https://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/221409-taiwan-traditional-medicine-struggles
When I was growing up in Manila, I was able to go to both Chinese and Filipino "traditional" doctors to get my bones adjusted when I dislocate my joints. They used their own medicine, and I was fixed in no time. Nowadays, they're extinct and the only recourse are hospitals.
I've never really understood Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it operates on a different plane than western medicine, of which our forum is identified with. I'm not one to use Chinese medicine over western medicine, partly because my Chinese vocabulary is very basic, and also because the Philippines is more westernized than its neighbnring countries, as a result of its colonial past.
But as I begin to grow frustrated with how difficult it has been to lower my blood pressure with what I've learned in this forum, I'm starting to look into TCM to fill some gaps in my current approach. Not that what I learned in this forum isn't helpful. It's only that the more deeply I look into the cause of my condition, the more I realize how challenging my goal is. I've basically identified the cause - endotoxins and the inflammatory response involved in raising blood pressure, but I'm not seeing much available in the western pharmacopeia that's available to deal with the endotoxins and its inflammatory response,
Since I was using Dr. Wong's ZymEssence proteolytic enzymes and had corresponded with him by email, he gave me a suggestion to try a Chinese herb blend. This got me started looking more at Chinese herbs, and in my Google searches, I was able to find a few abstracts on Chinese herbs and their efficacy as related to endotoxins.
I didn't mean to talk about myself, but I felt I needed to explain why I'm feeling deflated to come across this news article. Sure, there's Hongkong and China, where the government is still supportive of TCM, but I don't understand why the Taiwan government is making it hard to TCM herbal stores to continue their operation.
To me, it reeks of the influence of western pharma strangling alternative medicine. The way it did in early to mid 20th century, which has ended up with severely limiting our options, which has led to propping up a failing health system and increasing the cost of healthcare in the way monopolies impair quality of life.
Homeopathy is still being practiced widely in Europe, for example. But it has a low place in the US, where it was invented by Hahnemann. A well-known brand of homeopathy, Boiron, used to have a stronger presence. But because pharma influence is very strong, Boiron long ago decided not to carry the full line of its products here.
Little by little, alternatives to western pharma die by a thousand cuts. Americans (USA Americans) are a lot more unhealthy as a result.
This pharma plaque is being replicated elsewhere in the world. I'm pretty sure the forces of evil pharma will continue to make my country another outpost of their domination. Taiwan, being under the protection of the US against China, has no option but to bow to the US making it another pharma outpost. Pharma will increase its colonial outposts in the same way the British trading houses had outposts in the bygone era of English imperialism.
I
When I was growing up in Manila, I was able to go to both Chinese and Filipino "traditional" doctors to get my bones adjusted when I dislocate my joints. They used their own medicine, and I was fixed in no time. Nowadays, they're extinct and the only recourse are hospitals.
I've never really understood Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it operates on a different plane than western medicine, of which our forum is identified with. I'm not one to use Chinese medicine over western medicine, partly because my Chinese vocabulary is very basic, and also because the Philippines is more westernized than its neighbnring countries, as a result of its colonial past.
But as I begin to grow frustrated with how difficult it has been to lower my blood pressure with what I've learned in this forum, I'm starting to look into TCM to fill some gaps in my current approach. Not that what I learned in this forum isn't helpful. It's only that the more deeply I look into the cause of my condition, the more I realize how challenging my goal is. I've basically identified the cause - endotoxins and the inflammatory response involved in raising blood pressure, but I'm not seeing much available in the western pharmacopeia that's available to deal with the endotoxins and its inflammatory response,
Since I was using Dr. Wong's ZymEssence proteolytic enzymes and had corresponded with him by email, he gave me a suggestion to try a Chinese herb blend. This got me started looking more at Chinese herbs, and in my Google searches, I was able to find a few abstracts on Chinese herbs and their efficacy as related to endotoxins.
I didn't mean to talk about myself, but I felt I needed to explain why I'm feeling deflated to come across this news article. Sure, there's Hongkong and China, where the government is still supportive of TCM, but I don't understand why the Taiwan government is making it hard to TCM herbal stores to continue their operation.
To me, it reeks of the influence of western pharma strangling alternative medicine. The way it did in early to mid 20th century, which has ended up with severely limiting our options, which has led to propping up a failing health system and increasing the cost of healthcare in the way monopolies impair quality of life.
Homeopathy is still being practiced widely in Europe, for example. But it has a low place in the US, where it was invented by Hahnemann. A well-known brand of homeopathy, Boiron, used to have a stronger presence. But because pharma influence is very strong, Boiron long ago decided not to carry the full line of its products here.
Little by little, alternatives to western pharma die by a thousand cuts. Americans (USA Americans) are a lot more unhealthy as a result.
This pharma plaque is being replicated elsewhere in the world. I'm pretty sure the forces of evil pharma will continue to make my country another outpost of their domination. Taiwan, being under the protection of the US against China, has no option but to bow to the US making it another pharma outpost. Pharma will increase its colonial outposts in the same way the British trading houses had outposts in the bygone era of English imperialism.
I
