{"id":10983,"date":"2015-02-28T01:53:38","date_gmt":"2015-02-28T06:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10983"},"modified":"2015-02-28T02:00:11","modified_gmt":"2015-02-28T07:00:11","slug":"10983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10983","title":{"rendered":"The Virtue of Patient Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

[East West Perspective \u4e1c\u897f\u65b9\u4e4b\u89c2\u70b9]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Virtue of Patient Care<\/strong><\/h2>\n

by Gary Greer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Technological advances in health care has led to a common belief that physicians tend to detach themselves from their patients.[i]<\/a>\u00a0 As a result, a paradigm shift from disease care to \u201cPatient-Centered Care\u201d has emerged, where clinicians and health care systems are turning their focus back to the patient.[ii]<\/a>\u00a0 I believe that maintaining patient-centered care<\/em> is essential in schools of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).\u00a0 Rather than maintaining its Eastern philosophical roots, TCM has been conforming to a Western clinical model that places the patient in the peripheral rather than the center.\u00a0 Such conformity has made the “tradition” in TCM a misnomer, for TCM as taught and clinically practiced today is nearly devoid of its traditional foundation, the ancient philosophy of Daoism.[iii]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Gary<\/p>\n

When I was a budding student comparing the multitude of acupuncture and oriental medicine schools offered in the United States, I recognized that the curriculum in a majority of the schools required countless hours of clinical competencies and biomedicine.\u00a0 Yet, I was puzzled that few schools did not offer courses, much less required, a study of Daoism.\u00a0 At the acupuncture school where I currently teach Daoist Medicine and Qi Gong, all of the 3rd and 4th-year transfer students of TCM lacked knowledge of the foundational relationship between acupuncture and Daoism.\u00a0 I once asked my teacher, Heavenly Master Zhang Yi Xiang, for specifics on how she was able to help so many people at her acupuncture clinic.\u00a0 She emphasized to me her belief that one is not truly successful unless one practices the virtues of compassion and selflessness.\u00a0 Master Zhang stressed that virtuous qi heals beyond the physical.<\/p>\n

To cultivate virtue, one must connect to the root of TCM, the Daodejing<\/em>.\u00a0 Virtue and following the way of nature resonates in the very essence of Daoist health, healing, and longevity.\u00a0 In Chapter 7 of the Daodejing<\/em>, Laozi wrote about \u201cSheathing the light \u97dc\u5149”:<\/p>\n

\u5929\u9577\u5730\u4e45Heaven and Earth are everlasting
\n<\/em>\u5929\u5730\u6240\u4ee5\u80fd\u9577\u800c\u4e45\u8005The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
\n<\/em>\u4ee5\u5176\u4e0d\u81ea\u751fIs that they do not exist for themselves
\n<\/em>\u6545\u4ee5\u9577\u4e45Thus they can last forever<\/em><\/p>\n

\u662f\u4ee5\u8056\u4ebaTherefore the sages:
\n<\/em>\u5f8c\u5176\u8eab\uff0c\u800c\u8eab\u5148Place themselves last but end up in front
\n<\/em>\u5916\u5176\u8eab\uff0c\u800c\u8eab\u5b58Are outside of themselves and yet survive
\n<\/em>\u975e\u4ee5\u5176\u7121\u79c1\u90aa\uff1fIs it not due to their selflessness?
\n<\/em>\u6545\u80fd\u6210\u5176\u79c1That is how they can achieve their own goals<\/em><\/p>\n

Practitioners of TCM should learn and develop this virtuous light.\u00a0 It is through the observation of nature that Laozi exemplified his lessons.\u00a0 Heaven provides all living beings with water and nourishes everything.\u00a0 The earth provides all the food and shelter needed, and the various herbs provide healing for our selves and our patients.\u00a0 All is provided with no expectation of return.<\/p>\n

\"SONY<\/a>Chapter 67 of Laozi’s Daodejing<\/em> offered three treasures of Daoism\u4e09\u5bf6to facilitate the practice of virtue.\u00a0 The first treasure is compassion \u6148.\u00a0 There is only one breath between life and death.\u00a0 Thus, all life is precious and should be nourished the way nature nourishes us, without discrimination.\u00a0 Sages virtuously practice outside of themselves.<\/p>\n

The second treasure is frugality \u5109.\u00a0 Frugality means to take only what you need.\u00a0 Nature provides enough for everyone.\u00a0 When some take more than necessary, then others may go without.\u00a0 Preserve nature by not taking too much from our natural resources.\u00a0 This can also apply to compensation.\u00a0 Sages virtuously practice by not existing for themselves.<\/p>\n

The third treasure is selflessness, to not put one’s self above heaven\u4e0d\u6562\u4e3a\u5929\u4e0b\u5148.\u00a0 Just as water traverses to the lowest places before reaching its ultimate destination, practitioners must be like water and learn to put themselves below others.\u00a0 Sages virtuously practice by placing themselves last, and ending up in front.<\/p>\n

I am grateful to Master Zhang for sharing with me the same virtues that Laozi taught.\u00a0 I now understand that one is not truly successful unless one practices the treasures of compassion, frugality, and selflessness.\u00a0 It is this understanding of the Daodejing<\/em> that I teach my students when I share with them the foundational relationship between Daoism and TCM.\u00a0 Virtuous qi heals beyond the physical and clinical environment.<\/p>\n

The Daoist root of traditional <\/em>Chinese medicine has been virtually erased and replaced by Westernized TCM.\u00a0 The path towards patient-centered care can be found in the virtues of the Daodejing<\/em>.\u00a0 It is time that TCM return to its humble beginnings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[i]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Barry, M. J., & Edgman-Levitan, S. (2012). Shared decision-making: The pinnacle of patient-centered care. New England Journal of Medicine, 366<\/em>, 78-781. doi: 10.1056\/NEJMp1109283.<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gerteis M., Edgman-Levitan S., Daley, J., & Delbanco, T. (1993). Through the patient’s eyes<\/em>. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). Traditional Chinese medicine: An introduction<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/nccih.nih.gov\/health\/whatiscam\/chinesemed.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"As<\/a>Gary Lee Greer (Li Derong) \u674e\u5fb7\u5bb9 is a licensed Acupuncturist, has a Master in Oriental Medicine, and a professor of Taoist Medicine at the\u00a0World Medicine Institute. \u00a0He has a doctorate in Taoist Health Ministry from the Taixuan Foundation; He\u00a0is also a Taoist\u00a0disciple of the 64th Heavenly Master Tianshi Zhang Yi Xiang.\u00a0. He founded the Daoist Health Preservation Society in 2011 to help perpetuate Daoist culture in the community.\u00a0 To find out more about him go to Taohealth.org.<\/p>\n

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