taiwandeutscher wrote:Thanks, Bob, for pointing out Unschuld's stance more clearly, which turned more negative over the yrs, that's true.
Still, he guided me as a 2nd prof through my PhD in Yijing studies, also a little bit in connection to Chinese medicine, and we worked for several yrs. under his guidance on his huge Neijing project. I have found him as on of the most knowledgeable persons in the field, and in defense of his personal inclinations, I witnessed how often he had to cope with esoteric ethno medics, who didn't have a clue.
I myself would agree with his view that CTM was a kind of a proto science and not a science in the modern sense of that word.
That doesn't stop me from Tangible Feelings of Qi during my MA practice, but I found that sitting in oblivion (in a period of injury) did make me feel even more!
I never "throw the baby out with the bath water".
Actually I am not surprised - In his book Medicine in China (a reissued edition) he sort of lays it all out and kind of leaves it up to the individual to decide - doesn't conclusively say its pseudoscientific magical thinking. All of the Cambridge historians/medical anthropologists often use him to review their own research or cite him extensively. However, his latest writings seem cast more doubt upon the efficacy and use of Chinese Medicine.
The way I am reading things now (which may change as I learn more) that a significant portion Chinese Medicine's changes were an adaption to its encounter with Western medicine and the pressures to modernize starting in the 1900s.
That doesn't deny the major changes imposed by communist party in the 1950s but it seems that cultural/historical changes were already in the making one way or another and it was largely a question of which institutions/ideologies would prevail and have the most influence.
Western science has and had a great influence on Chinese Medicine. Look recently at how the EU has regulated herbal usage and the regulated test trails that Chinese medicine faces in the US under the auspices of the FDA.
According to some researchers the unification of Chinese Medicine was largely shaped by the attempt to abolish it in the 1900s.
Some authors believe that without its integration with Western medicine or at least its attempted integration, it would have never survived.
Without some form of standardization the global impact of Chinese Medicine in the West would have been relegated to the Chinatowns of the diaspora and would remain quite fragmented. [Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and other would continue to develop Chinese Medicine but its influence would likely have remained in Asia].
Also without the institutionalization of Chinese Medicine it would not have established "medical schools" and been relegated to a fragmented "journeyman/apprenticeship" method of transmission which also would limit its advancement and usage.
It just seem the evolution of Chinese Medicine is much more complex than I previously understood it to be and for better or worse it cannot avoid partially integrating with Western medicine.
I think I might prefer the development of separate systems with an occasional bridging.
Some feel that not all healing can be reduced to biomedicine. The split is working its way through the US, partially driven by profitability e.g. the Cleveland Clinic's establishment of Oriental Medicine and the whole integrative movement/integrative programs started by Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona.
http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/inde ... itals.htmlCLEVELAND, Ohio – Changes made to state laws have opened the door for certified herbal therapists to prescribe custom Chinese herbal therapy blends and traditional formulas to patients within a clinical practice.
Instead of having to travel out of the state for herbal therapy – to use alone or as a supplement to other prescription medications – Northeast Ohio residents now have two options close to home.
Chinese herbs may be used for a variety of things, such as to alleviate chronic conditions such as sinusitis and insomnia; to help decrease cold and flu symptoms and pain; to regulate menstrual cycles in women trying to conceive; and to improve digestion.
Other candidates for herbal therapy are patients who have multiple, complex symptoms; have exhausted other medical treatment options; or need additional therapy to counteract the side effects of prescription medication.
In early 2013, the State Medical Board of Ohio began regulating the practice of Oriental medicine, which includes the practice of acupuncture and the use of herbal therapy.
http://www.theintegratorblog.com/Recent:
•Integrative Medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Health Round-up #84: October 2014
•From Google Alerts: Links to Integrative Medicine in Health Systems and Communities from September 2014
•Gratitude to Integrative Medicine and Health's Retiring Champion U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
•Is the Cleveland Clinic/Functional Medicine Partnership a 'Tipping Point' for Integrative Medicine and Health?
•Integrative Medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Health Round-up #83: September 2014
•Michael Levin on Academic Medicine and Hospitals in Their Campaign to Protect the Medical Industry
•From Google Alerts: Links to Integrative Medicine in Health Systems and Communities from August 2014
Sorry about the momentary co-optation.
Its an area of research I have been pursuing for some time but more along the business/strategic mgt/competitive advantage perspective.