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Health Is A Good Advice

In the minds of many people, attaining good health is mostly a result of someone else’s effort, from the outside (e.g. a physician’s, a pharmacist’s, an acupuncturist’s…) and that something concrete has to be done to the aspiring individual (e.g. to take some pills, to be surgically operated, to get injections, receive radiation and the like).

Who would ever guess that almost any disease could not only be prevented but even cured without any interventions from the outside simply by acquiring proper knowledge and applying it in one’s life.

Since most diseases are the direct or indirect result of our ignorance, it then quite logically follows that the best cure for all of them would be to be better informed.

Knowledge indeed is the best medicine for any problem. It is like bringing light to darkness where, all of a sudden, everything that seemed so complicated and scary becomes plain and obvious, clearly showing us the way out.

Western medicine’s approach largely contributes to and encourages people to think this way: “I’ll do whatever I like to do and when I get sick there are always the doctors to take care of it!”

Unfortunately this sort of thinking (and, what's worse, behaving) often leads to enslavement and suffering.

Enslavement not only to all kinds of diseases but, even more so, to the entire western health care system i.e. partial or total dependency on doctors, medications, hospitalisation, medical aids…

Suffering, both physically as well as financially. Physically, caused not only by the ailments themselves but, so often, by the harsh, invasive medical procedures too. Financially, because health care has turned more and more into a lucrative business so the patients are faced with considerable expenses in the form of all sorts of medical tests, prescribed medications, hospitalisation, medical aids, on top of transportation to and from…

In China this approach is summarised by the following 3 characteristics:

• wei (为) where the stress is on the activity (i.e. something needs to be done)
• wai (外) where the stress is on the external factor (i.e. someone else is involved / responsible for and needs to do something) and
• biao (标) where the stress is on the effects (i.e. the symptoms, in other words the end result that cannot really be fixed but rather constantly managed and kept under control over long periods of time)

In total contrast to this approach, the way of Chinese medicine can be summarised into something like this: ”I will guide you and make clear to you what you need to do in order to be able to take care of your own health!”

In the old days, in some parts of China, it was a common practice for the physicians not to be paid for treating their clients but rather for making sure that they do not get sick. And, as one would expect, if they fell ill, they would stop being paid.

This unique approach leads to liberation from enslavement and suffering and to peace, happiness and wellbeing.

In China this approach is summarised by the following 3 characteristics:

• wu wei (无为) where the stress is on the passivity (i.e. nothing needs to be done)*
• nei (内) where the stress is on the internal factor (i.e. it is me who is most responsible for my own health) and
• ben (本) where the stress is on the cause (i.e. the implementation of a healthy lifestyle** and enjoyment of)

Of course, the above discussion is just to emphasise the difference in the approach between western and Chinese medicine as well as the difference in the attitude between a typical western and Chinese individual when it comes to health and healing. Just as there is a preventative aspect of western medicine so are there the treatments that take care of the symptoms and bring immediate relief in Chinese medicine.

The stress here is on the importance of our own role in keeping us healthy and away from health care professionals for as long as possible (and only in the extreme situations). And that, according to Chinese medicine, is not only possible but has also been proven, over and over, for the last five thousand years.

* In other words those who lead healthy lifestyles need do nothing to rid themselves of the diseases they’ll never suffer from anyway :)

** Unfortunately there are still far too many people who only think they lead healthy lifestyles.