Why is it that we never use the phrase “I believe/don’t believe in Western medicine/pharmaceuticals,” yet it’s the norm to talk about “believing” or “not believing” in holistic medicine/acupuncture/herbal remedies/Chinese medicine?
Both are science. It seems odd that we as a society find it so difficult to reconcile that within ourselves.
“Both are science.”
Well no, actually, they aren’t. One is tested by scientific method, the other is traditional ecological knowledge. That being said, ‘eastern’ medicine is receiving increased scientific scrutiny and a lot of it is proving to be effective. But I do believe it should be held to this scrutiny before used.
Dude! I work in a vet clinic specializing in Chinese medicine. It isn’t just traditions passed down. It’s science. The mother dear wouldn’t have quit Western medicine to focus on Chinese medicine if it was just voodoo magic 🙂
I’m not saying it’s voodoo magic, and nowhere did I say that. It definitely works in many cases, just as often (if not more than) Western medicine… but it isn’t science and never has been. The procedure is different.
Science is a process whereby hypothesis are methodologically tested by manipulating variables to determine relationships. Studies are (relatively) short term and reductionist, trying to isolate one or two variables. It is hierarchical and based on laws and theories. It is mainly quantitative (actually measuring units of difference) with data collected by specialists. It works on a process of incremental hypothesis verification and model building.
On the other hand, Eastern medicine (often lumped with holistic medicine) operates by a completely different process, and it is a form of traditional ecological knowledge. The approach is holistic, incorporating many variables at once, and is based on cumulative, collective experience. It is mainly qualitative, and integrated with/applied to everyday living practices. It tends to operate on very long time scales and observes cyclical relationships as opposed to linear.
I’m not saying it’s eastern medicine isn’t valid, but it’s definitely not science.
(although the line is being blurred now that western practitioners are applying their own ideas to it, and many of the remedies proposed from eastern medicine are being tested by the western scientific method)
(ask the boyfriend on this one if you don’t trust me)