Biomedical View of Traditional Chinese Medicine

This concept of interconnectedness is something that often makes a modern medical practitioner wary of the method. Unlike traditional Chinese medicine, Biomedicine is a practice that emphasizes scientific, tangible research and treatments. In Western medicine, for a medicine or therapy to be accepted and incorporated in the field, it must first undergo extensive research and testing. These assessments, or clinical trials as they are better known, evaluate the efficiency and potential side effects of medical procedures. Such testing can last for many months or years, until the results are presented in a convincing manner to a government agency such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If the FDA approves of the medicine or treatment, then the next steps can be taken to implement it into the medical field. This systematic and in-depth process is a great example of the high expectations of results and scientific research desired in the biomedical community.

Because this procedure is a fundamental aspect of biomedicine, Western practitioners often approach traditional Chinese medicine in the same fashion. Many studies and experiments have been dedicated to researching the effectiveness of TCM treatments and methods, in the same manner that one might evaluate pharmaceutical ventures and the like. Researchers pick and choose portions of TCM to study, such as acupuncture or herbal remedies. Often, the results of the testing are inconclusive or show little improvement.¹ This is because biomedicine ignores the holistic approach of traditional Chinese medicine, and therefore conducts improper assessments. They often fail to understand that TCM cannot be separated and studied, it must be kept in its original context to be successfully understood. Therefore, biomedical doctors often struggle to conceptualize traditional Chinese medicine in its entirety.

For biomedicine to accurately represent and study TCM, it must first accept its unique holistic approach and respect that aspect when conducting tests or attempting to understand the practice. Clinical trials and attempts to quantify the effectiveness of treatments must be altered to fit traditional Chinese medicine. Since the two practices are fundamentally different, one must take such distinctions into account to accurately represent each method.² One of the other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine that is difficult for biomedical professionals to come to terms with is the importance of spirituality and oneness in the ancient practice. TCM’s spiritual and interconnected approach is often disregarded but is in fact essential to the medical field. From a biomedical perspective, religious or spiritual beliefs are often kept separate from medical treatment and are seen to cloud logical and scientific judgment. However, as described above, Chinese medicine is not merely based upon spiritual beliefs such as Buddhism and Daoism. Religion is often seen as “unscientific,” but not only does the practice incorporate spiritual ideology, but also encompasses materia medica, and many different methods of treating illness and maintaining health. In the end, once a person studies and understands the fundamental teachings of Chinese medicine, TCM is not all that different from the practices of biomedicine.

Another important aspect of TCM to consider is how the medical system is practiced today. By examining modern examples of cultures and nations that utilized such methods, one can gain a better understanding of how the system is practiced in multiple settings. This allows for further analysis of the current situation of TCM as a medical practice and the possibilities for further integration.

TJ Hinrichs, Linda L. Barnes, and Linda L. Barnes, “A World of Chinese Medicine and Healing: Part Two,” in Chinese Medicine and Healing: an Illustrated History (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2013), p. 347.
Ted J. Kaptchuk and Ted J. Kaptchuk, “Medicine East and West: Two Ways of Seeing, Two Ways of Thinking,” in The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008), p. 24.

This is the seventh post in this blog series. However, feel free to pop around and look at any of the posts that look the most engaging. There is no right or wrong way to read through the series.

Here is a list of related posts in the series:

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Biomedical Approch

(This is the first post in the series. It would be best to start here for an introduction to this blog series.)

Introduction

Why is the Integration of Medical Systems Important?

The Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background Information

Holistic and Interconnected

Biomedical View of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Modern-day Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Synthesis of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Supplemental to Biomedicine