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Letters to the Editor Traditional Vs. Scientific alike cease to use the traditional concepts of disease. I refer those interested in the subject to a Sir, recent paper by Dr Nathan Sivan, an American It is time something was said about such attitudes as sinologist with a deep appreciation of TCM (1)/ who those expressed by Anthony Campbell (Acupuncture writes that modern teachers in colleges of Chinese in Medicine, Nov.1990). To say that traditional medicine "are largely educated with textbooks and acupuncture, which is a part of the comprehensive conversant with modern medicine. They are much subject of Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.CM.), less familiar with the classics than their teachers, cannot be learned and must therefore be supplanted and consequently less used to applying elaborate by so called "scientific acupuncture", implies an traditional rationales to clinical situations. Western ignorance of T.CM. and an innate unwillingness to anatomy and pathology often come more readily to tackle the subject and to learn it properly. their minds." And Sivan goes on to suggest that What would be said of someone with a minimum Chinese medical education is beginning "to move towards a synthesis of traditional and modern of training who attempted to base his medical medicine in which all that remains of the former is practice on a few items of information only, while elements of technique that the latter can eventually arguing that most of the material taught in medical absorb, and occupy the field alone." schools could be discarded? There is no need to spell out the answer. Sivan is generally pessimistic about the future of Traditional Chinese Medicine, of which TCM. "Because biomedical facts are being acupuncture is a part, has a unique and thorough introduced into the structure without being system of learning. Like Homeopathy it is pretty integrated, the understanding of the body and its comprehensive and does take time and effort to disorders that underlies Chinese medicine is study and learn thoroughly. It is certainly not to be becoming incoherent, to the point that the survival considered impracticable, as has been demonstrated of this traditional art is threatened." by our colleagues in Europe. Professor If this is the position of TCM in China, it is hardly Schnorrenberger, for example, who has at a recent surprising that most Western doctors find the course lectured to the society, has mastered this subject rather hard to come to terms with. knowledge so that T.CM. is taught authoritatively by Reference: him and his colleagues in Germany. There is thus no reason at all why acupuncture should not be placed 1. Sivan N (1990) Traditional medicine in contemporary China. on the same firm fundamental basis within Europe American Journal of Acupuncture. 18: 325-340 as it is in China today. This, of course, does not preclude scientific research, which shows constant 0.1.Y. Acupuncture Analgesia progress in explaining how acupuncture works in Western terms. Sir, Yours faithfully, Following surgery, I have been forced to undergo regular check cystoscopic examinations which Dr David Paine usually require a general anaesthetic. Recently, I MB ChB MRCGP Dip Ac (Beijing) MF Hom have avoided the latter inconvenience by using Orchard Paddock, Bugbrooke, Northampton electroacupuncture. . The points LR.3, Kl.ll, CV.3, and BL.60 were Dr Campbell replies: suggested by Professor Bischko. I stimulate these for 20-25 minutes (during coffee-break), using a I think that Dr Paine has slightly mistaken the point Japanese ITO(Pg6) stimulator with a pulse rate of I was trying to make. Traditional Chinese Medicine 3Hz. (TCM) is indeed a "unique and thorough system" This ensures perfectly acceptable conditions for that takes "time and effort to study and learn surgeon and patient, and I can resume my duties on properly". There will always be a small number of the operation list with minimal interruption - a Western doctors who are attracted to it and are useful point in a country where specialist prepared to study it. Whether the effort involved is anaesthetists are scarce. worth while, however, is inevitably a subjective Yoursfaithfully, decision, given that there are no satisfactory studies comparing the relative effectiveness of the Charles l.Coghlen traditional and non-traditional approaches. MB, BCh, BAD, FFA(RCSI) In any case, it appears that even in China itself 10 Bunting Street, Greenside, Mutare things are changing fast, as doctors and patients Zimbabwe
Acupuncture in Medicine – SAGE
Published: Jan 1, 1991
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