Western vs Eastern Medical Philosophies (Reviewing My Depression)
Western medicine treats the doctor as a mechanic
"In the West the philosophy of science is based on the premise that humans are separate from nature, and that the world, like a machine, can be dismantled and reduced to it's constituent parts." - Between Heaven And Earth, A Guide To Chinese Medicine.
Growing up, whenever I was sick I would be told to rest.
If I had the day off school because I was sick than I was forced to stay in bed. No TV, no video games, sometimes even no reading. Having a sickie was worse than going to school.
In hindsight, mum was a lot smarter than I gave her credit.
If a few days of bed rest hadn't done the trick (9/10 times it was all I needed) then she would resign to taking me to the doctors. In which case the protocol was always the same...
We'd wait for 20 minutes in the magazine room before a nurse would usher us in. The doctor would make me say "ahhh" while gazing down my throat, he'd listen to a few of my breaths with his stethoscope and then write on a piece of paper that mum would take to the chemist.
I'd be prescribed drugs, every time
And they seemed to work every time. But that would be the extent of the doctors help. A written script to fix the part in my mechanical body that wasn't operating appropriately.
Fast forward a few years to my late teens and the system was the same
Except this time it was for depression.
The doctor wrote out a script (for neurochemical altering medication), and sent me on my way. I felt worse leaving than I had when I arrived.
I felt inferior... A faulty machine.
Eastern medicine treats the doctor as a gardener
"Eastern philosophy is based on the premise that all life occurs within the circle of Nature... Nature is in a constant motion, following cyclic patterns that describe the process of transformation. When the elements of nature are in balance, life is harmonic and flourishes. When the balance of polar forces is upset, disaster looms." - Between Heaven And Earth, A Guide To Chinese Medicine.
When your body receives it's required nutrients, gets the physical activity it loves and is free of emotional blockages it will flourish as intended.
Only when attacked by an outside force (like germs) or the rare occasion something straight up goes wrong inside of it (like cancer or genetic disorders) will illness arise. And even then these are greatly minimized by a proactive, healthy, lifestyle.
My body as a garden
I wasn't watering it, I indulged in some serious pesticides and starved the soil of nutrients.
AKA
My substance abuse, nutrient deficient diet and negative though patterns caused my garden to wilt. It wasn't an inherent flaw in my physiological make up.
The doctor never inquired or provided insight into these issues however. Medication may have removed the symptoms, but the cause of the issue was still there.
Once I started to properly cultivate my body, things returned to normal.
It's import that we all understand and respect the benefits of complimentary medicines when used alongside Western medicine.
This includes but isn't limited to a nutrient filled diet, physical activity and having a healthy view of life's challenges. This sounds pretty obvious, but so often drugs are prescribed before correcting these areas of concern.
Doctors rarely go out of their way to give practical insights into our lifestyle choices and how it affects our health. They are taught to prescribe medication to cure symptoms.
This is why I label myself as a Wellness Coach not a personal trainer. I, as well as other allied health professionals, actively fill this gap in the health system.
We look to educate and empower people so their bodies can function in harmony and flourish as they were intended to. Preventing the likelihood of illness from developing in the first place.
Consider all aspects of your health the next time you need to visit a doctor. Use both Eastern and Western philosophies of medicine to allow yourself to bloom.
Thanks for reading! I hope this article has empowered you to live a healthier life and you share this knowledge with others.
Yours, with Purpose
Congratulations. This post features in my latest Curation Article. This post received a 100% upvote from Mr Squiggle the #TeamAustralia Curation Martian.
:D Thank you Mr Squiggle and all who support my posts!
It is possible to learn of and from the truths and untruths of eastern medicine. Be wary of which one you are teaching though. Much of the knowledge of eastern medicine comes from observation and some of the practices have been misinterprated, forgotten, or are only marginally effective due to unforseen circumstances they were not aware of. Of common diets which have changed over the years which alter the efficacy of certain treatments. Of necessary combinations overlooked by the practictioner. I was ecstatic when I first figured which compounds in foods and in the body correspond to the ancient notion of warming/cooling foods. Of which metabolic changes are occuring during qi-gong, and the physiological adaptations and learning occuring during meditation and chanting. When you say "My substance abuse, nutrient deficient diet and negative thought patterns caused my garden to wilt. It wasn't an inherent flaw in my physiological make up." I get triggered to inform that a nutrient or genetic deficiency in ones parents can cause an alteration in physiological needs. Less absorption of certain nutrients or an increased stressor response. To me a tendency towards substance abuse and negative thought patterns indicates a disruption in one's physiological state and nutritional status. Either originating from the use of or prior to the use of a substance. Such as disruptions in endorphins, enkephalins, or endocannabinoids which can occur from both an improper diet and genetic predisposition or use of a substance. I plan to do a writeup on biological addiction mechanisms soon. One thing I wish different about some eastern medicine practitioners is that they learn more about proper nutrtion before they promotive positivity and confidence. Sure it is true one need only smile and think positive outcomes to release serotonin in the brain. While I wouldnt want to say bad things of smiling and thinking, in times of improper nutrition and physiology(depression and anxiety) such actions could do more harm than benefit to someones strained physiology, quickening the process of decay and cellular death. This decay and cellular reprograming allows the reshaping of ones efforts towards activities which provide the proper nutrient status and interaction. Meditation is clearing one's mind of plans you've set in motion yet perhaps backlogged while chanting is rewriting your associations towards sounds. Breath and qigong are similarly only possible and beneficial with a certain bodily nutrient status let alone genetic errors. Once nutrient balance is restored sometimes we can begin to reverse our misgivings and tendencies
You must tell me when you write this post friend. Your insights always illuminate and thank you for your comments :)
If you get a chance to watch Resistance, I'd recommend. It kind of reiterates what you were saying about the medication. I'm not like a conspiracy theorist or anything but I do perceive it as an industry / business that no longer has our best interests. We kind of have to be our own advocates, and as you mentioned the first step is taking care of ourselves in the first place. In my mind Eastern medicine further embodies the concept of what true wellness is supposed to be.
http://www.resistancethefilm.com/
I'll give it a watch! It's important that we don't discredit Western medicine, but it could be so much more effective if we looked at the big picture of health as well :)
Not trying to sway you at all I just love this stuff lol things that explain the world we live in and how medication came to be abused.
Watching the teaser has just made me so keen to watch this! Every time I hear the statistic about microorganisms making up more mass in our body than our own cells both scares and excites me
Upvoted!
Reading your piece made me think of this blog I just saw by Sterlin Luxan https://steemit.com/psychology/@sterlinluxan/how-industrial-psychiatry-stigmatizes-everyone#@jasonsnow/re-lexiconical-re-sterlinluxan-how-industrial-psychiatry-stigmatizes-everyone-20170801t214336169z
You touch on very similar ideas.
I just had a look. He definitely has some firm views on the matter and I can agree with a lot of what he is saying. I'll comment on his post and see if he has the time to read my post to reinforce his opinions and see that it is an international issue as well.
I can't help shake my head thinking about how many people have been wrongly prescribed antidepressants...
Thanks for your comment mate I really appreciate it!
sure thing!