Have you ever thought that every time you visit your physician, whether they be a doctor of allopathic, naturopath, homeopathic, or Chinese medicine, that the advice they give you is largely theoretical, and that the “practice” of medicine is simply no more than the proving of a theory.
Sounds ridiculous right? But it is absolutely true.
I saw this today myself when I asked the neonatologist (premature baby doctor), who was overseeing my young premature son in the hospital’s intensive care unit, if there was anything we could do to help his constipation. Her advice back to me was to let Nature work its course, that she wasn’t worried and that he would eventually poop all on his own. She did say however, that if she were “20 years older and wearing glasses” that she would probably give him a glycerine suppository, a practice that many other doctors still practice, but one that she obviously doesn’t agree with. So who’s theory is better?
A few hours after that conversation, I chatted with a woman on the phone who’s first few words to me were, “do you believe that gluten allergy is the main cause of eczema?”. I said, while this may be true for some, I would not agree that this is true for many, if not most people. I said that if a gluten allergy was causing a problem on the skin, like eczema, then the simple solution would be to remove that from the diet and see what happens. Certainly the skin should get better if the “main cause” was due to a gluten allergy, but like many people I see, this woman still had troubled skin, even though she had pretty much eliminated all sources of gluten from her diet for over 2 years. Does the “gluten allergy theory” still hold out in this case? I personally do not think so.
In Chinese medicine we also use theories to understand why a health problem exists, and then how to solve it. Believe me when I say, that you will find a large degree of differing viewpoints from the different doctors of Chinese medicine as to why they think you have the problem that you do. Many times their theories lead to good outcomes. Many times they do not. I, as a doctor of Chinese medicine focusing on dermatology, am also just coming up with a theory, with which I will hopefully create a good result. I photograph all my patients with skin problems so that I can objectively see if my theory is panning out or not.
As my very first mentor, Dr. Kingson Wu, stated to me many years ago,
“Do not believe anything you read or hear, prove it in clinic.”
Wow! Pretty heavy handed advice, but it has certainly helped define my whole clinical practice. Medicine should be based on good clinical outcomes, not just theoretical ones. If a patient is not getting better, then we need to change our theory, our approach. (Read knowing enough is enough)
Where is the best place to get a good theory anyways? Well in Chinese medicine this hopefully comes down through the oral transmission, or deep studying, of another accomplished doctor who was well known for their good clinical outcomes. It makes sense that it is the theories of these successful doctors that we want to follow. The job of the student is to then try and replicate these famous doctors results, by re-proving those theories in a clinical setting. This is also why we call medicine a “practice”.
My mentor, Mazin Al khafaji, is considered one of the most respected dermatologists in the world, not only by other doctors of Chinese medicine, but also by very high level western medicine physicians working for very prestigious medical universities and hospitals throughout Europe. He won this privilege not by blasting his theories all over the place, he did so purely by sharing his case studies. Over the past 25+ years Mazin has collected literally thousands of detailed photographs of the many complicated skin conditions he has treated successfully, thus proving that Chinese herbal medicine, when applied through the correct theory, is an extremely effective treatment. Pictures as they say “speak a thousand words”.
Anyone can hold a theory, as to why they think you have the problem that you do. Anyone can have a theory as to what the correct treatment would be. But it is the end result, of whether you get better or not, which is the main determinant of how good the theory is or not. Mazin liked to say this little phrase by Jonathan Swift, which I think sums this up perfectly,
“All poets and philosophers who find
Some favourite system to their mind
In every way to make it fit
Will force all Nature to submit.”
May we all remember that medicine is simply the art of proving a theory, for which there are many. Take some time to think about the theories that you have adopted in regards to your health. What do you believe to be true? What have you found works for your particular health needs? Let us hope that the theory you follow is sound enough to ensure the good results that you deserve.
Wishing you health,
Dr. Trevor Erikson
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson