Here's an insightful interpretation of
the difference between Oriental and Western medicine from the eyes of a practitioner
of both Western and Oriental medicine. This article comes from a book called "Oriental
Medicine, A Modern Interpretation" by Hun Young Cho, translated into English
by Kihyon Kim. It was originally published in Korean in the year of 1934 and updated
in 1946, soon after the United Nations were formed, and should be read with that
understanding in mind.
The Duty of Oriental and Western Medicine
There
is a worldwide trend towards Oriental medicine in recent times. Five years ago,
I heard a report regarding the establishment of the Oriental Herbal Medicine Research
Committee in the United Nations. In Tokyo and other areas, discussions on reviving
Oriental medicine have been given considerable emphasis. In Korea, people are
still receiving plenty of Oriental medical treatments, so discussions on reviving
Oriental medicine with the implication of re-establishing it are not relevant.
However, further development, elevation and improvement of Oriental medicine is
the vital question confronting us. The first thing that is needed when discussing
the subject of Oriental medicine, above anything else, is the proper understanding
of Oriental medicine itself. Whether one promotes, discards, disagrees with or
supports Oriental medicine, without correct understanding of the medicine itself,
one should not criticize its validity. To properly understand Oriental medicine,
critical comparisons to Western medicine are absolutely necessary.
It is true
that bias cannot be avoided in discussing Oriental medicine while looking only
from the perspective of Oriental medicine. Also, a biased opinion cannot be avoided
in discussing methods outside of Western medicine when coming from a contemporary
scientific standpoint. Hence, through comparing and contrasting Oriental and Western
Medicine to properly understand Oriental medicine and after clearly recognizing
its medical value, society should be educated so that they can have a strong faith
in the significance of the existence of Oriental medicine. As the public recognizes
its value, public and government support can be acquired. Subsequently, necessary
facilities such as research institutes, learning centers, schools, hospitals,
etc. will be established. I recognized this point early and devoted every possible
effort for seven years so far for the modernization, scientific verification and
socialization of Oriental medicine. At this time, I am writing an outline of my
humble opinions open to the friendly criticisms and guidance of the readers.
One
often hears about the developments of modern medicine or medical technology, but
it is an undeniable fact that the moaning of the sick among us is becoming louder
and louder. The increase in the so-called modern diseases such as tuberculosis,
neurasthenia and all disorders of the digestive system cannot help but put a frown
of concern onto our faces.
So-called civilized or modern diseases imply that
these diseases have increased in recent times among the people of civilized countries,
but upon deeper inspection, it signifies that modern medicine was unable to defend
against or eliminate these diseases. Undoubtedly, it is true that complicated
living conditions make it easy for people to catch these diseases. The invention
of fighter planes was followed with the creation of anti-aircraft guns. When battleships
showed their prowess, submarines and torpedo boats were devised. So it is the
weakness of modern or Western medicine that it could not alleviate the diseases
caused by the stress of modern society even with the power of science.
In
a country like the United States, non-pharmaceutical, natural medical schools
have considerable influence and try to treat diseases without using drugs from
modern hospitals. Recently in Japan, there has been a sudden rise in the use of
many kinds of folk medicines. This development illustrates that modern medicine
has been unable to satisfy those patients who are receiving these natural treatments.
However, since we have received great benefits from Western medicine, I am not
trying to slight or attack Western medicine with these statements. It is solely
due to the benefit of modern medicine through the development of serology that
there exist many effective preventive measures such as the smallpox vaccine. Due
to the development of microbiology, national health institutions are empowered
in the prevention of epidemics and many other diseases. As a result of that, a
countless number of souls have avoided the misery of epidemics. We must praise
the strong points of Western medicine and at the same time supplement the weak
points. In my opinion, the method of supplementation can be adopted only from
Oriental medicine.
Oriental medicine bases its root in philosophy and Western
medicine has built its foundation on natural science. Accordingly, their methods
are different and their roles are divided so that the strengths of Oriental medicine
are the weaknesses of Western medicine and the superior aspects of Western medicine
are inferior in Oriental medicine. The former is holistic and the latter is analytical.
The former puts its effort into the observation of living phenomena and the latter
puts emphasis on the investigation of the structure of matter. Although Western
medicine is superior in defending and eliminating external pathogens that threaten
life, Oriental medicine is superior in fundamentally cultivating the internal
life force to increase health. One can compare the duties of Western and Oriental
medicine in protecting life or health of the human body to the duties of laws
and morals in maintaining peace and order in a society. If both do not support
each other, a prosperous society cannot be expected. Having faith in the omnipotence
of Western medicine by looking at surgical management or efficacious medicine
for curing syphilis, malaria, etc. while disregarding Oriental medicine is a biased
faith. Unconditionally protecting Oriental medicine and attacking and deploring
Western medicine in cases where chronic illness was easily cured through Oriental
herbal medicine is an equally narrow opinion.
Morality is fundamental and
law is temporary. In a similar way, Oriental medicine is a "root-treating
medicine" and Western medicine is a "manifestation-treating medicine."
Governmental power, for example, is exercised in unavoidable situations for the
safety of the public, but morality has a more effective function than law in the
daily life of all people.
It is natural for the authorities to adopt Western
medicine for prevention of epidemics and forensic medicine, but in actuality,
it is Oriental medicine that has contributed more in quantity than all the free
medical treatments by the government for the health of each individual. Next,
I'm going to state a few concrete examples.
Holistically Treating Medicine
and Locally Treating Medicine
Oriental Medicine is a "holistic medical
approach" while Western medicine is a "localized (symptomatic) approach."
For example, the cause of sinusitis in Western medicine is attributed to an increase
in pyogenic bacteria in the sinus cavities (maxillary, ethmoidal, frontal and
sphenoidal), which creates pus. Thus, performing surgery in that region has become
the method of treatment.
In Oriental medicine, on the other hand, the cause
of sinusitis is not found in the nasal region. One's constitution and many physiological
abnormalities are holistically observed and synthesized in order to inquire and
identify the cause of sinusitis in that person. Even in the treatment, Oriental
medicine does not directly perform artificial treatment such as surgery on the
diseased region. Rather, physiological abnormalities are holistically and naturally
regulated in order to eliminate the disease phenomenon in the nasal region.
Besides
the experience of the author in the healing of sinusitis without surgery, researchers
have tested the effectiveness of Oriental medical herbs many times and reported
successful findings.
Let us now put aside whether that treatment is superior
or inferior and investigate the theoretical basis of holistic medical treatment.
It is not incorrect to say that the cause of sinusitis is the pyogenic bacteria
acting on the sinus cavity, but thinking one step further, it is true that in
any healthy body, pyogenic, pneumonia, diphtheria and influenza bacteria are always
present in the nasal and the sinus cavities. Therefore, the cause of sinusitis
is not in the pyogenic bacteria but in the reduction of resistance that suppresses
and restrains pyogenic bacteria. Sinusitis is called Bi Yuan (nose-pool) and Nao
Lou (brain discharge) if severe. The cause of it can be largely categorized as
follows:
1. Sinusitis due to Internal Injury (Yang Deficiency sinusitis and
Yin Deficiency sinusitis).
2. Sinusitis due to External Invasion
(1) originates
from physical constitution and (2) is due to the common cold. Regardless of Internal
or External sinusitis, the sinusitis that accompanies an abnormality of the genito-urinary
system is called Taiyang Bi Yan and sinusitis that accompanies an abnormality
in the digestive system is called Yangming Bi Yan.
The specific Oriental medical
treatment for this sinusitis will be presented at some other opportunity. Rather
than stating whether holistic treatment or localized treatment is better, either
can be better according to the type of a disease. There are times when the former
must be used, and times when the latter must be used. Sometimes both treatments
must be combined. Thus, viewed from the standpoint of medicine, both are utterly
necessary.
As a result of overly venerating localized or analytical medicine,
strange events can frequently occur when viewed from the standpoint of holistic
medicine. The most appropriate example of this is the #606 (penicillin) injection
incident regarding a dentist which was repeatedly reported in the newspaper recently.
It became a judicial issue and the judgement which was passed made #606 injections
by dentists unlawful. This is a truly humorous thing when viewed from an Oriental
medical standpoint. It is like lawfully preventing a dentist, who has been granted
the privilege to treat dental disorders, from eliminating the cause of the dental
disorder. The reason is that an abnormality frequently occurs in the tooth region
due to syphilis, which is easily treated with penicillin. My point is not a discussion
about the question of #606 injection privilege, but rather, about the fault of
limiting the treatment of the dental disorder to the mouth by isolating dentistry
away from treating the cause.
According to the channel theory of Oriental medicine,
abnormalities or diseases of the reproductive and urinary system react on the
Conception, Governing, Urinary Bladder and Kidney channels.6 Erosion of the nose,
loss of the voice and decaying of the tooth root occur frequently when syphilis
invades those regions. Anyone can observe, if they pay close attention, that women
develop toothaches and certain abnormalities in the mouth during pregnancy and
menstruation. Since the oral region is at the end of the Conception channel, disorders
of the reproductive system are clearly reflected in that region and disorders
of the tooth root due to syphilis are a common occurrence. Thus, from the holistic
viewpoint it seems a major contradiction not to let dentists eliminate the cause
of dental disorder. When treating the disease of a human being, who by nature
is a holistic organism, such a blunder seems quite obvious as a result of adopting
the "locally treating" theory.
Naturally Treating Medicine and Artificially
Treating Medicine
One can view Oriental medicine as the "natural medicine"
and Western medicine as the "artificial medicine." In a strict sense,
natural treatment cannot be a medicine. Also, a purely artificial treatment cannot
exist apart from the natural healing power of a living body. It is classified
in such a way only through its main focus. The former guides and promotes natural
healing power to eliminate disease through the normal functions of the living
body itself and the latter puts effort in artificially adopting emergency measures
to eliminate the disease.
Here too, we cannot discuss the superiority or inferiority
of Oriental and Western medicine. According to the disease, there are many cases
where artificial medicine must be used. Most surgical disorders must be treated
by Western medicine.
Orthopedic medicine or optometry, which can be viewed
as semi-medicine, can easily treat disorders that are quite difficult to treat
using Oriental medicine.
However, advocating the superiority of surgery for
all diseases just on those grounds is not proper. For example, there are many
instances of appendicitis and otitis being cured without surgery using the application
of one or two packs of herbs according to the Oriental treatment method. In cases
like these, there are some Western medical doctors who say, "Diseases of
humans were made to heal naturally, so getting cured with Oriental herbs merely
means that the disease was at the level where it could have been healed without
surgery." This is a statement that will remain unsettled no matter how much
one argues. Even if the disease is at the level where Western doctors feel surgery
is absolutely necessary, the disease cured by Oriental herbs cannot be returned
to the original state to be tested. It is also impossible to return a person to
life who died because of surgery to check to see whether they could have lived
without surgery. Here, we can only wait for fair judgement from the public to
see which is correct.
Appendicitis, in Oriental medicine, is given medical
terms such as Blood Accumu- lation (Shang Han Theory), Blood Hernial disorder
(Hernial disorder) and inguinal carbuncle (external medicine). They all have the
same meaning, but the treatment methods are not fixed according to the medical
terminology.
Another example of Western technique is the application of ice
for a febrile disease. Everyone knows that large quantities of heat are consumed
when ice is melting and as a general rule, a temperature over 42 degrees Celsius
(107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) can be fatal. To prevent this from occurring, cold
ice is artificially applied to the head and heart region in order to reduce the
heat. This method is not without some benefits, but it has the following disadvantages:
1. Physics already has proven that evaporating-heat requires seven times more
calories than melting-heat. Therefore, consuming heat through sweating rather
than through the ice is the wisest method.
2. The best method for reducing
the heat of the human body is by sweating; applying ice actually hinders sweating.
3. To make one area extremely cold when the whole body is warm is not a good
idea. Doesn't glass or pottery immediately break when there is discrepancy of
temperatures in different parts?
Aside from these points, there are many other
disadvantages to the Western approach when assessed through Oriental medicine.
So in these situations, I believe that resolutely adopting the "naturally
treating medicine" is correct.
An injection is artificial while taking
medicine internally is natural. For example, a pancreatic hormone injection is
given in diabetes. It is natural for all substances other than air to be assimilated
into the body through digestive organs, but injecting a certain substance directly
into blood vessels is unnatural. In Western medicine, a hormone preparation must
be injected because of the concern for the change in its properties if it is passed
through the digestive tract. However, in natural healing medicine, the person's
pancreatic endocrine function is promoted instead of borrowing the pancreatic
hormone from other animals. "Earth controls Water"10 indeed demonstrates
the opposing relation-ship between the pancreas (Earth) and Kidney (Water). Thus,
this endocrine relationship was already known in the Orient thousands of years
ago.
To explain the Oriental medical treatment of diabetes in modern terms,
the treatment method chosen is to ingest Oriental herbs through the digestive
organs to have a kind of external hormonal function toward the central endocrine
nerves of the pancreas to recover pancreatic endocrine function and to totally
restore glucose assimilating function.
Structural Medicine and Phenomenal
Medicine - Immobile Medicine and Mobile Medicine
Western medicine is "structural
medicine" and Oriental medicine is "phenomenal medicine." Western
medicine is "immobile (fixed) medicine" and Oriental medicine is "mobile
(flexible) medicine." The foundation of the former is in anatomy and the
basis of the latter is in the study of syndromes. The former looks for the cause
of illness within the changes in the organism's structure and the latter identifies
it by the abnormalities in physiological phenomena. Here also, the relative superiority
and inferiority between Western and Oriental medicine should not be discussed
since aspects of their roles are different. To give a few examples of the diseases
that are treated more advantageously with "phenomenal medicine" or "mobile
medicine," I would first of all cite mental illness. Mental illness is a
subtle reactive phenomenon to a physiological abnormality. Therefore, to look
for the cause of illness in the structures of the brain and the spine can only
be considered an impossible task. Mental illness, when correctly observed and
treated from the standpoint of phenomenal medicine, is an illness that can be
cured with one to two packs of herbs at the time of onset.
The cause of mental
illness is diagnosed through observing symptoms of mental illness such as:
"
type of emotional expression;
" type of illusion or fantasy;
"
movement;
" pulse quality;
" facial color;
" season
of onset;
" time of progression or decline in the condition of illness;
" foods enjoyed commonly and
" abnormal sensation or location
on the channel pathway.
Another example of the disadvantages of "immobile
medicine" over "mobile medicine" is the use of calcium injections
for lung disease. According to reports on anatomy, areas of a cadaver where traces
of the tuberculosis virus were overcome are greater than 80 percent. Since calcium
surrounded tuberculosis bacteria in those areas, calcium injections are given
to the tuberculosis patient. Observing this through Oriental medicine, there is
a big inconsistency because: 1. Even if calcium is needed, it should be taken
through the digestive organs with calcium containing foods and assimilated more
naturally through other organs. Injecting mineral calcium directly into the bloodstream
does not seem beneficial. 2. Tuberculosis bacteria is a Yang type of bacteria
and in contrast to gonorrhea, which is a Yin type of bacteria, it is a germ that
is most active when the body temperature is high. This is supported by the fact
that pulmonary tuberculosis becomes worse during summer and in the afternoon,
dangerous during adolescence and is aggravated during excitement. Since the rise
in body temperature by a calcium injection can be proven by the thermometer, it
is definitely detrimental to treatment of the disease.
Root-Treating Medicine
and Manifestation-Treating Medicine
Oriental medicine is the "root-treating
medicine" and Western medicine is the "manifestation-treating medicine."
Oriental medicine is superior in the treatment of the root cause of a disease
and Western medicine is superior in emergency management.
For example, there
is the condition of hyperchlorhydria or excess secretion of stomach acid. Western
medicine is superior in neutralizing the already secreted excess amount of stomach
acid with something like sodium bicarbonate to prevent harm to the stomach wall,
but Oriental medicine is a must in order to regulate physiological abnormality
to fundamentally stop the over-secretion of stomach acid.
Hyperchlorhydria
in Oriental medicine is called Tun Suan Syndrome and its cause is said to be,
"Wood overacting on Earth" or "Liver overacting on Spleen."
In other words, acid digestive juices of the Liver channel system are said to
overcome alkaline digestive juices of the Spleen channel system (which includes
the pancreas). The secretion of digestive juices is regulated to prevent excess
and deficiency through the external hormonal function of Oriental herbs. Since
most kinds of chronic disorders are like that, Root-treating medicine is the superior
treatment here.
Defensive Medicine and Health-Cultivating Medicine
Western
medicine is "defensive medicine" and Oriental medicine is "health-
cultivating medicine." In artificially defending against external disturbance
through disinfection, sterilization, serum injection, etc., Oriental medicine
cannot compare with Western medicine. In strengthening resistance toward disease
by cultivating the internal life force and balancing physiological regulation,
Western medicine cannot compare with Oriental medicine. When examining these points,
Oriental and Western medicine absolutely must not oppose each other, but must
mutually cooperate to give the best possible medical treatment.
Internal Medicine
and External Medicine
Oriental medicine is "internal medicine" and
Western medicine is "external medicine." The Oriental medical doctor
even tries to treat the external or structural disorders with internal medicine
and the Western doctor tries to treat the internal disorder through surgical treatment
(external intervention).
There are many cases where internal treatment is
necessary when the cause of external disorder is internal such as with skin disorders
and there are cases where surgical treatment is necessary when the internal disease
is in the late stage.
Therefore, if Oriental and Western medicine communicate
and complement each other well, we can avoid leisurely treating external disorders
which could be quickly treated with surgery and we can avoid great sacrifices
resulting from surgery for internal disorders which could be cured simply with
internal medication.
Standardized Medicine and Adaptable Medicine
Western
medicine chooses "standardization" and Oriental medicine chooses "adaptation."
Western medicine, needless to say, does not ignore the uniqueness of individuals,
but it is true that when observing the disease, an isolated discipline called
pathology is established to always try to put the disease into the frame of certain
universally valid rules of science. It even tries to establish a universal treatment
method. Undoubtedly, if that were possible, it would be very fortunate from the
standpoint of medical application, but in actuality, it is a difficult problem.
For example, in a common cold, there can be among its symptoms, existence or absence
of sweat, cough, sputum, nasal congestion, dryness of nose, nasal phlegm, loss
of appetite, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, chills, etc., the combination
of which are clinically different syndromes in Oriental medicine. There are many
occasions where medicine must not be used as if all common cold syndromes were
the same. That is the reason for the development of the Shang Han Theory in Oriental
medicine. Whether it is a lung disease or neurasthenia, the symptoms and treatment
methods are not uniform.
To give another example, consider beriberi. The cause
is said to be a deficiency of vitamin B-1 according to modern medicine. It is
true that the symptoms of beriberi will appear in animals not supplied with vitamin
B-1 and there is a deficiency of vitamin B-1 in the body of beriberi patients.
Accordingly, ingesting a lot of vitamin B-1 is the method chosen by Western medicine
for the treatment of beriberi. However, there are many cases where no matter how
much one ingests and injects vitamin B-1, beriberi does not get cured. This is
definitely a weakness of the standardized treatment method.
When viewed according
to Oriental medicine, even if there is an inseparable relationship between beriberi
and vitamin B-1, it is not so much a lack of vitamin B-1 in the diet of the beriberi
patient (there is a possibility of that), but rather, a decline in the ability
to assimilate B vitamins. The cause of decline in the assimilative function is
in a person's physical constitution and abnormalities in weather conditions such
as environmental temperature or dampness. This is supported by the fact that beriberi
occurs frequently during damp weather and is more severe for the person living
in a damp environment; thus, the relationship between weather and beriberi.
A
person's constitution determines why person A gets beriberi and person B does
not, though they eat the same foods and lead the same lifestyle in the same family.
Therefore, the treatment method does not become fixed by a diagnosis of beriberi
in Oriental medicine.
When viewed from the standpoint of Western medicine which
tries to identify the "principal disease" and the "principal medicine,"
it is not unreasonable to have thoughts of ambiguity or insufficiency and develop
doubt about the possibility of Oriental medicine in the treatment of diseases.
Having a guiding principle within the ambiguity is the special characteristic
of Oriental medicine. This is not limited to medicine, but is true in all aspects
of Oriental culture.
India's poet Tagore has said that Oriental civilization
is like the forest and the Western civilization is like the brick house. It is
a most fitting comment. No matter how large a brick house is, the number of bricks
can be calculated. But when one confronts a large forest, its vastness is indescribable.
The types and shapes of plants and trees that exist cannot be known and are all
different. However, within its complicated distinctive features, we can still
find the uniform rule of nature. Plants that breed in damp ground are located
in areas of high humidity, plants of shaded ground in dark, dry areas and plants
of sunshine in bright, open areas. Not even a branch or a leaf diverges from this
rule. This is the way in which Oriental medicine can make sense of seeming ambiguity
and the profound laws within vastness. Oriental medicine, while disapproving of
universally valid treatment methods, includes principles which have universally
valid legitimacy. As always, the proof is best judged by the results of treatment
effectiveness. So words are not needed as much here. I will only say that medicine
may be divided into two types; standardized medicine and adaptable medicine.
Medicine
Used by Government and Medicine Used by Common People
Western medicine, in
contrast to Oriental medicine, is the medicine most appropriate for use by the
government. For the prevention of epidemics in a country or for judicially related
medical needs such as blood type, finger prints, autopsy, etc., Western medicine
is most effective. That is why the support of the government has always been given
to Western medicine.
Those who are concerned about Oriental medicine should
remember that it is always in a disadvantageous position compared to modern medicine
which has formed a trinity with government authority and monetary resources.
Western
and Oriental medicine should not oppose each other. It is not a matter of which
one is superior. Though the duties undertaken and the direction of contribution
may differ, when looking from a wide standpoint as a medicine, there is a feeling
that Oriental and Western medicine are like the two wings of a bird. When both
fully communicate, complement and cooperate, then it will be possible to give
the best in medical treatment.
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