My foray into traditional Chinese medicine

For over a decade I thought it would be fascinating to study Oriental Medicine (OM). I knew some acupuncturists in San Diego, and at times I considered attending school, but the price tag of over 50K steered me away, not to mention I didn’t have a real passion for the art, more of abiding curiosity.

Ten years later, needing something to study, an endeavor towards which I could zealously apply myself, OM seemed like the perfect candidate. Besides, I needed an excuse to get out of Traverse City, that winter wonderland, the city of cherries, which I dislike, unless they’re the ones with covered in carcinogenic agents, aka, maraschino cherries.

The application process is so easy that anyone with a remote interest and more than a handful of functioning neurons could get accepted. Get accepted I did, beginning classes at the end of July. I couldn’t wait to begin study! I had found my life passion. I loved the mix of esoteric knowledge, applied healing, and the puzzle of diagnosis. I was enchanted by the ancient pedigree. One thing you’ll hear many times in Chinese medical world is that OM is over 4000 years old…. So, it must work! You need not over exert yourself to discern the faulty reasoning here. (Hint: think western astrology)

It didn’t take long until my BS meter was pegged. Livers on the left side of the body that hold all the blood when you sleep; kidneys that steam excess water which then travels to the lungs; five element theory; hearts that make blood; hollow brains that store “essence” – yikes. Just about every class I fell out of my chair at the nonsense I heard. I looked around at my classmates as some of these gems were uttered by my Chinese and very-much-believing-professor, and they just seemed to take it all in. One girl asked innocently: “Does western medicine say that the heart generates blood?”

“No, western medicine says that the bone marrow generates blood, but Chinese medicine has been around for over 4000 years.” Great. I’m impressed.

To be fair, the Chinese system is generally more interested in the energetic aspects of the organs, as each organ is assigned a pathway through which energy, chi, flows through the body. The physical chunk of matter is secondary. This is the OM devotee’s response when you question the sacred dogma spouted in the Nei Jing, a 2000 year old book of medicine that has a Bible-like status in the OM world. However, blood is decidedly NOT just an energy; it’s the very physical red fluid pumping through your body. So when the Nei Jing says your liver stores blood, the meaning is quite obvious, and it’s quite obviously wrong. Energy channels don’t store physical stuff. Radio waves don’t hold transmitters. Neither the Chinese nor anyone else had much of a clue 2000 years ago about anatomy and how the organs function. The history of medicine is a graveyard of what seems today to be absurd ideas.

I ask myself: why am I studying things which we know today to be inaccurate? On top of that, why am I spending over 50K to study it?

TO be continued.