Hello Friends,
Today, I'm reflecting on the way that Chinese medicine approaches bodily disharmony, and how this orientation differs from most allopathic approaches. To my mind, this is one of the most radical and potentially life-transforming aspects of Chinese medicine. Here are a few thoughts:
When addressing bodily disharmony with Chinese medicine, it is important to understand the difference between the "root" (ben 本) and the "branch" (biao 表). The root refers to the underlying pattern of imbalance that has given rise to symptoms, which are the branches. Treatments can be aimed at addressing the root, the branch, or both simultaneously. Especially in the case of chronic illnesses, purely symptomatic branch treatments are generally understood to be short-sighted and potentially problematic in the long run. For this reason, the main focus is always on rectifying the root of the problem, as it is understood that addressing the root cause will resolve the various branch symptoms.
So, the Chinese medical approach to healing is not based merely on eliminating troubling symptoms. This is a key difference from most contemporary Western approaches, which often prescribe different medicines to treat different symptoms related to different systems in the body. For example, a patient with Lyme disease may be given one or more medicines to address the inflammation causing their pain, another for their neurological symptoms, another for their fatigue, and perhaps another for gastrointestinal distress or endocrine dysfunction. From the perspective of Chinese Medicine, however, all of these symptoms have the same root causes so should not require separate treatments.
This aspect of Chinese medicine can be challenging to understand because many have become accustomed to thinking in terms of the symptomatic branch-type treatments that are so common in Western medicine today. These short-sighted treatments are perhaps epitomized by the widespread use of painkillers in our culture. By definition, any substance that is used primarily for analgesic purposes does not address the root cause of a condition, for it is only a way of suppressing it. Conventional treatments for headaches are a good example: most aim to temporarily relieve symptoms but do not actually address the imbalance causing the headache in the first place, which is why the headaches reoccur and the medicines must be continually taken. The Chinese pharmacopeia, for its part, includes many substances that, when used in the correct context, can relieve pain. However, very few substances in Chinese Medicine are used purely to relieve pain. With few exceptions, pain relief is considered a by-product of rectifying the underlying imbalance that caused the pain, rather than temporarily numbing the experience of it.
In Chinese Medicine, if a treatment only suppresses the manifestation of symptoms, meaning the patient must take a drug indefinitely to keep them at bay, it cannot properly be called medicine. For something to be medicine, it must actually rectify the underlying imbalance, eliminating the need for ongoing treatment. Otherwise, it is merely a branch-level treatment. Needless to say, there are countless examples of pharmaceutical treatments that fit this description precisely, including all major blockbuster drugs (those grossing at least a billion dollars annually) such as medications for hypertension, cholesterol-lowering statins, proton-pump inhibitors for acid reflux, blood sugar-lowering hypoglycemics, asthma treatments like Advair, drugs for sexual dysfunction like Viagra, and antidepressants and mood stabilizers. The Chinese medical approach to these conditions differs considerably, focusing on rectifying the root cause rather than simply medicating them away indefinitely.
This orientation to treatment involves a different way of relating to symptoms. Because symptoms are understood to be branches of a deeper root imbalance, they are rarely ever treated on their own, and are respected as messengers. If attended to and understood properly, symptoms can lead us back to their source. The painful or uncomfortable aspects of human life are thus not to be merely repressed or managed, but listened to, for they are the ways that the embodied self is trying to communicate that something is wrong.
Symptoms are what happens when an imbalance has not been properly cared for, and is starting to make itself known more fully. What may have begun as only a whisper from the body, telling us that 'something is not quite right', grows louder and louder if not addressed, until it manifests in painful or otherwise life-interrupting ways. This is why, if we are able to listen deeply to our bodies, we can more effectively prevent illness, for the higher our level of bodily awareness, the easier it will be to pick up on subtle imbalances. When we routinely ignore or repress our bodily experience, however, these 'messengers' will grow increasingly loud and more persistent. Although for many people subtle ways the body is imbalanced can be repressed or ignored for decades, they will eventually assert themselves. When young, most people have a greater capacity to simply sweep things under the rug, ignoring the messages the body sends. In terms of Chinese Medical theory, this is because the body has more qi to promote healing as well as more yin, which gives them the capacity to maintain latency, keeping imbalances from expressing themselves. However, as we get older these messages start to catch up with us. The subtle messages of the body, which may start as mild aches, pains or just a sense that something is just 'not right' will grow if not tended to, gaining momentum in the system until they are crying out so loud that one can no longer ignore them.
Symptoms, therefore, are a gift. They indicate that our body needs something, that it is struggling to adapt to change, and offer us opportunities for deeper listening and connection with ourselves. In this sense, rather than trying to push away the unpleasant experiences of life, the tradition of Chinese medicine encourages us to take unpleasant experiences as teachers which, if attended to properly, will help us to grow and heal.
I have more to say on this rich topic, and so will follow-up with more reflections in the newsletter next week. Until then, have a great week and take good care,
Aidan
Note: As always, if you’d like to book an online appointment with me, click here or respond to this email and I will be more than happy to connect.
Aidan Keeva, DACM, L. Ac.,
Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine