Biophysics Week 2: TCM and Intention

I recently received a message from my sister as she studied for her board exam to become a Family Nurse Practiioner.  It was a picture of one of her practice test questions.

"The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) favors all of the following in the management of sympathetic OA of the knee except:

a) low-impact aerobic exercises 
b) weight loss for those with a BMI >25kg/m2
c) acupuncture
d) strengthening exercises

Guess which one was correct?

My sister followed up with, "Its probably understudied" which is absolutely true in the western world. Despite thousands of years if effective healing, is it possible to test the efficacy of TCM in western terms?  This is a troubling conundrum as clinical trials attempt to streamline participants and conditions to reduce variability whereas in the world of TCM, the diagnosis, treatment plan and healing process varies dramatically from patient to patient.  

This topic challenges our intentions as future TCM practitioners in the western world.  How can we bridge the gap between the two mind sets and ensure that our patients can trust our medicine despite the lack of conventional evidence. I refer to Larry Spears as he reminds us that we are being taught Integrative Medicine so that we can share the brilliance of TCM with this particular western community.

The interaction with my sister could have left me wary of my path, but in fact it farther fueled my intention to persevere.  I understand that there is a convention that we are meandering around, leaping over or piercing through, but I feel confident about this medicine and my role in it. This is my intention, to heal in the way I feel most aligned and connected. There is so much beyond what is measurable and it is our job to focus our intention on the health of each patient we come in contact with.  Further, an intention towards collaboration with western medicine could move us toward a partnership that may help provide the most comprehensive form of health care that the western world has seen to date.  

This is important work.....
We will face obstacles....
We will face ambivalence....
We will be required tenaciously refer to our intentions....

As a mentor once told me:

"the tolerance of ambiguity and ambivalence is a high form of spiritual strength and energetic root."


Kirlian photography is able to capture the energetic body though high-frequency, high-voltage, low-amperage-electrical field.  As TCM deals with the energetic/ electromagnetic body that lies in and around the physical body, this type of imaging has shown to capture the 700 acupuncture points.  Though the thoughts on this "aura" photography has been a mixed bag, having a visible representation of the energy channels could be helpful in this east-meets-west conversation. 












Comments

  1. alexAugust 7, 2017 at 8:24 AM

    I love your post - thank you for sharing!
    I'm glad that the test question your sister sent you didn't leave you deflated - I could see how it would, but you're right, it's just part of the atmosphere we are in where acupuncture is studied in this way that doesn't fit, so it's hard to make it conventional (to some).
    Focusing our intentions is such great advice though, it makes a big difference for patients and for ourselves.
    I also feel like in some ways, the lack of conventionality is a draw for many who are more in line with post-modernist ways of thinking and being. It's incredible that acupuncture is such an old medicine that has healed so many, and yet we can't pinpoint very easily the ways in which it works. I've seen studies where inflammatory factors are measured, hormone levels, etc. - that's all well and good but it's sort of beside the point. We have amazing bodies and energy that we don't fully understand, and it's awesome to engage with that!

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  2. AmyAugust 14, 2017 at 2:01 PM

    "We will be required tenaciously refer to our intentions..." I love that! Thank you for this post, Nina. I really appreciate you articulating the importance of collaboration and remembering that we want to be practicing integrative medicine, but also pointing out that sometimes we will just have to know within ourselves that what we are practicing is medicine and that it is helping some people. We are here to serve those we can, whether or not we are validated on a test question for other medical providers.

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