Eastern vs. Western Medicine: the Showdown
If you have only scoffed at Eastern medicine before, such as acupuncture and holistic treatments, this infographic may cause you to think again. Traditional Chinese medicine, also referred to as TCM, is the broad chunk of what’s considered Eastern medicine. TCM is a broad range of alternative chinese medicine practices sharing common concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage (Tui na), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy.
What makes Eastern medicine so different than Western is that instead of prescribing a “one size fits all” for all patients with certain symptoms, Eastern medicine looks at the needs of each individual and unique body and acts accordingly. In essence, it’s a short-term versus long-term action plan.
Here are 6 lessons one student of TCM learned by watching the doctors and seeing their expertise. She shares her story:
- Listen—Really Listen.
The first TCM practitioner I shadowed explained to me that to practice TCM is to “listen with your whole body”. Pay attention and use every sense you have, he said. I watched this doctor as he diagnosed a woman with new-onset cervical cancer and severe anemia the moment she walked into his exam room, and within two minutes, without blood tests or CTs, sent her to be admitted to a (Western) medical service. I’ve seen expert clinicians make remarkable diagnoses, but this was something else!
“How could you know what you had and that she needed to be admitted?” I asked.
“I smelled the cervical cancer,” he said. “I looked and saw the anemia. I heard her speak and I knew she could not care for herself at home.” (I followed her records in the hospital; he was right on all accounts.)
- Focus on the Diagnosis
I watched another TCM doctor patiently explain to a young woman with long-standing abdominal pain why painkillers were not the answer.
“Why should we treat you for something if we don’t know what it is?” he said. “Let’s find out the diagnosis first.” What an important lesson for us—to always begin with the diagnosis.
- Treat the Whole Person
“A big difference between our two practices,” said one TCM doctor, “is that Western medicine treats people as organs. Eastern holistic medicine treats people as a whole.” Indeed, I watched her inquire about family, diet, and life stressors. She counseled on issues of family planning, food safety, and managing debt. She even helped patients who needed advice on caring for the their elderly parents and choosing schools for their child. This is truly “whole person” care!
- Health Is Not Just About Disease, But Also About Wellness
There is a term in Chinese that does not have its exact equivalent in English. The closest translation is probably “tune-up to remain in balance,” but it doesn’t do the term justice, because it refers to maintaining and promoting wellness. Many choose to see a TCM doctor not because they are ill, but because they want to be well. They believe TCM helps them keep in balance. It’s an important lesson for doctors and patients alike to address wellness and prevention.
- Medicine Is a Life-Long Practice
Western medicine reveres the newest as the best; in contrast, patients revere old TCM doctors for their knowledge and experience. Practicing doctors do not rest on their laurels.
“This is a practice that has taken thousands of years to develop,” I was told. “That’s why you must keep learning throughout your life, and even then you will only learn just a small fraction.” Western medicine should be no different: not only are there new medical advances all the time, doctors need to continually improve their skills in the art of medicine.
- Evidence Is in the Eyes of the Beholder
Evidence-based medicine was my mantra in Western medical training, so I was highly skeptical of the anecdotes I heard. But then I met so many patients who said that they were able to get relief from Eastern remedies while Western treatments failed them. Could there be a placebo effect? Sure. Is research important? Of course. But research is done on populations, and our treatment is of individuals. It has taken me a while to accept that I may not always be able to explain why—but that the care should be for the individual patient, not a population of patients.
“In a way, there is more evidence for our type of medicine than for yours,” a TCM teacher told me. “We have four thousand years of experience—that must count for something!”
Fascinated? Here’s more information on Eastern versus Western medicine for you to feast your eyes on:
About the Author
Biorhythm Research is Creating New Paradigm in Women's Health
Following decades of being excluded from clinical studies, women today are suffering dire consequences. Can new research finally reverse the misunderstandings and help women harness the power of their unique biology?
Kayla Osterhoff is a neuropsychophysiologist studying the mind-body connection, with a focus on women’s health.
“Well most people are probably not aware of this, but women actually represent the largest gap in health science research that exists today,” Osterhoff said. “This is perpetuated by a problem that actually manifested back in 1977 when the FDA formally banned all women of child-bearing potential from all clinical research. That ban remained in effect until 1993, and to this day, the damage has been done and women are still left out of the clinical research.”Â
“The reason why women are left out of the clinical research is that women are biologically complex, meaning that they are biologically, biochemically, and physiologically shifting constantly because of our female hormone cycle that drives our physiology. The other reason is that women are risky research subjects, meaning that they can become pregnant at any time during the study. So, while it is understandable from an ethical standpoint, it cannot remain in effect because women are really being disempowered by this gap,” she said.Â
The repercussions of this scientific gap have been profound and were highlighted in a recent study.
