Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Advice for the Layperson

With ALS gaining a great deal of national attention lately, I thought it might be interesting for people to hear how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views and treats it. First of all, what is ALS?

ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the motor nerves in the central nervous system that ultimately leads to the weakening and wasting of muscles. It primarily affects muscles of movement and posture, as well as those used for swallowing and breathing. Because of its effects on respiration, ALS is eventually fatal for most people. There is speculation as to what causes this degeneration, but as of now, the cause is unknown. Western medicine has a few treatments that help with mitigating the symptoms and sometimes slowing ALS’s progression; however, a definitive cure has yet to be found.

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As a holistic healthcare provider, my opinion is often sought by clients in a quandary over whether they should try a supplement; often to either improve health or treat an illness. There are three main factors to consider when choosing supplements: appropriateness, quality, and dosage. By looking at these aspects, one can make a rational choice, if any at all, as to what will work best for them.

First off, I will state my bias up front; I believe 70% of the supplements consumed in the U.S. are a waste of money. They are sold based on the same insecurities, fears, and promises that cosmetic manufacturers use to move products: feelings of inadequacy, fears of poor health, and promises of a quick, and above all else, easy solution to maintaining our good health. There are definitely times that supplements are very helpful, even curative. Other times they might not be the wisest choice for a particular health issue. But I often see that the marketing hype around this issue plays on our emotions rather than appealing to our wisdom. When pressed about why people use supplements, often one the three above reasons will come up as the main motivating factor. This is exactly what the supplement manufacturers count on to sell their products.

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Now more than ever, Integrative Healthcare is becoming more viable as a potential remedy for what is ailing America’s healthcare system. Currently, we are facing a national crisis on just how we are going provide healthcare to Americans and keep it affordable and fair for everyone.  Unfortunately, if we don’t change our underlying philosophies, I don’t believe we will find an answer within the current system.

The main reason that we won’t be able to fix this system is that its’ focus is in the wrong places:  illness care and gross profiteering for third parties.   I am in a position as a Integrative Healthcare provider to have an opinion on the first problem.  The issue revolves around the fact that you cannot build a national healthcare system whose main approach is heroic medicine.  This is a treatment strategy that focuses on illness care only.   No level headed person would argue that this aspect of medicine isn’t extremely important; however, as far as creating a national healthcare policy, it should figure less importantly into the equation than it does currently. Simply stated, keeping people healthy will always be much more inexpensive than treating illness.  Our philosophical focus should shift from waiting until a person develops the acute or chronic health problem, to preventing it in first place.  This can be accomplished by relying heavily on education and incentives for health as well as including so called, “Alternative Therapies”, into our healthcare system.

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