Traditional Chinese medicine, BS or does it work?

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Nik
Well they've been doing it for thousands of years and it's been working for thousands of years. I find it funny that young kids on an internet messageboard think their opinion outweighs something like that.

they probably just associate chinese medicine with new age herbal / superstitious "folk" medicine (like eating exotic animals) because those are the kind you hear the most about.

I would say some of it works, some of it doesn't. one thing's for sure, western medicine works a hell lot better in most circumstances. there are situations (eg for certain chronic diseases) where chinese medicine might work better in the long term but of course that's debatable.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: Nik
Well they've been doing it for thousands of years and it's been working for thousands of years. I find it funny that young kids on an internet messageboard think their opinion outweighs something like that.

Says who?

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: RBachman

Originally posted by: Nik
Well they've been doing it for thousands of years and it's been working for thousands of years. I find it funny that young kids on an internet messageboard think their opinion outweighs something like that.

Says who?

all the ancient chinese wisemen

i thoroughly believe in all of that stuff, and even want to go as far as invest in some real agarwood oils and incense... but lack the funds lol

the problem is: most of us westerners go into that kind of treatment with a mindset that it wont work. and guess what, for most of the things us westerners try chinese remedies for, our mind will more or less prevent it from working. say we want to relieve a headache. that headache will persist because the mind will make it persist.
reverse placebo effect, is I guess what you can call it

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
China:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.27 years

US:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.71 years

Is China still considered a third world, poor, country? How does its life expectancy compare to other third world countries?

 

[aswedc]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
China:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.27 years

US:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.71 years

Is China still considered a third world, poor, country? How does its life expectancy compare to other third world countries?

CIA World Factbook is your friend...

 

[destrekor]

when there are that many people living in that size of a country, I wouldn't be surprised to see even a lower life expectancy.... I mean, as much disease that is spread at times, they fare quite well if you ask me.

and all that life expectancy guesses are crap. why? because the human, an inperfect lifeform, is going to die from causes that can never be prevented. heart-attack occuring within a 38 year old with no prior health issues? cant be dealt with. but it brings the life expectancy down with it happens a lot. and it does. many normal people die out of the blue.
i'd say, that real life expectancy is much higher, at around 85.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: RBachman

Originally posted by: Nik
Well they've been doing it for thousands of years and it's been working for thousands of years. I find it funny that young kids on an internet messageboard think their opinion outweighs something like that.

Says who?

all the ancient chinese wisemen

Oh, them...

i thoroughly believe in all of that stuff, and even want to go as far as invest in some real agarwood oils and incense... but lack the funds lol

the problem is: most of us westerners go into that kind of treatment with a mindset that it wont work. and guess what, for most of the things us westerners try chinese remedies for, our mind will more or less prevent it from working. say we want to relieve a headache. that headache will persist because the mind will make it persist.
reverse placebo effect, is I guess what you can call it

I think the philosophy of prevention & balance is about all it has going for it.

I have no doubt that natural sources of the synthetic medicines westerners take (such as willow bark <--> aspirin) work. Since both philosophies take the same approach here, there's no sense comparing them in this regard.

Which leaves us with absurd notions like tiger penises curing impotence, which would be laughable if they didn't show dispicable disregard toward endangered species. Oh, and acupuncture :roll:

 

[DVK916]

I know parents who have had child services called on them because of the coining/spooning treatment they do, looks like bruises.

 

[swimscubasteve]

I choose empirical science over heeby jeebie crap - asian or not.

 

[PHiuR]

some work, some don't.

chinese medicine that cures cancer or "cures" stroke... etc etc. yeah they probably don't work.

 

[silverpig]

I'm tutoring a woman in calculus right now, and she's a registerd doctor of chinese medicine. In exchange for math lessons, I am partially paid in session with her. I was curious and went in with an open mind, and have tried a few of her techniques.

A lot of it is mental. It's training the mind to be able to deal with things better. A lot of it I just sort of came up with myself but the mental exercises were nice.

I haven't really tried much of the herbal stuff yet, but the things I have tried have at least tasted good 🙂

Acupuncture is very relaxing actually. I come out of the sessions feeling refreshed. As for it's healing properties, well I don't have anything wrong with me, so I can't speak for it.

I got my mom a few sessions with her for xmas... she's had back pain and low energy levels for a number of years since her car accident, so maybe this will help her.

 

[Pepsei]

why argue when you can have both! some chinese crap with animal parts will probably not work, but other medicines, many with similar active ingredients in western medicine, will work.

for years chinese pepole have been looking for penis hardening agent in animal penis, they are wrong on that and quickly jumping onto viagra bandwagon. it's a best seller, you can buy pastry cakes with viagra sprinkles now.

 

[yhelothar]

Some of the stuff actually works.
Like chrysanthamum tea helps cure my cracked lips. I would wait for it to heal by itself, and it would stay cracked for weeks. After I drank the tea a few times a day, it healed up by the next day. Everytime I take it, it heals pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong either, I took it with a lot of skeptism, believing it most likely won't work. But I'm pretty sure it works for this one. It could be placebo though.
Most of the other stuff, I don't believe does anything. My grandma always wanted me to eat all this weird stuff. Basically her mentality is that if no one eats it, it's special and it heals. So she would purposely eat the parts that no one wants to eat. Like she would say eating fish eyeballs make your eyes good. 😕

 

[Mickey Eye]

I read somewhere that they had commisioned a scientific study into herbal remedies. Apparantly some things worked and somethings didn't who'ed have thought.

 

[yhelothar]

Not chinese but still a funny prank on all-natural products

 

[Pepsei]

i believe Acupuncture does something, while feng shui is mostly bunk (unless it's something, have house face east, less moisture...well of course).

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
China:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.27 years

US:
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.71 years

Is China still considered a third world, poor, country? How does its life expectancy compare to other third world countries?

72.27 vs. 77.71 doesn't seem that bad to me considering the difference in standards of living.

 

[edprush]

Originally posted by: silverpigr it.

I got my mom a few sessions with her for xmas... she's had back pain and low energy levels for a number of years since her car accident, so maybe this will help her.

Did you mom find any relief?