| Heal!
A Tale
Of Two Philosophies:
Healing The West With Eastern Medicine
by Chantal Rice
Several years ago, Charles Strodtbeck began battling chronic fatigue and was having little luck finding ways in which to treat his accompanying health problems. In fact, Western doctors repeatedly told him there was nothing even wrong with him! That put him on the path to researching naturopathic care. With an open mind and an interest in alternative medicine, Strodtbeck felt hopeful about finding relief in Eastern medicine therapies.
But after receiving a few acupuncture treatments, Strodtbeck felt the therapy wasn’t working for him, in part because the acupuncturist used overly strong stimulation. But he didn’t give up, and began studying more alternative medicine therapies on his own.
Eventually, Strodtbeck was treated by a Chinese herbalist.
“This doctor treated me only with herbs and traditional Chinese medicine,” Strodtbeck recalls. “And I just got it. It just really started to work for me and I began feeling better.”
Strodtbeck is presently growing his knowledge of alternative medicine at the Academy of Oriental Medicine (AOMA) in Austin. Now in his third year, Strodtbeck has his own understanding of the human body and how to heal illness.
“Here we’re studying the medicine itself, but schools can only give you an aspect of how it all fits together,” he says. “You have to learn the whole condition of the person you’re treating, and you have to understand how everything affects everything else.”
Because most Americans are used to Western medicine practices such as pill-popping and traditional physical exams, the idea of a more metaphysical Eastern medicine treatment may scare some. But Kelly McBride, a student intern at AOMA, says traditional Chinese medicine practices are nothing to fear. In fact, she says, with the variety of ailments that can be cured or improved with such practices, it’s no wonder there has been a recent shift toward alternative medicine in the United States.
“The World Health Organization has a list of about 40 different illnesses they advocate seeing an acupuncturist for,” she says. “But you can really treat so many problems with acupuncture and herbs. Palsy, strokes and paralysis are all incredibly effected with the use of Chinese medicine.”
So what exactly is traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, and how does it work? Acupuncture is based on the philosophy that energy channels, called “meridians,” run through the body in specific patterns. When the flow of energy through these meridians is blocked or altered, the body can experience problems.
Acupuncture treats these problems by using points on the meridians to normalize the energy flow, thereby allowing the body to heal. By inserting tiny, flexible needles, or by applying heat or other forms of stimulation to specific acupuncture points, imbalances in the meridians are corrected and organs return to normal functionality with few side effects other than occasional bruising.
According to Dr. Jay Ding, a chiropractor and acupuncturist at Peak Performance in Austin, acupuncture treatments can generally cure acute health problems within a few visits, while chronic conditions may require several months’ worth of treatments before improvements are noticeable.
“I do acupuncture every day,” he says. “I get people coming in for chronic pain, sports injuries, headaches and allergies. And acupuncture basically jump starts their systems and gets their bodies back into balance. And if everything is done right, it is safer than aspirin.”
Acupuncture and the use of herbs are becoming more accepted by Westerners as a means to cure many ailments, but Ding says it’s important for patients to choose acupuncturists and herbalists who have been trained properly, in order to avoid future health complications.
The training involved to become a licensed acupuncturist or herbalist is extensive. And students at AOMA learn everything from the history of Chinese medicine, which dates back several thousand years, to the theoretical knowledge of the practice, to the actual healing process. Upon completion of the 1,000-hour master of oriental medicine program, which includes acupuncture and moxibustion training as well as Chinese herbology, Asian bodywork, nutrition and biomedical science studies, graduates are able to apply for acupuncture and Chinese herbology certification, and begin working as licensed acupuncturists and herbologists.
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| Dr. Shen |
“Throughout their schooling, students here
learn the process of diagnosing patients,” says Dr. Xiaotian
Shen, director of clinical training at the academy. “Chinese
medicine has its own series of diagnoses. First we gather
information from the patient. We observe, ask questions about
their history and current problems. We’re also observing the
shape and spirit of the patient.”
A physical exam is given initially to determine if there is any tenderness throughout the patient’s body. Also checked are the patient’s tongue and pulse, two diagnostic tools acupuncturists and herbalists use to evaluate any number of health problems.
“When we’re checking the pulse of a patient, we’re not just checking it the way a Western doctor would,” says Karen Knippa, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist at the Plum Blossom Wellness Center in Austin, and a graduate of AOMA. “There are six different pulses on each side that correspond to different meridians. So an acupuncturist is paying attention to the way the pulse feels. Is it slippery, or wiry like a guitar string, or is it a soggy pulse? These are diagnostic tools we’re trained in that give indications of what is out of balance in the patient’s body.”
Knippa says the process of observing a patient’s tongue is similar in that acupuncturists are looking for specific attributes which may determine health problems. Characteristics such as the color and shape of the tongue, whether or not there are any spots or if the tongue is swollen can help acupuncturists diagnose.
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| Karen Knippa, acupuncturist and
herbalist at Plum Blossum Wellness |
“There’s a certain geography we’re looking for. If a patient has a thick, white coat on the tongue, this can be an indicator of sickness,” Knippa says. “So that part of the initial examination can give you a lot of clues as to what the problems are.”
Among acupuncturists and herbalists, there is much talk of meridians, elements and balance, ideas Americans may have a difficult time understanding and accepting. But Knippa says while the Chinese philosophy involved in the practice of TCM is important to understand, it’s not necessarily an aspect patients need to be familiar with.
“Each organ has a meridian that runs through the body, and a corresponding element and emotion,” she says. “For example, the liver and gallbladder meridian corresponds to the wood element and the emotions of kindness or frustration. It can be difficult to understand, but there’s a balance we’re always seeking between the physical, the emotional and the elements. And for many patients, they don’t need to know or care to know the specifics of our diagnosis; they just want the acupuncture to help them feel better. So I work in very practical ways with my clients. You just have to start where people are.”
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| Dr. Amy Neuzil works with a patient
at Plum Blossum Wellness Center. |
Dr. Amy Neuzil, a naturopathic doctor who works with Knippa at the Plum Blossom Wellness Center, focuses less on TCM and more on modern pathology and holistic treatments. She says she believes one of the reasons alternative medicine practices are becoming more popular in this country is because patients are getting discouraged when Western doctors can’t heal them.
“Western pathology and diagnoses try to treat the cause instead of treating the lifestyle or the diet and nutrition of a patient,” she says. “I use supplements and counseling for the mind and body to help heal my patients. I treat just about every type of health problem: any kind of chronic disease, weight problems, attention deficit disorder and we’ve even got alternative therapies for diseases like cancer.”
One element of traditional Chinese medicine as well as naturopathic medicine is to focus on the patient as a whole, whereas Western medicine traditionally treats only the patient’s symptoms.
“We believe in treating the person, not the disease,” Neuzil says. “And we tailor the treatments for each person, which is something Western medicine is limited by. If you go to see a Western doctor and he tells you to take some aspirin for your headache, he’s just treating the current problem, he’s not getting to the source of why you’re getting headaches, which is what we would really focus on so that we can rid you of your headaches.”
Another way traditional Chinese medicine practices differ from that of Western philosophies is that acupuncturists and herbalists are intent on averting a problem before it starts.
“Chinese medicine is all about preventative therapies,” says Katie McBrearty-Shields, a licensed acupuncturist practicing at Ancient Arts Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in Austin. “We want to take care of the body by not allowing illness to come inside. And by taking care of the body from the inside out, the person becomes whole.”
Herbal treatments work in conjunction with acupuncture, McBrearty-Shields says, to cure specific symptoms of an illness. And in order to treat each patient’s illness properly, any number of herbal formulas is devised to help with particular problems.
“There is an herb for everything,” she says. “But it’s important to create a formula specific to each patient’s needs. I make herbal formulas for each patient; it’s not like going into a pharmacy where everybody’s getting the same thing. I’m treating you and your problem.”
The use of herbs is generally considered extremely important among practitioners of Eastern medicine, and are often given to patients as granules or in raw form to ingest as a tea. Because herbalists make herbal formulas from scratch, it is easier to personalize it for patients.
“I use a great formula for migraines and allergies,” McBrearty-Shields says. “There are herbs that help muscles and herbs that help with pregnancy. In fact, herbs are great for most female health problems. PMS, hot flashes and other menopausal problems are greatly helped with the use of herbs.”
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| Rupesh Chhagan works with herbs
at Medical Arts Acupuncture. |
Rupesh Chhagan, a licensed acupuncturist
and herbalist with his own practice called Medical Arts Acupuncture
in Austin, is also a graduate of AOMA, and works at the White
Crane Herbal Medicine store on the AOMA campus.
“Herbal medicines can cause a strong change in the body immediately, so it is very important to use herbs properly,” he says. “Here we have everything from the roots of a plant to the flowers and the berries and the leaves. We’ve also got minerals and fossils … and most of the herbs are raw because that’s the most potent form. These are really great medicines that can treat so many things. If you have a common cold, a few bags of herbs can kick it quickly. And the only real downside is that a lot of them don’t taste very good. They tend to taste like dirt, so that dissuades a lot of people.”
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| Thanh Chung at Thien Nhon Duong |
Thanh Chung, who helps her father Hoa Chung run their Chinese herb shop, Thien Nhon Duong in Austin, says she’s only received traditional Chinese medicine her entire life.
“Herbs are just safer than prescribed Western medicines,” she says. “There are hardly any side effects. Growing up we used no Western medicines, only Chinese medicines. And my body is used to it. If I take an aspirin I tend to get bigger headaches because my body is accustomed to taking natural things. And I think part of the reason people are worried about taking herbs is because Americans are accustomed to Western medicines, whereas Chinese medicines are grasses and roots. You have to cook it and drink it. So it’s very different, but it definitely works as a way to treat ailments and prevent greater health problems.”
Hoa Chung, who has been practicing herbology for much of his life, is somewhat of an herbal pharmacist and is happy to help walk-in customers with their health concerns, as well as fill herbal prescriptions given to patients by acupuncturists.
“My father will do a diagnosis on a customer using the pulse method,” Thanh Chung says. “He’ll also look at the tongue and ask lots of questions about your history, diet, bathroom habits and things like that, and then he’ll determine what herbal formula to prescribe.”
Ding, whose practice adheres to more of a Western tradition, warns the use of herbs in some cases can be detrimental to a patient’s health.
“Some herbs contain steroids and can hurt cancerous cells, for example,” he says. “That’s why patients should also keep seeing their Western doctors, so they can do more specific tests for things like that. You don’t want to give a patient with cancer the kinds of herbs that will cause further problems.” Chhagan agrees that TCM patients should also seek Western medical care. “I am all for the marriage of Eastern and Western medicine because together, people can get well,” Chhagan says.
Strodtbeck, who plans to become a working acupuncturist and herbalist, says learning from his personal experiences with both Western and Eastern doctors will influence how he deals with patients himself.
“Doctors are starting to realize that Western medicine has limits. And if they can start to incorporate some aspects of TCM, they will see that these treatments actually work,” he says. “This philosophy is spreading like wildfire in this country right now. And one of the great things about TCM is that it makes patients more responsible for their health. I think that’s an idea any Western doctor can support.”
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