Pharma/Med side effects, TCM explanation!

This is an interesting one! To me anyway..

So, we can't deny that many Western Med Pharmaceutical drugs/medications are well worth their weight in gold, as well as life saving, and i am grateful.......

We also cannot deny that for the past century at least, they have been overprescribed, with the rubric used for diagnosing being made wider.. AKA the goal posts have been moved, over and over. ADD/ADHD are really good examples. Hypo/Hyperthyroidism as well.

Maybe more on that another time..

So when it comes to the side effects.. drowsy, constipated, vision loss, muscular wasting, DEATH.. lol.. not funny though..

It is wildly well known that western drugs have side effects. Sometimes two people on the same drug will have the same side effect, sometimes they will have vastly different side effects, and sometimes they will have none! (Thankfully)..

TCM can tell us why.. AND why is it silly to treat patients this way..

When a patient sees a western doctor, they are diagnosed by their symptoms, as well as evidence found in scans or lab work numbers. They are given a diagnosis, and then the doctor decides which is the right drug for them, picked from the available catalogue, under the heading of the diagnosis.

The drug will take away (often just mask) the problem, but then the side effects may come up.. DONT WORRY.. there is another drug for this issue ;) (ew).

So we can't deny that a properly selected drug will work to mitigate, or get rid of the issue. All good.

But then the side effects!

TCM works differently. It works HOLISTICALLY.. Which has become a buzzword and nearly meaningless in the cultural zeitgeist. But to me, it means when i am treating and diagnosing an issue, i need to take into account EVERY aspect of this persons health, and compare it to how and why this situation is working.

So... Like the western doctor, a TCM doc will ask your main issue, your chief complaint, and often we will have a shared understanding in western terms.. Lets say "Headache".

This is just the beginning, not the end as is so often the case in western medicine. After learning the patient is suffering from headaches, we need to then find out the how and why this is happening.. And the when.. AND WHERE!

What part of your head? What time of day? What makes it better or worse? When did it start?

All obvious, and all should be asked by a western doc too..

But diving deeper..

-How is your emotional self these day? Any prevailing emotions, or emotions that are not available?

-Are you craving any foods? Are you feeling strong thirst? Do you prefer hot or cold?

-Do you have aches and pains in your joints or muscles? Which ones? What makes it feel better...... etc etc etc..

These questions will help us build a picture of the whole system, and how it is interacting to result in the headache, and allow us to differentiate the headache and what type it is!

Headache due to - wind cold, wind heat, wind damp, liver yang rising, qi and blood deficiency, phlegm obstruction, blood stasis......

If we treat all the patients with the same herbs, or drugs, then of course they will react differently outside of the main symptom hopefully clearing up!

They have all arrived at the symptom of headache by vastly different means!

As is most if TCM, the concepts and practices are all very much common sense!

So what do we do...... well.. one day here in the west, TCM principles will be realized, and work ALONGSIDE western med. This is the way. Unfortunately, Health Canada is a terrible organization, who does not have our best interests at heart. Harsh thing to say, but it sure seems to be true. Ill refrain from this rant as long as possible..

But for now, we can use TCM to limit, and to mitigate the side effects of medications that are being used, and to great affect!

So, to sum this up. If we treat everyone the same, they will all have different reactions.

That's about it!