East Asian medicine has one foot in the skills and techonlogy of medicine, and another in the traditions and influence of culture. How it is thought about and used in a place like Taiwan bears some similiarity to how we practice in the West, and there are some significant differences.
Culture and habit are inseperable from the experiences people have in making sense of world and how they approach illness and health.
Listen in to this conversation on a Western practitioner’s view of doing Chinese medicine inside of the traditional culture of Taiwan.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
- How Chinese Medicine in Asia is different than in the West
- How is TCM viewed in Taiwan
- How Chinese medicine is integrated into the medical system in Taiwan
- Role of the family in hospital care
- Family systems of herbal medicine that strengthen the body
- How Greg got in to Chinese Medicine
- Role of the fascia in martial arts
- What kinds of issues people bring to Chinese medicine doctors
- Treating terminally ill patients
- The charm of Tainan
- The phenomenal national healthcare system in Taiwan
- Methods Greg uses in clinic
- Saam acupuncture
- Abdominal acupuncture
A tincture made with rubbing alcohol, mudanpi, jinyinhua, and lianqiao can be very helpful for treating cystic acne in areas like the back or chest when applied topically one or twice a day.
I became interested in Chinese medicine when I was an early teen because I had been active in martial arts where I witnessed on a few occasions some ‘kung fu’ medical treatments by my kung fu teachers. I was amazed to see a nose that was broken sideways get pulled straight, a chronic migraine get immediate long term relief following ‘acupuncture’ with a cutting needle, simple herbal combinations that effectively treat difficult issues such as a double retinal detachment and facial palsy, and the use of herbs for martial arts and qigong cultivation.
After Chinese medicine school, I studied Chinese orthopedics and went to Beijing for more practice where I witness more amazing treatment results. Thereafter, I began to work at an herbal company where I was exposed to classical Chinese herbology. I was inspired to learn classical Chinese medicine and have pursued further studies in this direction for many years.
My practice is centered on classical Chinese medicine applications including classical herbology, classical acupuncture, traditional tuina and traumatology, as well as other specialized systems of acupuncture. As such, I am focused on traditional diagnosis and the treatment principles used in classical Chinese medicine. I love how effective Chinese medicine can be for all kinds of illnesses and injuries and am continually amazed how quick and tangible treatment results can be when the patterns of illness and imbalance that are identified according to traditional diagnosis are the focus of the treatment.
Links and Resources
When in the USA you can find Greg at Retreat Acupuncture
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