“Western medicine and Chinese medicine—aren’t they both just forms of medicine? So why haven’t they been integrated?”

This was a question I had long pondered. But after studying both, the answer became clear:
They differ fundamentally in how they approach the body.

---

A Fundamental Difference in Medical Approach

Western medicine seeks to identify and directly treat the root cause of a symptom. Even in the case of syndromes—sets of troubling symptoms without a clear cause—it focuses on alleviating the symptoms directly.

In contrast, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) does not focus solely on the symptoms. Instead, it examines a wider range of bodily indicators to identify imbalances and formulate treatments that address the whole system, not just the visible problem.

---

Structural Differences Between Medical Paradigms

Western medicine is built on disciplines like anatomy, cytology, and biochemistry. It analyzes the body at the microscopic level and aims to repair specific organ functions.
However, this localized approach can sometimes lead to systemic imbalances, which then require further treatments to correct.

On the other hand, TCM categorizes the body by broad functional areas—such as the Five Zang organs—and emphasizes the flow and balance of energy (qi), blood, and other vital substances.
Because of this, TCM may treat areas that seem unrelated to the symptoms or use paradoxical strategies like “fighting poison with poison.”

---

Why Integration Is So Challenging

In TCM, what we call “anatomy” is derived from sensory-based observations and accumulated clinical experience—for example, the tactile sensations of palpation and post-mortem organ analysis after natural decomposition.
Trying to explain this framework within the structure of Western medicine is extremely difficult.

Conversely, Western medicine is founded on precise observational data obtained through advanced instruments—something completely different from the historical context in which TCM was developed.
This fundamental mismatch makes true integration difficult.

---

Still, Is There a Way to Bridge the Gap?

It may not be feasible to fully adopt each other’s data sets or models as-is. However, progress can be made if both sides stop trying to prove the other wrong, and instead start translating concepts through their own frameworks.

• Practitioners of Western medicine can try out TCM methods, experience the sensations first-hand, and map them to measurable data.

• Practitioners of TCM can reinterpret their traditional methods using Western scientific measurement tools, turning experiential insights into data and exploring how energy flows are manifested.

Rather than judging which system is “correct,” recognizing that both systems reflect different truths could open the door to meaningful convergence.

---

In the next article, I’ll be diving into one of the core philosophical principles of TCM: “material view” (唯物観)—which differs significantly from Western materialism.

Thank you for reading.

 

 

ほぐし処　ねこや

住所　〒277-0042
千葉県柏市逆井4丁目24-36
アクセス　逆井駅より徒歩9分
電話番号　04-7113-4346　(10:00~21:00)
営業時間　11:00～21:00　(完全予約制)
定休日　水・木曜日（祝日は営業）
当店facebookはこちら↓
http://bit.ly/1TqmW8d