Is Chinese Medicine holistic?
There is a misconception that Allopathic (western) medicine loves pills and surgery and that TCM is non-invasive, natural and affects the mind, body and spirit. The truth is that any reaction we have to medicine is holistic as the whole body is eventually affected. This means that surgery and psychology are both holistic because they will eventually affect the whole organism. The key difference is whether the diagnostic systems and treatment protocols are done with regard to what may happen to the rest of the body. TCM was one of the first medical systems to effectively employ brain surgery while modern MDs urge patients to change their diet and adopt breathing techniques to relieve stress. Phrases like Natural and Holism depend more on doctors individual philosophy than their medical tradition. Every system of medicine strives to be holistic; TCM recognized and categorized these interrelationships early on. New medical systems such as psyconeuroimmunology are also making great strides
