Western medicine vs ancient medicine

The combination of ancient wisdom with today's knowledge, science, and technology - this is the perfect recipe for good health.

There are differences between ancient medicine and conventional medicine that are familiar to all of us, such as the therapeutic tool - needles and plants versus drugs and surgery. But ultimately, the real, essential difference is in relation to this thing called illness and its healing process. According to the modern concept, every illness has a cure, and the treatment process is carried out by eliminating the symptoms. In contrast, in ancient medicine, illness is an expression of imbalance. The illness may be expressed in symptoms, but the treatment focuses on restoring balance to the body and mind, a process that is carried out mainly by elements of our daily lives - nutrition, sleep and other habits. In fact, much of the healing process is carried out by the patient.

In our era of the "here and now," where time is our most critical resource, people are looking for immediate solutions that won't require "unnecessary effort." Sometimes it seems to me as if we've gotten used to treating our health like shopping at the supermarket, as if it were a product on the shelf. But if we want to create a deep change and solve the problem from the root, it will require us to take part in the healing process, to look inward, to get to know our bodies, to invest time and create real change. Modern life and Western medicine are taking us away from this approach. Now, don't get me wrong, Western medicine manages to amaze me every time. I'm grateful for the rapid and wonderful development of science, for being there when I need it, for the in-depth knowledge it provides about the human body, and for the fact that it saves lives every day. But with proper care for the body, we might need it a little less, and that's certainly not a bad thing.

I suggest that we relearn how to listen to our bodies, and invite each and every one of you to try and take responsibility for the signs and signals that the body gives.

Chinese medicine offers a variety of tools such as touch, acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, movement, and lifestyle changes. And with this toolbox, most patients will be able to implement much of the process themselves. In many cases, this will prevent illness or lead to healing. If not, then it's lucky that there is Western medicine for emergencies. We've gotten used to thinking that the need for treatment necessitates a problem - when patients go to the doctor and when they're in pain, they take paracetamol. But in recent years, people are starting to realize that this is not the case at all. You don't have to be crazy to go to a psychologist, and you can treat the body even if you're not screaming in pain. Chinese medicine uses a set of tools that can help each and every person get to know their body better, and understand what they need to improve their quality of life every day, every day.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with someone I know from the past, a fifth-year medical student. We got into a conversation about healing and the way each of the approaches works. He, from his world, talked about how conventional medicine is studied and works purely on the basis of statistics. The patient tells what they are suffering from, and the doctor recognizes this as a disease with a name, or not. If the disease exists, then there is a treatment, and the treatment has such and such success rates. A person enters the clinic hoping to find out what they have, what it is called, how it is treated, and how long it will take. In a great many cases, this is indeed what happens. In other cases, either the patient is told that it is nothing, or there is no treatment for it, or there is a treatment that was given but failed and entered the least favorite part of the statistics graph. The person still suffers.

Later in the same conversation, I told him that in the world of healing where I come from, it works completely differently. There are no statistics to rely on and there is no single name for a disease that will fit several different people. Each person is diagnosed with something different from the other, even if they both suffer from the same pain. Therefore, the treatment will also be different. The patient tells what he is suffering from, and from that moment on, a short or long process begins that requires cooperation, listening, and learning from both parties - the patient and the therapist. The tools are endless - hundreds of acupuncture points and millions of different combinations between them, one diet or another, physical activity, sleeping habits, an endless list of medicinal herbs, and perhaps even a larger change is needed, such as changing jobs, for example. The person comes in and hopes that magic will happen, and then they will say that they went for Chinese medicine treatment and the problem was simply solved. Sometimes that is really what happens, but with us, in most cases, patience and creativity are required, and to be honest, it costs time and money, so I understand where the despair comes from.

I, at least from my side, know the limits of Chinese medicine, and in moments of need I will always turn to or seek help from the treating physician. Happily, I can see that slowly there is beginning to be cooperation between the two approaches. But really slowly. Still, I see this period as a great opportunity to accelerate this process of connection.

I am waiting for the day when conventional and alternative medicine will go hand in hand. When there will be financial investment in research on medicinal herbs and acupuncture treatments, when a doctor will not always rush to prescribe a medicine if the problem can be solved with nutrition, when we as therapists will not shy away from science, but will use it, when studying Chinese medicine will be a degree and not a certificate, when herbal medicine will not be accessible only to the rich, and so on and so forth, because the sky is the limit.