Comparison of Chinese Herb Tea and Western Medicine
| Chinese Herb Tea | Western Medicine | |
|---|---|---|
| Historical development | Part of Chinese heritage dating back more than thousands of years | Developed over the past 200 years for modern medical science |
| Approach | Adopts an inductive and synthetic approach | Adopts reductive and analytical approach |
| Basis | Relies on experience over time through numerous trials and clinical observations Make reference to ancient books such as ‘Book of Change’ (易經), ‘Emperor Internal Canon’ (皇帝內經) Philosophical such as yin-yang(陰陽), five elements (gold, wood, water, fire and earth), qis(氣), seasons etc |
Based on standards and evidence from researches Make reference to recent scientific and technological development |
| Diagnosis | Look at the human body as a whole with fully interconnected system. Organs are coordinating with one another.
Diseases are caused by an imbalance of the internal harmony of the body Four diagnostic methods include ‘inspection, listening and smelling, interrogation and palpation Difficult to understand and dependent on the experience of the doctor |
Scientific knowledge such as germ theory, virus, DNA, anatomy etc. to explain the cause of diseases Concentrate on specific parts of the body and the symptoms of diseases Abundance of tools such as X-ray, scan etc to help identify infected organs Easy to understand as organs are clearly defined |
| Treatment | Mainly use herb tea to treat patients for instance, ‘fire’ of a patient can be treated by Chinese herb tea to remove ‘heat’
Strengthen the overall immunity of the patient to expel the germ Herbs are made from plants and come from nature. Herb tea have less side effects as prescription usually combine different herbs to supplement each other and counteract undesirable effects |
Depends on drug or surgery to treat patient Focus on causes of disease and aim at specific target to eradicate diseases, eg. Killing bacteria and cancer cells but healthy cell might be killed too. Drugs are often composed of synthetic and chemical substances to suppress symptoms Drugs have side effects, ranging from mild to severe |
| Strength and weakness | Focus on prevention and management of chronic illness, and the recognition of the importance of lifestyle and the mind/body connection. The biological or chemical process taking place for the ‘harmonisation’ is not easy to verify. Not making full use of the advance in medical instruments Not as sophisticated as western medicine in the specialisation and division of medical professionals |
Focus on treating structural trauma and defects, as well as address life-threatening illnesses that require medical or surgical intervention. Medical science is organised systematically and the treatment process is substantiated by scientific knowledge. Inventions of instruments (such as X ray, Computed Axial Tomography etc) for treatment and diagnosis have greatly enhanced people’s understanding of diseases. Abuse on the use of antibiotics lead to drug resistant diseases for humans while over exposure to radiation brought by new technology increase the risk of cancer Advance in medical technologies leads to an escalating medical cost for drugs and treatment |
| Goals of treatment | ‘Cure’ oriented to restore the balance of the body and hence tailored made for individual patient | ‘Remove the symptoms’ oriented and standardised treatment for people with similar symptoms |
| Role of doctor | Play ‘supporting’ role to help patient prevent diseases | Similar to that of a mechanic, to fix what is broken and find things that are wrong |
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