By Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc
You may have only experienced the most common types of massage- circulatory or Swedish, deep tissue, maybe even shiatsu. But you should also know about a more powerful form of alternative massage medicine you can practice on yourself at home.
Medicine became an independent profession in China during the Zhou Dynasty. Standards of evaluation developed. Doctors were paid an amount dependent upon their degree of clinical success. Medicine became less shamanistic and more knowledge, skill, and experience-based. Ideas about how doctors should treat patients were put forth.
Schools of medicine began. There were 7 schools of medicine in the two periods spanning between 770 and 221 B.C. There were popular doctors with numerous disciples. These schools and groups developed into non-governmental medical organizations which resulted in the development of medical ethics. (more…)
I want to talk to you about a friend of mine.
He’s often misunderstood and frequently attacked, but deep down, he’s a really great guy!
I’m talking about Western Medicine. It may seem ridiculous to some that Biomedicine needs defending. But in some circles, such as our new-age-y alternative medicine circles, biomedicine frequently becomes the scapegoat, the bad guy, “The Man” who’s keeping us down.
I have to admit, when I arrived at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine as a bright-eyed naïve new student, I thought and probably declared, “Chinese Medicine can heal anything! Biomedicine isn’t good for anything except emergencies. They’re so foolish; they only treat the symptoms, not the root!” (more…)
(NewsTarget) — In recent years, more Americans are turning to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to cure ailments that Western medical practitioners could not treat. The ancient remedies have even begun to garner respect from the Food and Drug Administration and conventional medicine.In 2004, one-fifth of U.S. hospitals offered traditional Chinese medical services — such as acupuncture, tai chi chuan and meditation — that’s more than double the number in 1998. In addition, the FDA has shown support for Chinese medicine by modifying experiment guidelines. The FDA’s new guidelines no longer require all active ingredients to be identified prior to experimenting — a process that was nearly impossible considering that many TCM remedies utilize a combination of many botanicals. (more…)
It has been said that you can expand your horizons when you travel the world. For me, this is true. One of my greatest “eye-opening” experiences happened years ago when I was invited to China as part of a U.S. delegation.
I was fortunate to have been part of a sports medicine exchange program in which I spent almost one month traveling throughout China giving lectures and demonstrations. Our task was to teach Chinese health practitioners about the latest and greatest techniques of Western medicine. (more…)