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Encounters with Qi: Exploring Chinese Medicine

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Dr. Eisenberg is one of the poineers of the Integartive medicine in US ( which is a fussion between the conventional and alternative therapies). Western medicine has achieved things that seemed imposible 1-2 centuries ago, but it seems to be stuck with its overly rationalistic approach toward disease...is the body functioning depending from the mind? Can attitude affect one's well- being? Could ther e be somthing that we still do not know about human physiology? Western science is just entering the realm of mind/body medicine( neuroscience), while some nations (like Chinese) have millenia long history of practicing and perfecting those methods of treatment....so why not learn to use those methods? Why not integrate them into conventional western medicine? Partly because the public and the medical proffessionals are not aware of all those options, and also because there is still some stigma in medical society about the alternative practices. Dr. Eisengberg's book disspels part of that stigma in a very easy to read, livelly and plesant style...

I really enjoyed reading this author's experiences as a medical student on exchange to the People's Republic of China in 1978-1980. He was the first Westerner to study at the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, and he was eager to try to reconcile the medical practices of ancient traditions with Western medicine. That meant learning about acupuncture and herbal remedies, and most of all, it meant learning about the mysterious energy called "qi" (or often spelled "chi").

The concept of qi is best known in the West as the foundation of the martial arts. The amazing strength of martial art practitioners, who can break a board with a chop of their hand, is attributed to qi. I have been taking instructions in Tai Chi for almost a year, and I've learned that the ultimate goal of Tai Chi is to control and direct the qi within the body. Most of us practice it as a form of exercise, but to the Chinese, it is much more than that.

But does qi really exist? It has no place in Western medical practice, but is essential to the practice of traditional medicine in China. The author found that the two types of medical practice existed side by side in China, and had little intercourse with one another. The way each went about dealing with patients was completely different. In the traditional clinics, diagnosis was made by taking the pulse (an extensive examination of the arm, with multiple readings) and examination of the tongue. The practitioner also asked for a detailed account of symptoms. Based on these, he prescribed a custom blending of herbs and ingredients that would be mixed by experts in the pharmacy.

Many conditions were treated with acupuncture. I found it interesting that the doctor would place a needle in the body, then ask the patient if they "had the qi." The patients would respond when they could feel something, presumably the energy stimulated by the needle. Many needles might be placed, the number and locations based on the meridian involved in the diagnosis. The clinic would have charts showing the meridians or channels through which the qi moves. There is a complex system of concepts involving Yin and Yang and the five elements: wood, water, earth, fire, and metal. The human body has an "organ system" that ties into the five elements, and everything in the universe is a mixture of Yin and Yang. I've read about these ideas elsewhere, but they are still hard to grasp. The author writes of his struggles to comprehend what he was being taught.

The book is full of great stories about the people and places the author knew during his study time. I loved the story about the blind masseur who would walk down the street playing a flute. This was his way of letting the neighborhood know he was there and available to give a massage. The author got up early with his Chinese friends to do Tai Chi exercises each morning with an old instructor, and he liked to run through the countryside while the locals came out to observe "Dr Ai" (as he was known to them).

But, disappointingly, the author gives no conclusion as to whether there really is qi coursing through our bodies. He made trips back to China with other doctors to test the amazing feats of Qi Gong masters, who attributed their powers to qi. For instance, a Qi Gong master can swallow small metal balls, then regurgitate them at will. He can make a fluorescent tube light up with touch. Some masters perform feats for audiences, doing stunts like having a car drive over them while they remain unhurt. How do they do it? Study teams from the US observed some of these acts at the invitation of Chinese officials, but they felt the conditions were not sufficiently controlled to warrant any conclusion. However, the author (Dr. Eisenberg) showed much respect and flexibility in receiving instruction and working alongside his Chinese colleagues. He was open to the idea that these ancient methods might be effective. He was especially convinced of the efficacy of acupuncture as an anesthetic, participating in brain surgery in which acupunture was the only anesthesia used.

This is a great book for anyone who is curious about Chinese traditional medical practice. Whether you know anything about it or not, you'll learn a lot from this well-written and entertaining book.