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Today, I'm reflecting on the strange and miraculous profession I was fortunate enough to stumble into over a decade ago. Chinese medicine—wow. I continue to be amazed and challenged by this incredibly vast field of healing wisdom and feel deeply blessed to have had my life touched by it.

Explaining precisely what Chinese medicine is, however, can be tricky. Beyond the obvious "a tradition of Medicine that comes from China," definitively pinning down the unique character of this stream of knowledge and practice is difficult. Today, there are a few different terms for the specific type of medicine I engage with. Many are familiar with the acronym "TCM," which stands for "Traditional Chinese Medicine." A common and useful term in many ways, TCM has also contributed to misunderstandings since Chinese Medicine's introduction to Western Audiences.

Most Americans did not know anything about acupuncture or Chinese medicine until 1971, when James Reston, a reporter from the New York Times, had his appendix removed at the 'Anti-Imperialist Hospital' in Beijing. When he suffered abdominal pain the next night, the hospital acupuncturist treated him, relieving the pain. Reston reported his experience on the front page of the Times. In the wake of his report, a flurry of excitement arose in the United States, and for months stories continued to emerge from China about procedures that stunned and astonished the American audience, in part because many of the authors of these stories were American physicians. Acupuncturists in the United States, most of whom were from Asian countries, suddenly found themselves swamped with patients. At this time, many expected Acupuncture to be integrated into mainstream health care. However, within a few years the interest in Acupuncture had largely faded; the modality received diminished attention from the press and had not been taken up in any significant way by practicing physicians. Despite this, it had caught the enduring interest of some Westerners, who perceived the modality as foreign and ancient.

However, there has been widespread misunderstanding about how 'ancient' the medicine coming from China really is. In fact, the mainstream system of Chinese medicine was radically reformed in the 20th century, altered in deep and significant ways to fit the ideology and political strategies of the communist government. The Maoists (and the nationalists before them) looked to Western science and technology as a path to modernity and political power. Since the Enlightenment, the dominant Western worldview has tended to imagine the world as though it is a big machine, and much of Western science is based on a machine-metaphor for nature and the body. This view, of course, differs greatly from how Chinese Medicine understands things. For this reason, many people in power were deeply hostile to Chinese medicine, and some advocated its complete abolishment from Chinese society. However, Chinese Medicine proved too powerful a force to eliminate completely. Recognizing this, those in power decided to change Chinese medicine, to fit it into a Western materialist perspective and a Western-style education model, stripping the system of its connections with traditional spiritual teachings and ancient ideas that were considered "superstitious." State-sponsored medical institutions attempted to remake Chinese medicine in the image of a profoundly foreign culture.

Despite this, the strategic introduction of the English translation, 'Traditional Chinese medicine', and its acronym TCM, encouraged an image of a medicine that was steeped in the past. The term 'Traditional Chinese medicine' was used deliberately; at some point in 1956 English language translations changed from translating Zhongyi simply as 'Chinese Medicine' into 'Traditional Chinese medicine'. This translation encouraged Western desires to project an exotic vision of ancient esotericism, even though the medicine that was being brought to them was profoundly modern. Most Westerners were unaware of the history of Chinese Medicine in the 20th century, and as such did not understand that the term really only applies to post-1956 medicine in mainland China. Notably, the Chinese-language terminology for Chinese Medicine remained the same, but the English translations changed. The change in terminology was meant for Western consumption and was likely a move calculated to capitalize on Western interests in ancient medical traditions, an interest that was significant since the Western world had thoroughly destroyed its own ancient humoral medical traditions by this time.

This discrepancy in terminology has been responsible for a long-lasting and deeply embedded misunderstanding about modern Chinese Medicine, and this misunderstanding is not just held by the general public, but by many Western practitioners of Chinese Medicine as well. Chinese Medicine in the 20th century was designed to demonstrate progress and scientific modernity, yet with the use of the word 'traditional', perhaps the most favorable term in English to describe things of the past, the face of Chinese Medicine presented to the West emphasized its rich history.

Recognizing this confusion, some contemporary practitioners of Chinese medicine have opted to adopt alternative terms for their medicine, and there is a growing trend within certain corners of the field to identify as practitioners of "Classical Chinese Medicine" instead of TCM. I myself was trained at one of only two colleges in the country that focus on classical forms of Chinese medicine, and followed this with multiple years of study with practitioners of classical methods and systems of treatment.

Classical Chinese medicine refers to pre-communist forms of medicine in China, those transmitted through lineages prior to the invention of TCM and the state-sponsored hospitals it has been practiced within. However, beyond this vague definition the precise nature of Classical Chinese medicine is somewhat unclear. After all, Chinese medicine was extremely diverse prior to its standardization in China in the latter half of the 20th century, and different lineages conveyed significantly different methods and teachings. Today Classical Chinese Medicine has become something of a buzzword within the Chinese medical community, but its specific character remains hard to define.

Although the term was originally coined as part of a move to restore the historical roots of the medicine, it is today at risk of becoming just another marketing tool for schools and practitioners. To some it means having an explicit connection with a pre-communist medical lineage. For others it means basing one's practice in classical texts. Both of these meanings are legitimate, and ideally classical Chinese medicine practitioners will do both. But, I think, the term ought to have a deeper meaning than both of these things, important as they are.

To my mind, Classical Chinese medicine should be understood as an expression of a classical worldview. Although Chinese medicine has never been homogenous, the many different lineages found throughout China are based on a basic shared worldview, even though this worldview is expressed in diverse local variations. Traditionally, this worldview was integrated with Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and this was the case pretty much everywhere. Fundamental concepts like yin and yang, wuxing, and the San Bao cannot be understood properly out of the context of this worldview.

This worldview is not at all materialist, or 'physicalist' (the philosophical word currently in vogue): from the perspective of Chinese medicine there is more to the world, and to the embodied self, than matter that can be mathematically measured and quantified. In this worldview matter does not create consciousness, for the two are inextricably linked. In many respects, it would be more appropriate to say that consciousness gives rise to matter—but not a personal consciousness, a universal, "original" consciousness, the yuan shen, or original spirit; the ontological ground of being. Classically, human beings are much more than material 'things' in a material world filled with other material 'things'. They are expressions of an original spirit that exists in and through all things.

Today, this traditional worldview is largely absent from schools for training its Chinese medical practitioners. Because of this, students are often left uncertain of how exactly to approach their subject, trying to learn the theories of a medicine that is based on a completely different vision of reality, but not really understanding what that reality is.

This is a shame, because the reality that Chinese Medicine is based on is vast, beautiful, and awe inspiring. It affirms a deeper, more mysterious, but also more coherent life; an understanding of the world and self that can help us recognize the sacredness of our existence, including our intimate connection with the surrounding cosmos. That each individual mind, each shen, is but a piece of the original mind, which is itself connected to the original qi, the life force which flows through all things, affirms both the unity and diversity of existence in deep and meaningful ways.

If you ask me, to practice in a classical way should mean more than just reading the classics, or studying pre-TCM theories. It should involve really living Chinese Medicine, engaging in its traditional ways of understanding what the world is and what it means to be a human. This is really missing in the medical field today: people who attempt to actually live the medicine they practice. In the absence of the classical worldview, it is far less clear how to live Chinese Medicine as a way of life. But this is where the power and beauty and efficacy of CM comes from. It is a path of cultivation; when you engage with it over time, its principles become a part of you.

Today, the Chinese medical profession spends most of its time trying to 'fit in' to the mainstream medical establishment. In my opinion this is incredibly foolish, for the simple reason that Chinese medicine just doesn't fit in. That is not a bad thing, though: it is what makes it special, powerful and important for us at this unique and bizarre moment in history. Instead of spending so much time trying to integrate with Western medicine we should be bringing forth what is unique and special about our medicine so that perhaps Western medicine can learn a thing or two from it. Classical Chinese medicine, if it is going to prove to be a truly meaningful designation, should denote a form of medicine that is radical in this way; radical in the etymological sense of the word: returning to the roots.

So, Classical Chinese Medicine is simply a term, but it has potential because it highlights a modern misstep: today, the depth available in Chinese medicine is often untapped unacknowledged.

When engaged with correctly, Chinese medicine can become more than just a career. Chinese Medicine is a vocation; a calling. It is something that goes deep, that touches your core, that becomes part of what you are. It is a path through life, and it is a way of understanding and inhabiting the world; a way of being a human being. To the extent that so-called "Classical Chinese Medicine" becomes just another career to be marketed to students or patients, its radical and liberatory potential will be missed.

So, we will see what happens.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Aidan

PS - For online appointments, click here or respond to this email.

Aidan Keeva, DACM, L. Ac.,

Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

AidanKeeva.com