Pocket Atlas of Chinese Medicine

Bearbeitet vonKevin V. Ergil, Marnae C. Ergil

1. Auflage 2009. Taschenbuch. 416 S. PaperbackISBN 978 3 13 141611 7

Format (B x L): 12,7 x 19 cmGewicht: 552 g

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Thieme-VerlagFrau Kurz

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Ergil:Pocket Atlas of Chinese Medicine

WN 023834/01/01TN 141611

9.4.2009Ergil_Titelei

VI

aus: Ergil u.a., Pocket Atlas of Chinese Medicine (ISBN 9783131416117)© 2009 Thieme Verlag

Foreword

Chinese medicine belongs to all of us.People in all cultures value its per-spectives. It is a distinctive treasurebecause its 2000 years of continuous—if often contrasting—commentary rep-resent the best example of the subtletyand power emerging from the exami-nation of human experience. Chineseherbalism is more sophisticated thanother herbal traditions because theChinese were persistent in observingand recording their experiences.

As Western society became familiarwith Chinese medicine in the late 20thcentury, acupuncture was emphasizedbecause it was an easy fit with thelicensed, private practice profession-alism characteristic of health care in theWest. Related methods of acupressure,qi gong, and tui nawere largely ignored.Acupuncture was progressively revisedto emphasize the idea that mechanicalaction in a precise location creates aspecific effect, a recasting of traditionalacupuncture concepts into a linearitythat felt comfortable to Westerners.

In actuality, acupuncture grows outof the profound nature of human touchand the relationship of vital energybetween people. Locating points bytouch is more effective than usingpurely anatomical guides, since thetherapist feels the movement of qi justas a qi gong practitioner does, and isguided by the dynamic of sensationbetween patient and therapist.

Chinese medicine begins with anappreciation of life and vital energy(qi). When qi flows smoothly it pro-vides balance and protection. Treat-ment enhances and facilitates the flow

of qi. In an acupuncture treatment wehelp patients help themselves, by invit-ing qi to move as it needs to. From thisperspective, the location of stimulusand the timing of sensations are con-sidered valid according to the percep-tions of patient and practitioner, ratherthan according to a static chart.

I was born with a bilateral cleftpalate. Consequently, I owe my life toWestern technological medicine. Mostaspects of technological medicine in-volve surgery, prostheses, and testing,all of which have clear practical valueand are easily integrated into differentcultural paradigms. However, a culturalcontrast is revealed when we compareChinese medicine and Western phar-maceutical medicine.

In medical school we learned thatdisease is an alien process that needs tobe attacked. We learned that the bodyitself is frequently the source of disease.As a consequence of this philosophy,most pharmaceuticals are designed tosuppress one or another of the func-tions of components of our body. Signif-icantly, pharmaceuticals which are notsuppressive of physiological function,such as penicillin and digoxin, arederived from herbal traditions andincorporated into Western medicine.

As a clinician, I have observed thatpharmaceutical medicine and itsimplicitly adversarial model can drainits practitioners. In contrast, Chinesemedicine seems to have an invigoratingeffect on practitioners, perhaps becauseit recognizes, and uses, the experiencesof the patient and the intuition of thetherapist in each treatment. The clini-cian partners with the patient. In-creased self awareness of the therapist

Thieme-VerlagFrau Kurz

Sommer-DruckFeuchtwangen

Ergil:Pocket Atlas of Chinese Medicine

WN 023834/01/01TN 141611

9.4.2009Ergil_Titelei

Foreword VII

aus: Ergil u.a., Pocket Atlas of Chinese Medicine (ISBN 9783131416117)© 2009 Thieme Verlag

can have a clear and beneficial impacton treatment outcome.

Western medical research seeksinformation about life by testing linearmodels of cause and effect. Greateraccuracy depends on a lack of con-founding variables, and a simple model:one action leads to one outcome. Onlya limited number of variables can betraced statistically. While these analyti-cal methods provide statistical power,they underestimate our bodyʼs com-plexity. The heart or lungs, which be-have more like machines, are widelystudied and well understood using thismodel. Parts of the body that havemore layered functions, such as theliver and the flora of the intestinallumen, are less well understood.

The Austrian philosopher Karl R.Popper asked us to focus on assertionsthat are specific enough so that it ispossible to prove them false given theright kind of evidence. While this isappropriate in many settings, it doesnot apply to most biological situations,where the issues posed by high degreesof complexity challenge its reductiveorientation. The evolution of life in-cludes complexity and redundancy atevery level and every moment of exis-tence, posing real challenges to reduc-tionistic models.

No survival traits could be moreimportant than homeostasis, tissuerepair, and the removal of toxins. Weneed to appreciate the body's healingintelligence as a product of evolution.Let me refer to my own clinical experi-ence: I was asked to help a pregnantwoman during an unproductive labor. Ichose SP-6, a point on the lower legcommonly used to assist labor. I

needled it, hoping for stronger labor.Instead, the patient fell asleep for 4hours, woke up and delivered the babyin 2 hours. I made a suggestion; thebody adapted and prioritized its pro-cesses according to its needs.

To summarize, there are three sig-nificant contrasts between Chinesemedicine and Western medicine:1)Chinese medicine builds upon active

homeostatic bodily function. West-ern pharmaceutical medicine seeksbalance by suppressing certain com-ponents of physiological systems.

2)Western research focuses on linearmodels, while Chinese medicineaccepts the challenge of our complexbiological world.

3)Chinese medicine is a welcomingcontext for long-term change andself development.

The editors, authors, and publisher ofthis beautiful book felt it was impor-tant to present a full, well-roundedpicture of Chinese medicine and itsengagement with health and disease.In todayʼs world, we need a health caremodel that focuses on more complexbodily needs. I believe that this bookoffers a unique window on the ways inwhich Chinese medicine understandsthe world and the body. Thank you,Thieme, Marnae, and Kevin Ergil forhelping us find a more open path tothe future.

Michael Smith, MDDirector, Lincoln Recovery CenterAssociate Professor of Psychiatry,Cornell UniversityFounding Chairperson, NationalAcupuncture Detoxification AssociationBronx, New York, USA