Modern Acupuncture and Modern Medicine

Consider the treatment of a sore throat. More often than not a doctor will diagnose an attack by a type of bacterium or virus and will prescribe a course of drugs, commonly antibiotics, as treatment.

The aim of the drug is to destroy the infection; it usually works and the sore throat ‘disappears'.The same patient consulting an acupuncturist is initially examined at length.

The whole case is taken with details not only of the particular type of sore throat, its onset, development and present condition, but also the background to the case - whether this was unusual or quite common, general health, emotional state, etc.

Let us say here as an example that it is discovered that the patient has been prone to yore throats since a year ago when his father died unexpectedly.

Since then he goes down with sore throats very easily if exposed to draughts or cold weather. An acupuncturist might diagnose that the root cause was the patient's Lung Qi being weakened with the grief at his father's death.

The Lungs are now unable to resist penetration by Wind-Cold, which later turns to Wind-Heat. This has resulted in the tendency to sore throats.