Chapter 3 Traditional Chinese Medicine
Text Reading
◎Text A
Traditional Chinese Medicine
（F: Foreigner C: Chinese）
F: Yesterday I watched a film named The Gua Sha Treatment. In the film, Grandfather Xu came from China to visit the family of his son, Datong Xu, in St. Louis. While there, he gave his grandson, Dennis Xu, a treatment of Gua Sha to treat a slight fever. Social workers, however, mistook the traditional Chinese medical treatment which was said to be harmless for child abuse due to the obvious marks left on Dennis' back. I am not able to understand that kind of treatment, either.
C: It is really difficult for you to understand traditional Chinese medicine.
F: It is said that modern science has found no evidence for the basic principles of traditional Chinese medicine. It had similarity with Western medicine's scientific method in the past, but much of it was based on subjective interpretation of ancient dogma.
C: To some point it is true. But traditional Chinese medicine has been used for over 2,100 years. Before Western medical therapy was introduced into China, traditional Chinese medicine had been used as the mainstream form of medical therapy for over 2,000 years and saved millions of Chinese lives. The first historical record of traditional Chinese medicine was the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine written around 150 BC.
F: It seems that traditional Chinese medicine is an indispensable part of the splendid classic Chinese culture originating in antiquity. In its long course of development, it has summarized the experience of the Chinese people in fighting against diseases.
C: Yes. Actually it is rich in theory and practical in treatment. The core belief of traditional Chinese medicine is about the yin-yang or qi balance in the body and its organs.
F: What is qi believed to be？
C: It is believed that qi is life energy, and its flow in the body depends on the environment and what happens to the body. The balance of qi in the parts of the body depends on the flow of various kinds of qi and fluids. Injury, physical suffering, and lack of proper food causes a qi deficiency.
F: What about yin qi and yang qi？
C: Most traditional Chinese medicine practitioners think that there are many kinds of qi, and the most basic kinds are yin qi and yang qi. Everything is a balance of yin and yang. Yin is coldness, darkness, gathering, and the formation of entities. Yang is for heat, light, transformation, especially the transformation of qi. Females have more yin qi, and males have more yang qi. It is theorized that each person and part of the body has an ideal point of balance of yin and yang for optimal health. Some techniques are more appropriate for increasing yang qi, and some are appropriate for decreasing yang qi, and likewise for yin qi.
F: I think I have got it. The core idea of traditional Chinese medicine is that people can increase or decrease the various qi in the body, and in its parts, by various medical techniques, to create a healthful yin-yang balance. Then how traditional Chinese medicine balances qi for better health？
C: It is believed that qi deficiencies（i.e. poor health）in a person or a body part can be corrected by eating proper food, taking herbs and medicines, using physical manipulation such as cupping, moxibustion, acupuncture, and massage, or doing meditation and physical exercise such as qigong. For example, if a woman is sick or weak from a lack of yin qi, she can eat foods nourishing yin qi such as melons or goji berries or take various herbs nourishing yin qi.
F: No wonder it is a style of traditional medicine built on a foundation of more than 2,100 years of practice of Chinese medicine. By the way, once I saw a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine examine the patient's tongue and the pulse. Does it work?
C: Actually, four classical diagnostic methods are used in the diagnostic process of traditional Chinese medicine. These four methods include inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation. The examination of the tongue and the pulse are among the principal diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine, namely inspection and palpation. Certain sectors of the tongue's surface are believed to correspond to the zàng-fǔ. For example, teeth marks on some part of the tongue might indicate a problem with the heart, while teeth marks on another part of the tongue might indicate a problem with the liver.
F: It is amazing.
C: It is of course complex. Pulse palpation involves measuring the pulse both at a superficial and at a deep level at three different locations on the radial artery of each arm, for a total of twelve meridians, all of which are thought to correspond with certain zàng-fǔ. The pulse is examined for several characteristics including rhythm, strength, and volume, and is described with qualities like “floating, slippery, feeble, thready, and quick”; each of these qualities indicates certain diseases.
F: Learning the pulse palpation must take several years! Traditional Chinese medicine is really amazing.
中医
（F：外国人C：中国人）
F：昨天我看了一部电影叫《刮痧》。在这部电影中，许大爷从中国到圣路易斯看望儿子许大同一家。在那里，他用刮痧疗法给孙子丹尼斯治疗轻微低烧，据说这是无害的中医治疗方法。然而，那里的社会工作者误以为他是在虐待儿童，因为丹尼斯的背上留下了明显的痕迹。我也不理解这种疗法。
C：对于你们来说要理解中医并不容易。
F：据说现代科学没有发现支持中医基本原理的证据。中医与西医的科学方法过去曾有相似之处，但中医大部分是基于对古训的主观解释。
C：从某种程度上说这是真的。但是中医的应用已有2100多年的历史了。在西医疗法传入中国之前，中医已经被作为主流医学疗法使用了2000多年，挽救了千千万万中国人的生命。最早的中医历史记载是公元前150年左右的《黄帝内经》。
F：看来中医是古代中国灿烂的经典文化中不可或缺的一部分。在漫长的发展历程中，总结了中国人民抗击疾病的经验。
C：是的。实际上它在治疗上具有丰富的理论和实践意义。中医的核心理念是阴阳或气在身体和器官上的平衡。
F：气是什么？
C：人们相信气是生命的能量，它在体内的流动取决于环境和身体的变化。气在身体各部位的平衡取决于各种气液的流动。伤痛和身体所需食物摄入不足都会导致气虚。
F：阴气和阳气呢？
C：大多数中医认为气的种类繁多，而最基本的是阴气和阳气。万事万物都是阴阳平衡。阴为寒，为暗，为聚，为实体化；阳为热，为光，为化，为气化。女性有较多的阴气，男性有较多的阳气。从理论上讲，每个人及其身体的每一部分都有一个理想的阴阳平衡点，以达到最佳的健康状态。有些方法更适合增加阳气，有些更适合减少阳气，对于阴气也同样如此。
F：我想我明白了。中医的核心理念是，人们可以通过各种各样的医疗技术来增加或减少身体及各器官内的各种气，从而创造一个健康的阴阳平衡。那么中医如何平衡气来改善人们的健康状况呢？
C：人们认为，整个人或身体某部位的气虚（即健康状况不佳）是有好些方法可以使之得到改善的。可以通过吃某些滋补的食物、草药和其他药物，还有理疗，比如拔火罐、艾灸、针灸和按摩，或者做冥想和身体锻炼，比如气功。例如，如果一个女人因阴气不足而生病或虚弱，她就可以吃滋阴的食物，如瓜、枸杞，或吃各种滋阴的草药。
F：中医不愧是一种传统医学的风格，不愧是在2100多年的中医实践基础上建立起来的一种治病理念。对了，我曾看到一名中医医生检查病人的舌头和脉搏。这能看出什么吗？
C：实际上，中医在诊断过程中采用的是经典的四诊：望、闻、问、切。舌诊和脉诊是中医的主要诊断方法：望诊和切诊。舌头表面的各个区域被认为与身体脏腑对应。例如，舌头某一处的齿痕可能表明心脏有问题，而另一处的齿痕则可能表明肝脏有问题。
F：难以置信。
C：当然这是很复杂的。脉诊通过测量每只手的桡动脉寸关尺三处的表层及深层的脉象来了解身体十二经脉的情况，所有这些都被认为与某些脏腑相对应。脉诊主要是检查以下几个特征：快慢、强弱和深浅，常见病脉有浮脉、滑脉、虚脉、细脉、数脉等。
F：看来学习脉诊一定需要好几年的时间。中医真是太神奇了！
Exercises
Ⅰ Look at the pictures and tell out the diagnostic/main treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine.
Ⅱ Please fill in the blanks according to the law that yin and yang are two opposite aspects.
◎Text B
Basic Vocabulary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas
Traditional Chinese medicine formula is a subject dealing with the therapeutic methods and the theories of compatibility of formulas as well as the clinical application. A formula is composed of different traditional Chinese medicines and suitable doses in their rational combination.
The following are special terms in trational Chinese medical formulas.
The advantages of traditional Chinese medicine formulas can be illustrated in the following three aspects：
（1）Traditional Chinese medicines of similar action, if used simultaneously, can strengthen the therapeutic effect for serious diseases.
（2）Traditional Chinese medicines of different actions in combination can broaden the therapeutic scope in the treatment of complex conditions.
（3）Some drastic or toxic traditional Chinese medicines may be applied with some others capable of reducing or removing their side effect or toxicity.
方剂学基本知识
方剂学是研究治疗方法和方剂配伍理论及临床应用的一门学科。一个配方是由不同的中药和适当的剂量组成的合理组合。
方剂学里的专门用语如下。
方剂的优点可以体现在以下三个方面：
（1）具有类似效用的中药，如果同时使用，可以加强对严重疾病的治疗效果。
（2）不同效用的中药联合用药可以拓宽复杂病症的治疗范围。
（3）有些含剧毒的中药可与其他中药一起使用，以减少或消除其副作用或毒性。
Chinese Eyes on the World
Differences Between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine
Four Chinese（A, B, C, and D）are talking about the differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.
A: Many people don't know the differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Today let's just talk about them.
B: The differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are thought as a matter of perception.For any given patient with the same signs and symptoms, you will get varied ways of how the information pertaining to that patient is organized, while using either traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine.
C: Yes. One major difference between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is that traditional Chinese medicine seeks to treat the body as a whole, while Western medicine focuses on the main problem. The differences go deeper still and cover the philosophy of medicine, preventative action, diagnosis, and treatment. Neither one is wholly right nor wholly wrong; instead they are complementary to each other.
D: Although it is debatable whether traditional Chinese medicine is scientifically sound, you cannot deny it has a rich philosophic significance. This is very different from Western medicine. Usually, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes entirety and dialectical implications. This is why some people view it as a holistic medicine. In contrast, a doctor of Western medicine deals with symptoms. For instance, if someone has a sore throat, a doctor of Western medicine may treat it as a throat problem while a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine may link it to the disorder of the patient's stomach.
C: One of the key differences is the approach. The approach with Western medicine is reductive and analytical, while traditional Chinese medicine uses an inductive and synthetic approach.
B: On the down side, traditional Chinese medicine, unlike Western medicine, lacks tools to study the detailed internal mechanisms of the human body, therefore determining the most effective treatment in such cases as infectious diseases becomes a matter of trial and error. The abundance of tools to provide powerful diagnostic functions in Western medicine makes it more precise in selecting a more effective treatment to root out an ailment. However, lately the trend is to integrate both types of medicines in treatment.
D: A doctor of traditional Chinese medicine examines his patients by using methods like inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation. His Western counterpart relies on symptoms or evidence, like body temperature and lab tests. A doctor of traditional Chinese medicine determines the problem of his patient's interior organs by observing very exterior signs such as complexion or the tongue. A doctor of Western medicine, on the other hand, makes his judgement based on the results of lab tests on the internal organs. He then reinforces his judgement by examining exterior symptoms. A doctor of Western medicine uses some chemical-based medicines and surgery, but a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine relies on herb medicines and acupuncture.
B: While Western medicine is purely a science, Chinese medicine is more of a healing art. Chemical compounds are used to formulate medications in Western medicine, but only herbs are used for traditional Chinese treatments. Almost every plant is seen to have some health benefit to the body, and as such there are perhaps little side effects of medicines, since herbs are basically administered in their natural forms. On the other hand, Western medicine relies exclusively on chemical drugs, and at the center of that medicine is a very profitable pharmaceutical industry that is responsible for the research and production of these chemical drugs. Although these compounds may have higher potency due to the extensive research done to produce them, they also come with side effects which range from mild to severe, and even fatal in some instances of drug use.
A: Maybe we can get the summary：
Western medicine uses a reductive and analytical approach, while traditional Chinese medicine uses an inductive and synthetic approach.
Western medicine is standardized and evidence-based, while traditional Chinese medicine is experience-based.
Western medicine is a pure science, while traditional Chinese medicine is more of a healing art.
Traditional Chinese medicine lacks proper diagnostic tools, while Western medicine has powerful diagnostic ability.
B: In brief, Western medicine has absolute advantages in the medical fields such as diagnosis of organic diseases, prevention of spreading of epidemic conditions, and life-sustaining activities in need of modern science and technology to support. While in the treatment of chronic inflammation, functional disorders, sub-health state, and difficult health problems, traditional Chinese medicine takes the unparalleled dominant position.
C: Yes. Traditional Chinese medicine, as an integral part of Chinese culture, has been used for prevention and treatment of diseases as well as for health maintenance and has made a significant contribution to the public health.
Cultural Exchange
Ⅰ Discuss the following questions with your peers.
1．Do you believe in traditional Chinese medicine? If you are ill, would you like to try it？
2．Can you try to explain the Chinese saying “Good medicine tastes bitter”？
3．When someone is sick in your country, will people have some traditional remedies instead of Western medicine? If yes, can you explain it？
Ⅱ How do you understand these English idioms? What do you think of them？
1．Diet kills more than pills.
2．The best physicians are Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merryman.
3．Abstinence is the best medicine.
4．Temperance and fasting cure most diseases.
5．The drunkard continually assaults his own life.
Ⅲ Have a debate on the following topic.
Topic: Traditional Chinese Medicine must survive into the next century VS Traditional Chinese Medicine must be abolished immediately
Step 1 The class will be split into halves. One half is for the statement “Traditional Chinese medicine must survive into the next century”and the other is for the statement “Traditional Chinese medicine must be abolished immediately.”
Step 2 Students in each group brainstorm have five minutes to find reasons for their argument.
Step 3 The representatives of both groups take turns presenting their respective arguments. Two or three members from each group can provide their ideas to support their representatives during the debate.
Step 4 Each representative makes a final remark based on the conclusion that his group has reached.