traditional chinese medicine is not traditional
The vast majority of the acupuncture that is taught and practiced around the world is what is called TCM—Traditional Chinese Medicine. People think TCM is the same thing as Chinese medicine. so what do I mean when I say it’s not actually traditional?
TCM is a modern version of acupuncture, created in the 1950’s.
in an attempt to make chinese medicine more “western” and make it seem more “scientific”, point prescriptions were created from points on the primary channels. the first problem with this is that it disregards the fact that All the chinese medicine acupuncture channels were an intelligent system, working together as an operating system.
Secondly, this new system would become a mis-mash of Chinese & western medicine.
understanding the acupuncture channels As an operating system
The complete channel system includes primary channels, as well as something we now call the complement channels. (These are also sometimes referred to as the other channels, the five channel system, & secondary vessels).
Primary channels are the ones that acupuncture schools teach, and they have familiar names that correspond to many of the biological organs. the primary channels serve an important purpose in governing the day to day functions of our organs, as well as expressing emotion. They are the only set of channels that have a direct connection to the organs, which is why the complement channels are so important.
the complement channels’ job is to protect the primary channels & organs by moving threats to channels other than the primaries, using a variety of qi & resources called medium. There are four different classes of channels called the sinew, luo, divergent, and eight extraordinary.
tcm does not use any of these channels as described in the classical text, the huang di nei jing, some acupuncture textbooks mention their existence but not how to use them clinically.
TCM is a mis-mash of western medicine & chinese medicine
In the process of trying to create a “new” chinese medicine, biomedical symptoms were categorized and then extrapolated to indicate a particular chinese medicine pattern. Then, certain points were assigned to treat the pattern.
Rhonda chang discusses this unfortunate contribution at length in her book Chinese medicine masquerading as yi; self-colonization of chinese medicine. she argues what i have been talking about for a while now, which is that chinese medicine is a complete medicine on its own and should be respected as such. When we try to reduce chinese medicine to match western medical symptoms, what we end up with is weaker medicine.
For example, TCm categorizes symptoms like loose stools, fatigue, pale complexion, & menstrual problems as “spleen qi deficiency” & indicates certain primary channel points for treatment. But when we know the complete channel system, we understand that “spleen qi deficiency” is an incomplete diagnosis, because it doesn’t specify what level of qi is involved or where the threat has been stored.
Is it congenital SPleen qi deficiency? this would indicate the eight extraordinary channels.
have these symptoms come & gone over time? This might indicate divergent channels.
do the symptoms change with movement or seasons? this Could be sinew channels.
Do the symptoms also align with an emotion? this could indicate luos.
Dynamic pulse taking is an incredible diagnostic tool, as is the most important question we can explore: “when did it start, and what was going on around & before that time”. This is the question that reveals so much about a person’s experience & directs our treatment to the right channel. symptoms alone cannot do that.
why it’s important to use the complement channels rather than the primaries
When the complement channels move the threat out of the primary channels, they do so in an effort to keep a person alive. If we have plenty of qi & resources (we call these resources medium), we can often carry on without any symptoms. But as those media become depleted from being asked to store a threat, we see symptoms and/or chronic disease emerge.
If we want to actually treat the root of a problem—as most acupuncture claims to do—we must use the complement channels to access where the root of the problem lies. otherwise, we are more likely to simply be managing symptoms,
because the body has already intelligently moved the threat into the complement channels, treating a person with primary channels once a week is not likely to truly heal a person. It may lesson the symptoms, of course, and when someone is sick or in pain, any relief is welcome. But, i’m interested in people truly healing, not just managing their symptoms.
Using primary channels can be great for a symptom that began in the last 24 hours, but that’s rarely the case in modern day acupuncture clinics. Most people going to acupuncture are looking for help with something they’ve been dealing with for awhile, and this means the problem is actually a complement channel problem.
Using primary channels for a chronic issues often results in patients saying things like
“I tried acupuncture, and it didn’t work for me”
Acupuncture helped, but when i stopped going, my symptoms came back.
this obviously does not instill confidence in the practice of acupuncture, and it’s understandable when people have had this experience that they start to doubt that acupuncture will actually be able to help, but i think this is a major factor in the public losing confidence in acupuncture as a legitimate medicine. many people like acupuncture & appreciate it for the way it lessens symptoms or reduces stress, but far less people associate it with healing serious diseases.
I think this is a result of tcm, which is an incomplete medical practice.
acupuncturists are not taught this information
there is a tremendous hole in acupuncture education. From talking to my colleagues, I have learned that many schools make no mention of how TCM was created and more importantly, what was left out. Even doctoral acupuncture programs don’t teach the complete system of acupuncture, despite that many acupuncturists seek out a doctorate to boost their clinical confidence.
The irony of this is that if acupuncturists were all using the complete channel system, patient outcomes would be drastically different, acupuncture would be a fully respected practice, and acupuncture schools and acupuncturists alike wouldn’t be closing.
Sadly, sometimes acupuncturists will comment to me that they’re glad I’ve found a ‘type’ of acupuncture “that works for me” but that everyone practices differently. that’s like saying a french fry didn’t come from a potato. [laughter]
Medicine worth fighting for
The healing potential of chinese medicine is something worth fighting for, and when i say fighting, i mean creating awareness in the public’s mind that the acupuncture they’ve likely experienced is probably not the full picture. many people have gotten wonderful results from TCm acupuncture, and for that, i’m truly thankful. but so many other people have had disappointing experiences that have weakened their trust in what should hold a respected place in the medical landscape.
