Even a kiss can heal

A kiss on the cheek is a placebo too.


Jesca Hoop - Hospital (to win your love)

In our class discussion last week I heard a lot of resistance to the research presented. It's a theme that bubbles up frequently in acupuncture school.  

I get it.  In research methodology class we learn to be skeptical about the motivations of researchers and publishers and the nuances in study design, the measurement of results and analytical approach. In the media we read sensational or reductionist headlines proclaiming some half baked study now has the answer, and its often intended to discredit acupuncture or herbal medicine - which we hold dear!  I feel compelled to protect traditional medicine, to practice time tested techniques and subtle manipulations that are the result of careful observation and repetition...   We who are called to study traditional medicine value it for those qualities specifically, as do many of our patients.  But many of them just think of it as natural or more affordable or accessible, or they just heard from a friend that it works.  

I don't think Western biomedical research is anything to be afraid of, and resistance to further inquiry is a mistake.  In a video lecture from a 2012 Intro to Biochemistry class at Oregon state, professor Kevin Ahern explains that 60 years ago scientists claimed the structure of a cell was so complex that they would never understand it. Today every kid in school learns about DNA. 60 years ago the tools were not available to analyze and understand things on such a microscopic level. Thanks to an explosion in knowledge and technology, we already know more than ever expected!  

Professor Ahern also talks about magic.  Early on people didn't have the tools to see inside, measure and understand at the microscopic level - but they did explain the changes.  Remarkable changes could be called magic.  Traditional Chinese medicine is similar - despite the lack of microscopic examination the ancestors and pioneers have observed and described changes, growth and development and disease, the expected sequence of progression and interventions to correct the course. 

Our field stands to benefit from the explosion in phsyiological and biochemical understanding.  As practitioners I think we should embrace research, collaborate with researchers in other fields, and read and remain critical of the methodology and motivations  that impact the quality of information that is published. Embrace it fully - be well informed and fearless.  Regardless of what they discover, we know it works.  

Even a placebo has an effect.  




Comments

Vong Fou said…
Omg ...this was too cute. Thanks!
July 29, 2018 at 8:56 AM
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