Why Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs Should Be Integrated, Not Absorbed

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs are Stronger Through a Traditional Lens, not a Modern One

I feel compelled to tell you that, although I love “translating” Chinese medical concepts into Western terms, the medical minutia and physiological framework of these two systems are vastly dissimilar and not interconnected. In short, the “translation” is a stretch. If I were to make a diagnosis, based on Western concepts, and treat with Chinese medicine, I would be inexcusably wrong. During the course of my training, a student would ask a question like, “what points/formulas are good for diabetes?”. The teacher, with visible disdain, would answer (probably for the millionth time in his career), “follow the signs and symptoms,”. This is because Chinese medicine traces the particular pattern that the body is trending toward, not the Western medical disease, per se.

In terms of Chinese Medicine, Diabetes (Xiao Ke), may be analyzed in a few different ways. Diabetes due to Spleen and Stomach Qi deficiency may produce copious amounts of clear urination, tired, heavy limbs and loose stool. The pulse of this person may be thin and weak. On the other hand, diabetes due to Stomach Fire deficiency may result in scanty, red urine, bleeding gums, constipation and a big, excessive pulse. These two manifestations of diabetes would be treated in almost opposite ways. So if I picked a formula “good for diabetes”, I could really mess up. But if I track the signs and systems and read what the body is trending toward, I make a huge impact! I picked two examples of patterns that differ greatly from each other, but I could have picked 8-10 others, some from totally different systems of thought. Often patterns exist in combination with each other.

One practitioner may be viewing the underlying pattern (the root), another may be viewing the most recent pattern (branch). Each can treat and get results. But this isn’t a random guess. It takes a skilled practitioner to diagnose conditions effectively. That’s why the training for acupuncturists in California is 3-4 years of graduate level training, at minimum. Many of us have an additional 2 years in a doctoral program, or hospital training residencies.

If nothing else, I hope this article gives you a bit of insight about why you should never pick and buy Chinese herbs on Amazon!