Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient system of preventative medicine – designed to ward-off illnesses – by preventing the conditions that lead to maladies from forming (modern medicine treats the symptom and not the cause). As the roots of this system developed thousands of years ago (perhaps 3000 BCE or earlier) – at that time when modern science did not exist – TCM would have been experienced as a substantial breakthrough in human endeavour as part of the process of deliberating relieving human-suffering through intellectual and physical labour (part of the evolutionary process as described by Marx and Engels in their work). In those times, humanity existed in an earlier stage of evolution within which many illnesses were not as developed – or as potent – as they are today. In modern times, many illnesses are so strong because they have reacted to the contemporary medicines humans have developed through modern science. In many ways, the enhanced “cures” have participated in triggering the evolutionary development of these illnesses – creating new generations of maladies that are very difficult to cure (Covid-19 evolved out of the fight between modern medicines and diseases that attack humanity).
Diseases have adapted to medicines through the process of striving to chemically (and genetically) out-manoeuvre the medicines developed to kill illnesses at source. Couple this with the explosion in the human world population and the density of living within the over-crowded capitalist societies in the world – then TCM is obviously under-pressure to perform and should not be expected to equal the efficacy of modern medicine. TCM and modern medicine evolved on two completely different bio-chemical battlefields – during different times in human (evolutionary) development. Today, TCM can be useful on the subjective and objective level when treating disease – but is only usually completely successful when deployed against relatively minor or weaker illnesses and maladies (TCM can also be used to treat physical injuries through various means). For instance, I was brought-up using TCM in the home (primarily through the vehicle of Chinese martial arts practice) – whilst seeking modern (Western) medicine externally (i.e. the British NHS) when illnesses or injuries progressed to a level that was beyond the efficacy of TCM.
On top of this, some aspects of TCM have developed through added-on superstitions that became popular in the past – but are not related to the philosophical foundation of TCM (probably the “Change Classic”). These Chinese superstitions are culturally comforting – but are not premised upon genuine TCM philosophy – and cannot be materially (objectively) proven to work either traditionally or cotemporally. In the West there are two strands of TCM – one practiced and passed-on by ethnic Chinese people (who may or may not – be linked directly to Mainland China) – the other practiced and passed-on by (usually “White”) non-Chinese people. The latter category evolved out of the Western invasion of China – and the “enforced” teaching of TCM to Westerners. In the UK there are TCM centres (specialising in “acupuncture”) that have no links with any authorising ethnic Chinese institution. These are considered “racist” in historical origin and function – as such entities represent the “White” appropriation of Chinese TCM culture – a process which “excludes” the ethnic Chinese from their own culture. This remains the case even if certain ethnic Chinese individuals are taught this stream of Westernised TCM (which actually happens).
The presence of some (misled) ethnic Chinese “convertees” does not make this type of TCM genuinely “Chinese”. It would appear from the article linked above [on the BMA (UK) website] – that the PRC is entering a new phase of developing modern medicine to a higher “Socialist” degree. Given time, this will transcend the capitalist alternative, and leave it far behind. Social justice and equality demand that Socialist medicine will be re-distributed amongst the entirety of humanity. TCM is useful but it is a relic from the past. Of course, even the PRC-supported TCM clinics in the UK usually charge substantial amounts of money for treatments – although the CPC ordered certain of these clinics to provide “free” treatment to Westerners suffering Covid-19 complications – a concession ignored by the capitalists who chose to shut-down their frontline medical care to the masses (under the pretense of “public health”) – whilst supermarkets remained open and fully functioning!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 