issued some warnings about heavy metal contamination in some products from the Far East. In general, these are patent medicines that intentionally contain ingredients (such as cinnabar) that contain heavy metals, and a few products not manufactured at the licensed herb factories, which might actually have some contamination. Similarly, there are some products manufactured in the Orient that combine Chinese herbs with Western drugs, yielding a substance that is illegal and also potentially of some danger if the drug content is not taken into account. It is advised to avoid these products, even if they apparently have good therapeutic effects. Quite a few herb formulas are now manufactured in the U.S. under careful supervision, and these could be used as substitutes for questionable imports.
The medicinal use of materials from endangered species is a well-publicized matter. It is true that rhino horn and other materials, such as bear gallbladder, have been used extensively in Chinese medical practice. Today, substitute materials are almost always used. However, to be certain, prepared materials that list endangered species on their labels should be avoided. American and European manufacturers of herb products avoid all endangered species.
No medical system, technique, or material is 100% effective. When considering all improvements of a patient under the care of a Chinese medical practitioner in China, about 70-95% of such patients report a positive outcome in varying degrees. Certainly, a portion of this may be due to coincidental improvement, the "placebo effect," and other aspects of the therapeutic encounter. However, it is still expected that when these are compensated for that at least 50% of individuals will demonstrate a favorable response. If the modern medical approach or another alternative approach does not have a clearly identified high rate of success, then Chinese medicine may offer the best chance of producing good results. Even in the absence of obvious benefits, the lack of side effects and the potential protective and preventative effects of this treatment method are important.