A Philosophical Approach to Eastern Medicine
April 7, 2021
“Chinese Medicine and Homeopathy are two such examples of systems that don’t treat diseases as an enemy and therefore don’t create new ones.”
The notion of any relatively new concept or mechanism being particularly more effective than its counterpart of the past has lead to a massive shift in societal practices among the Western world. Not restricted to medicine, other exceptional forms of technology have managed to erase centuries of practices that have been only known to benefit human health and consciousness. Medicine is an increasingly primitive example of this notion.
The classical eastern world are adamant in their belief system that finds medicinal practices are most efficacious in the long run when found on the premise of philosophy and naturopathic human healing. Advocates of modernized medicine easily overlook the abundance of history that lies in Eastern medicinal practices, as they're simply not up to par with the rapid personal demands of our day-to-day lives and desires for convenience and comfort, nor are they mainstream in the pharmaceutical industry or discussions regarding health. It's certainly easier to treat an illness with over-the-counter pills, or some other bodily ailment that stems from a consistent inaction towards paying attention to our natural mechanics of signaling areas of our health that have been subject to neglect. Headaches, stress. fatigue, congestion, etc. Our bodies are wired to give us these signals as a call for help.
Making use of western medication is like throwing a wet blanket over a fire, whereas using eastern medicinal practices aids in understanding what brought about the fire in the first place whilst also preventing one from occurring again. The philosophy of Eastern Medicine can not only be understood in its rich origins but its framework in practice. One will find that it's difficult to reap the benefits of eastern medicine without correcting all other forms of wellness in their life. Exercise, meditation, nutrition, etc. This is because the wisdom of our planet's natural medicine understands that health is not only contingent on consumption. Efficiently utilizing eastern medicine forces the user to act in congruency towards your health. Failure to implement awareness into simple tasks such as breathing manner or mindfulness can result in one looking to western medication for answers.
The foundation of western medicine is rooted in focusing on solutions and only once the problem arrives, irrespective of undermining the cost (with regards to one's health) at which it comes at. It is no longer a secret that medical school intentionally fails to educate students about nutrition and wellness; the one principle that if followed will keep people away from the doctor. After all, pharmaceutical companies never have nor will benefit from people taking care of their health. They thrive on immoral faith in their customers to remain willfully blind to the truth of preventive solutions and adamant in the words of their doctor.
Ayurveda is the world's oldest medicinal system dating back nearly 6,000 years to its Indian origins. The foundation of Ayurvedic practice is embedded in its acknowledgment directed into three pillars the make up one's health: body, mind, and consciousness. Meditation, herbal supplementation, and yogic practices are examples of Ayurvedic application. In turn, these principles implement a common bias toward eastern medicine among people given how far back these practices date back when it should provide the opposite. This outlines the initial reference as to how a newly founded concept or mechanism is often regarded as more effective, and will inevitably become the modern norm, because of molded nonautonomous belief and cognitive bias.
A point worth noting regarding eastern medicinal practices is its limits. Although diseases such as polio or cancer are naturally developed, their most effective solutions aren't. However, the past and present state of these diseases spark questions as to how different these diseases would have occurred, if at all, had human society been at the pinnacle of health. This notion is self-evident given that conclusive scientific research can find endless links between cancer and lifestyle choices, and polio's link with poor sanitation and environment. Theoretics play a large role in this type of analysis given that the overall health of society is at its minimum and is only decreasing.
When business magnate Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, he began to approach treatment with naturopathic practices and alternative medicine. Botanicals, herbal supplementation, acupuncture, and specific diet changes were his replacements for the evidence-based alternatives of chemotherapy and radiation. Nine months passed before Jobs chose to undergo surgery. He died seven years later. This is another example that requires a theoretical approach since it's not known as to whether Jobs' alternative treatment and delay of surgery aided or impeded his recovery. This is also an example of eastern medicine's limits. But these kinds of accounts and experiences cycle back into its philosophy of prevention and wholeness while maintaining consistent health irrespective of present disease. One could only imagine what the future of human health and treatment of disease could look like granted these concepts are brought into the public eye.
“The greatest medicine of all is to teach people how not to need it.”