On Chinese Medicine in 2017 (and Medical Marijuana)
I had the opportunity last week to talk to someone from the White Salmon Enterprise (our local newspaper) about the opening of my new Chinese Medicine practice. I was nervous beforehand, but soon found myself chattering away enthusiastically about this medicine.
I excitedly explained to the reporter that the power of this medicine comes from each practitioner’s commitment to ongoing learning -- to adaption; to re-examination; to questioning; and to living inquisitively.
This ramble started in part as a response to the question,
“What does Chinese Medicine think about medical marijuana?”
and specifically, “about marijuana strands high in THC; and about CBD oil?”
As I talk about in the article, it’s up for debate how marijuana was used in ancient China. We know that the classical Chinese medical texts focus on the use of cannabis for its seeds and fiber (hemp) – not for its psychoactive properties.
And we know that hemp – both the seeds and fiber – continue to be used today in our herbal medicine.
But historical debate aside, given the rise and development of marijuana in the last twenty years – including its legalization, the creation of new strands, new methods of administration, and new products –
we are really just beginning to understand the effects of medical marijuana in general practice medicine as well as Chinese Medicine.
Friends, the truth of the matter is that we live in unprecedented times! Certainly in regards to our technological advancements & interconnectedness; our medical developments in the last 50 years; changes to the way our food is grown, transported, prepared, eaten; and so much more.
Yet, what is always available to us, as Chinese Medicine practitioners, is a way to interpret the world around us.
Practicing Chinese Medicine is not about memorizing and regurgitating acupuncture point prescriptions, or equating individual herbs with symptoms.
Rather, it is about asking, “how do I understand ____________ through the lens and the language of Chinese Medicine?”
It is about thinking on your feet, adaptively, while remaining well-rooted in a medicine whose principles reach back to Chinese antiquity.
Chapter 77 of our foundational text, the Huangdi Neijing Suwen urges:
凡欲診病者，
Fán yù zhěn bìng zhě,
Whenever [one] desires to diagnose a disease,
必問飲食居處…
bì wèn yǐn shí jū chù…
certainly inquire [about the patient’s] drinking [habits], eating [habits], and place of residence…
...Because, these things are diagnostically significant. Meaning, they affect your health! Knowing about my patients preferences, their diet, their living situation provides me with so much clinically useful information.
The passage continues:
...聖人之治病也，
...shèng rén zhī zhì bìng yě,
...when the sages [the revered physicians of ancient times] treated disease,
必知天地, 陰陽, 四時, 經紀
bì zhī tiān dì yīn yáng sì shí jīng jì
[they] certainly knew Heaven and Earth; yin and yang; the four seasons and the classical texts...[meaning, they knew their environment and the recorded knowledge of those who came before them]
五藏, 六府, 雌雄, 表裏, 刺灸
wǔ záng liù fǔ, cí xióng biǎo lǐ cì jiǔ
[they knew] the organs; the male and female; the interior and exterior; acupuncture and moxibustion... [meaning, they had studied the human body]
砭石毒藥…
biān shí dú yào…
[and they knew] the place for needling and Chinese herbs... [meaning they knew their tools – needles and herbs – and the proper time to use each]
Our ability to practice this medicine in 2017 relies on our knowledge of (and ability to think dynamically through) the foundations of Chinese Medicine – yin and yang, the four seasons, the five phases, and the organs.
Because in light of our ever changing world, it is our job as practitioners to constantly inquire, consider, and debate amongst ourselves how to interpret the effects that unprecedented foods (think GMOs), unprecedented technology (think FaceTime), and unprecedented medicinals (think CBD oil) are having on our health.
If you are interested in learning more about the lens and the language of Chinese Medicine, get in touch!
Until next time!
Arista