Tell me everything! What does it mean to you being a good TCM doctor?
I think healing the body or the mind is very complicated, no matter which kind of doctor. I went to see different types of doctor, with mixed results. There are so many things involved: knowledge, trust, observation, communication, hope...
I agree. Finding any good professional services is hard, especially in this day of time when there seems so much is available and yet so little we can trust.
I grew up with traditional Chinese medicine and built my understanding and trust at a very young age. When I was little (I was that little kid who was skinny and got sick easily for no good reason). Western medicine wouldn't know what to do with me, but the TCM doctors who had been sort of family doctors (for non-emergency situations). Since then, TCM has gained popularity (and influence) outside of China, and I am really glad to see it. However, one thing about TCM has been true - it always aims to deal with deeper and more complicated situations beyond the surface-level symptoms, and a view broader than a traditional "specialization", in my opinion, it requires much more knowledge than what requires of a Western-medicine doctor.
I think you are lucky to have "absorbed" TCM wisdom from a young age, it is precious knowledge.
Yes, TCM obliges you to look at health from a very different perspective. You cannot compartmentalize, you must take into account so many different things. A symptom can have a different underlying cause, thus two people with a cold could end getting a different medicine.
The example of when you were a child and Western medicine could not help you, hightlights the worth of TCM. While Western medicine is wonderful for certain things and is able to deliver precise information about organic and biological issues, it is not effective in detecting unbalances, which may become a serious illness if not treated appropriately. It also downplays issues, which are clearly indicating that something is not fine, but because it is not serious, you just get a pill and that's it. Take acid reflux. How many people live with acid reflux thinking it is normal? Or painful periods? I could have spared me a couple of years of pain, I tell you!!
I think that anatomy and biology should be compulsory at school, we are not raised to be aware of our body, except its exterior (which is to me pointless).
I agree with your assessment (on the foundations of TCM). The issue for me has always been finding a good TCM doctor …
Tell me everything! What does it mean to you being a good TCM doctor?
I think healing the body or the mind is very complicated, no matter which kind of doctor. I went to see different types of doctor, with mixed results. There are so many things involved: knowledge, trust, observation, communication, hope...
I agree. Finding any good professional services is hard, especially in this day of time when there seems so much is available and yet so little we can trust.
I grew up with traditional Chinese medicine and built my understanding and trust at a very young age. When I was little (I was that little kid who was skinny and got sick easily for no good reason). Western medicine wouldn't know what to do with me, but the TCM doctors who had been sort of family doctors (for non-emergency situations). Since then, TCM has gained popularity (and influence) outside of China, and I am really glad to see it. However, one thing about TCM has been true - it always aims to deal with deeper and more complicated situations beyond the surface-level symptoms, and a view broader than a traditional "specialization", in my opinion, it requires much more knowledge than what requires of a Western-medicine doctor.
I think you are lucky to have "absorbed" TCM wisdom from a young age, it is precious knowledge.
Yes, TCM obliges you to look at health from a very different perspective. You cannot compartmentalize, you must take into account so many different things. A symptom can have a different underlying cause, thus two people with a cold could end getting a different medicine.
The example of when you were a child and Western medicine could not help you, hightlights the worth of TCM. While Western medicine is wonderful for certain things and is able to deliver precise information about organic and biological issues, it is not effective in detecting unbalances, which may become a serious illness if not treated appropriately. It also downplays issues, which are clearly indicating that something is not fine, but because it is not serious, you just get a pill and that's it. Take acid reflux. How many people live with acid reflux thinking it is normal? Or painful periods? I could have spared me a couple of years of pain, I tell you!!
I think that anatomy and biology should be compulsory at school, we are not raised to be aware of our body, except its exterior (which is to me pointless).