Navigating through the sea of medicine

Recently, Charlie Buck and I were invited to guest edit a Special Issue for the peer-reviewed journal “Chinese Medicine and Culture”. It discusses the global cross-cultural integration of TCM in the mainstream healthcare, medical education and the practice of medicine. It describes how TCM was established in the west, how schools were formed, how regulation was put together, and what is the future of the profession. We spoke with some of the key pioneers, Ted Kaptchuk, Peter Jonathan Deadman, Will Morris, Nigel Wiseman, Peter Eckman, John McDonald, Judy James, Felicity Moir, Edward Neal, and the wonderful Mel Hopper Koppelman. You can access the journal through this link:  https://journals.lww.com/CMC/pages/default.aspx   For convenience, I also uploaded the pdf of the entire issue on Google Drive, here:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fT4BSSEJ5uH8wqeWbry38NoLz2lo4nFJ/view?usp=share_link    

Chinese Medicine is a medical system that prides 15 centuries of continuous development. And it has not only managed to remain relevant and current, but has also successfully acculturated itself in the mainstream healthcare, becoming a global phenomenon.   Yet, there is a misconception among some acupuncturists, that other modalities are now aggressively appropriating parts of their practices (i.e., "scope creep"). I think that this viewpoint, although sometimes valid, should become an opportunity for reflecting back on the reasons why this is happening.    But let’s start with a true story:  In 2017, an amateur MMA fighter in China, knocked out a famous Taiji master in 30 secs. All sentiments aside, in recent decades Taiji stopped being a martial art (for the most part), and has reached a point where it is now taught as a dance routine with health benefits. As such it has lost its original scope, purpose and application.   Chinese medicine in recent years is following a simi

The shutting down of Acupuncture Schools is fast becoming an epidemic. Of course there are realistic, creative and innovative solutions to this problem, but not without sacrifice and pain. But what where the reasons for their failure? Let's summarize some of them:    ·        They were teaching with the same methodology that Chinese students were taught in the 1950’s, utilizing almost the same type of textbooks without modernizing the language, perspectives and concepts. ·        They were perpetuating philosophical and mystical terminology to fuel a steampunk version of "Romantic Orientalism".  ·        They were seeking new recruits in the pool of the New Age and the Hippy communities.  ·        There was lack of research. And even when some were conducting research, this was with no strategic focus and clear direction, but merely to increase citations and false impact.  ·        They were creating degrees without imparting realistic skills. And most graduates abandoned