Soothing the Troubled Mind: Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment and Prevention of Schizophrenia

85 Pages·2000·18.407 MB·English

by  Bai Ceng Lou, Nigel Wiseman (editor)

oothing
the
S
TROLJBLED
MIND
in
Acupulncture and Moxlbustion the
Treatment and Preyention of SrhlzoPhrenia
Translated by
Thomas D.y
Edited by
Nigel Wiseman
Foreword by
Richard WarneF) PhD, DPM
PARADIG M PUBLICATIONS
/\'
BRO O KLINE, MASSACHTJSETTS 2OOO
*iT"!
*i
I
sathlng the Traubled lvltnd
Soothing the Troubled Mind
Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the
Treatment and Prevention of Schizophrenia
Translated by Thomas Dey
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOwLEDGEMENTS
V
F o REwo RD ix
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication data: TneNSLAToR's PnTFACE xvii
Lou, Pai-ts'.rg.
AurHoRS'PnTFACE xxvii
[Chen chiu fang chih ching shen fen lieh cheng. English]
Soothing the troubled mind : acupuncture and moxibustion in the CHAPTER ONe: INTRoDUCTToN t
treatment of schizophreni a / translated by Thomas D.y. I. Invasions of the Six Environmental Excesses 4
p.cm. II. Damage from Intemperance of the Seven Affects 4
Includes bibliographical references and index. III. Other Factors 6
ISBN 0-9I2I1f -60-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) l.Qi and Blood 7
1. Schizophrenia--Alternative treatment. 2. Acupuncture. 3. Moxa. 2.Phlegm and Fire B
4. Mental illness--Alternative treatment. I. Lou, Hsing-huang. II. CHeprnn Two: Cr-rNrcAL SvuproMATolocy AND CussrFrcATroNS LT
D.y, Thomas, L96t- III. Title. I. Clinical Symptomatology L7
RC514 .L587I3 1999 1. Thought Disorders 17
616.89'8206--dc2L
2. Emotional Disorders lB
99-050 64L 3. Disorders of Volition 18
4. Perceptual Disorders 19
II. Clinical Classifications 2L
1. Simple-Type Schizophrenia 2L
2. Hebephrenic-Type Schizophrenia 22
3. Catatonic-Type Schizophrenia 23
- Published by - 4. Paranoid-Type Schizophrenia 24
Paradigm Publications CueprER THREE: ESSENTTALS oF DITFERENTTAL DrecNosrs 27
Brookline, MA I. Compiling the Medical History 27
http : / / www .par adig*-pubs. com II. Psychological Examination 27
Printed in the United States of America III. Differential Diagnosis 28
Copyright @ 1999 1. Manic-Depressive Syndrome 28
A11 rights reserved. No part of this document rrray be reproduced, stored in a 2. Reactive Psychosis 29
retrieval systeffi, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, 3. Neuroses 30
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior 4. Epileptic Psychosis 31
itten permission of the publisher. 5. Symptomatic Psychosis 32
6. Climacteric Psychosis 32
rsBN # 0-9r2lr 1-60-7 7 . Senile Psychosis 33
8. Cerebral Arteriosclerotic Psvchosis 34
CttAPT'rrt{ Fc>uR: Pnlavl:N noN ]5
I. Creating a Healthy Mental Lifestyle l6
II. Maintaining the Central Nervous System 43
1. Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle 43
2. Sleep and Treatments for Insomnia 45
3. Fatigue and Its Prevention 4B
4. Employing Active Resr 49
III. Emphasis on Early Diagnosis and Treatment 52
CHApTER Frvs: TneATMENTS FoR ScHrzopHRENrA 55
I. Treatments Based on the Authors' Experience 55
1. Treatments for Mania Disease Type 56
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
2. Treatment for Withdrawal Disease Type 61
3. Symptomatic Treatments for Withdrawal 6s Mania Patterns 66
4. Improving Clinical Effectiveness in Acupuncture 72
II. Tr1e.a Ctmlaesnstisc aBl aAsceudp ounn cCtularses iTchael rTarpeya tifsoers Mania Disease 8B33 UTTTNG TocETHER A Boor is a long and involved process. If
2. Classical Acupuncture Therapy for Withdrawal Disease B6 we think of the trees that are the source of paper for
3. Other Ancient Methods 90 books, then the vast roots of a book's physical material
III. Treatments Gathered from Modern Chinese Reports 9B immediately come to mind. When thinkitg of the origins of this
1. Overview 9B book's contents, I am compelled to think of the dedicated studies,
2. Simple Acupuncrure Therapy r01
3. Five-Person Acupuncture Therapy r03 efforts, and experience of the original authors, the editor, the pub-
4. Large Needle (Spine Needling) Therapy L04 lishers, and many others who contributed to this publication,
5. Electroacupunture 105 thereby allowing my work as a translator to reach you, the read-
6. Auricular Acupuncture 109
7 . Scalp Acupuncture 1r0 er. There is much for me to acknowledg..
B. Fluid Injection Th erapy 111 First and foremost I express my gratitude to my Buddhist
9. Acupuncture Point Suture-Embedding Therapy 113
10. Point Grasping and Cupping Therapy IL4 Teachers. Because my Teachers are responsible for planting the
I I . Vessel Pricking Ther apy and Laser Therapy 115 seed for this work , :nray whatever good merit is earned hereby be
IV. Psychological Therapies for Schizophrenia 115 dedicated to Their long lives and to the happiness of all sentient
l. Working to Gain the Patient's Trust 116 beings under the sky.
2. Compgtence at Openly Observing
the Thoughts & Feelings of a Variety of Patienrs LL7 There are more reasons than I can express to thank my par-
3. Initiatirg work where the Patienr is Engaged Lt7 ents for their considerable role in this translation. They support-
4. Developing an Adaptable Style 118
V. Other Measures 119 ed me while I was learning Chinese and were supportive while I
1. chinese Medicinal Agents in combined Therapy r r9 was learning acupuncture (and at all times); they always encour-
2. Acupuncture in Combined Therapy I2T aged me to do good things for others and always wanted me to do
CHAPTER STx: CoNCLUDING RSITzIARKS r25 what I wanted to do. May they be fully pleased with this work.
CHINESE BTSLIoGRAPHY t29 In the course of going through the various drafts that culmi-
lNnnx r31 nated in this volume, there were numerous friends who helped in
one way or another with various aspects of typing, word process-
irg, computer troubleshooting, proofreading, library research,
athnedy seoa cfoh rhtha.v eT hmoyu ghhea rr tafemlt ngroatt intuadme.ing t[rc'r i.crivicruaty rrcrc, ltl't(''yv(i()'nwciln gtl,l llc,t 'iltticcl utlitn"gvo, lacrtrlc llr Lgrlo)gorcal cclilncgit l tohli's t ivnctlclu amttec;l aI tltrcclqttuitettnt tltytl
There were also ^-uly people who generously contributed lirrcl nlyscll'altplying sorne o['the lessons that I learned from this
their experrise ro the final aran oithis volume. I wish to thank Dr. lircat scholar even when what I am doing has nothing to do with
Joan cheu for her answers to questions regarding the transration (.hinese medicine. I thank him very deeply and wish that all of his
of technical words in the field of psycholog!; her rrrirturrt, Donna work will succeed.
shaban, was also very helpfut in reviewing the use of English psy- Next I wish to thank Bob Felt, Martha Fielding, and everyone
chology terminology. Dr. Chen Jian_ping came up *irh .1.u, at Paradigm Publications who contributed their expertise and
translations of many phrases that were rela'ted to peculiar uses of efforts to puttingSoothingthe TroubledMind in its final form. Here
psychology terminology in the pRC, many of which had reft orher again it is not just their work on this book that deserves the
experts simply baffled; without his contribution there could have thanks; readers should reco gnruze what an awesome job they have
been gaping holes in the final publicarion. Dr. susan Lin, of Lin done by dedicating their lives and careers to running a publish-
Sisters Herb Shop, also-was very patient in contributing her time ing house that sets the standard for all other publishers of
and unders^tanding while-explaining obscure rcrrrr pn.a!es. In the Chinese medical translations. Moreover, they have established
last stage of preparation for publlcaiion, craig Mirchell was indis- their business in such a way that even a novice translator like
pensible in clarifying how readers who are familiar with the myself can make a small contribution to a field where there is a
wiseman ftanslation prorocol (which is discussed in the preface) vast amount of yet-to-be-done work. I look forward to working
would expect to see certain terms transrated; he also h.ip.a *itr, with them for many years into the future.
stroamnsela ctlea sosnic aml yc hoiwnens. eT poh aralls ethse sthea pt eIo hpaled, nI ow ibsuhs i,noe s.s" firD.,r"r,r g_ ,yo Finally, not wishing to obscure the forest for the trees, the
gratitude three times over. last word of thanks goes to the readers. It is the readers who buy
the books, read them, and apply their knowledge and experi-
Is it possible to thank Dr. Richard warner enough? After ences to understanding them. It is the readers for whom we set
reading his book, Recovery from Schizophrenia; eryrfiot y ora our standards, and who make the work of producing books
Political Economy, it occurred io *. that it would be too good to worthwhile. In short, to the people who read this book and
be true if he would review Soothing the rroubtrei Mt;;uii prorria" reevaluate their efforts to help soothe troubled minds: Thank
some sort of an introduction to this subject. He was otre*ely you.
generous in consenting to do so, and has written an introduction
that gives this book, as a ftanslation, a completeness that it
wou-lidn too therwise be lacking. After he worked hi, pur, of the writ- Thomas Dey
ing his busy schedule, there were many deiays before this December, L999
final publicarion emerged. I hope he understa"d, h;;precia-
tive we are for what he has coniributed. t
From my comments in the preface, readers can probably guess
what great esteem I hold for Nigel wisemarr. one of the roots of
this book is the lifetime of work-that Nigel has put into deverop-
ing a systematic way to translate chinese medicar riterature.
FOREWORD
Hrs FASCTNATING BooK about how schizophrenia is perceived,
experienced, and treated in another culture advances our
understanding of one of mankind's great afflictions. As a
basis of comparison, in this foreword I have set out some of what we
know about schizophrenia within Western medicine.
WHAT IS SCHI ZOPHRENIA?
In our own popular culture, there may be more widespread igno-
rance about schizophrenia than any other common illness. Ask a
classroom of American college students-in engineering or
English literature-what they know about AIDS or cancer and
they will probably have a lot to say. But ask about schizophrenia
and the silence will be embarrassing. Although schizophrenia is
more common than AIDS/HIV, most people know far less about
it. "Isn't it like multiple personality disord er?" people ask. "Is it
caused by child abuse?" "Are they mentally retarded?" The
answer to all these questions is "No."
What is it about this condition that stifles discussion and learn-
ing? AIDS, cancer, and schizophrenia are all perceived as contami-
nating and incurable, but somehow people with schizophrenua are
seen as more mysterious, alien, and violent. Centuries of fear have
promulgated many myths about schizophrenia. What are the facts?
Schizophrenia is a psychosis. That is to say,it is a severe men-
tal disorder in which the person's emotions, thinking, judgment,
and grasp of reality are so disturbed that his or her functioning is
I',, t f \\trr I r/
seriously impaired. The symptoms of schizophrcrria arc olicrr nlany llt'cas ol lilc'. Anotlter nlely llc llizarrc in ntelnncr all(l
divided into "positive" and "negative." positive symptoms are r1l)l)cal'al-lc'c, prcoc'c:Lrpiccl with clelusions ol bodily disorder, pas-
abnormal experiences and perceptions like delusions, hallucina- sive and withdrawn. So marked are the differences, in fact, that
tions, thought disorders, and disorganized behavior. Negative many experts believe that, when the causes of schizophrenia are
symptoms are the absence of normal thoughts, emotions and worked out, the illness will prove to be a set of different condi-
behavior-such as blunted emotions, loss of drive, poverty of tions which lead, via a final common pathway of biochemical
thought, and social withdrawal. interactions, to similar consequences.
It is not at all clear what is schizophrenia and what is not.
DTecNOSTIC DIFFICULTIES Scandinavian psychiatrists have tended to use a narrow defini-
tion of the illness with an emphasis on poor outcome. Russian
Problems abound in defining schizophrenia. In this book, psychiatrists have adhered to a broad definition with an empha-
although each case illustration deals with someone who suffers sis on social adjustment. In the United States the diagnostic
from,a psychosis, it is not clear that every one would be diag- approach to schizophrenia used to be very broad. With the pub-
nosed with schizophrenia by anAmerican psychiatrist. lication in 1980 of the third edition of the Amencan Psychiatnc
The two most common functional psychoses are schizophre- Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, however, American
nia and manic-depressive illness (also known as "bipolar affective psychLatry switched from one of the broadest concepts of schiz-
disorder"). The distinction between the two is not easy to make ophrenia in the world to one of the narrowest.
and psychiatrisrs in different parts of the world at different times Why is the diagnosis so susceptible to fashion? The underly-
have drawn the boundaries in different ways. Manic-depressive ing problem is that schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness
illness is an episodic disorder in which psychotic symptoms are share many common symptoms. During an acute episode it is
associated with severe alterations in mood-at times eiated, agi- often not possible to tell them apart without knowing the prior
tated episodes of mania, at other times depression, with physical history of the illness. The records of people with manic-depres-
and mental slowing, despair, guilt, and low self-esteem. sive illness should reveal prior episodes of depression and mania
On the other hand, the course of schizophrenia, though fluc_ with interludes of normal functioning.
tuating, tends to be more continuous, and the person's display of
emotion is likely to be incongruous or lacking in spontaneity. S chtzophr enta ts univ er s al .
Markedly illogical thinking is common in schizophrenia. Auditory
We should not let confusion about differentiating schizophrenia
hallucinations may occur in either manic-depiessive illness or from other psychoses detract from the fact that schizophrenia is
schizophrenia, but in schizophrenia they ar" -ore likely to be hal- a universal condition and ar7 ancient one. Typical cases may be
lucinations commenting on the person's actions or conversing one distinguished in the medical writings of ancient Greece and
with another. Delusions also can occur in both conditionsr in Rome, and the condition occurs today in every human society.
schizophrenia they may give the individual the sense that he or While the content of delusions and hallucinations varies from
she is being controlled by outside forces or that his or her culture to culture, the form of the illness is similar everyrwhere.
thoughts are being broadcast or interfered with.
Two World Health Organtzatton studies, applying a standardized
Despite common features, different forms of schizophrenia diagnostic approach, have identified characteristic cases of schiz-
are quite dissimilar. one person, for example, may be paranoid ophrenia in developed and developing world countries from
but show good judgment and a high level of functionarity in many parts of the world.
I'otrv,,,t,l
More surprisingly, thcsc studics havc clcrnollstl'atccl that thc wlro at"c l{cn('tit'lrlly nl()r"c sirrrilrtt'to thr'l)crsoll with schizollhreltia.
rate of occurrence of new cases of the condition is similar in l;or r.r nc'l)hcw ot"Llr-rlrt the liletirrrc risl< is abclut two percent (twice
every country studied from India to lreland. However, since both the risk lor sonrconc in the general population); for a siblitrB, par-
death and recov ery rates for people with psychosis are higher in cnt, or child the risk is about LOo/q and for an identical twin
the Third World, the prevalence of schizophrenia (the number of (g.netically identical to the person with schizophrenia), the risk
cases to be found at any time) is lower in the Third World- is close to 50o/o.
around 0.3o/o of the population compared to about 0.60/0 in the
Studies of people adopted in infancy reveal that the increased
developed world.
risk of schizophrenia among the relatives of people with the itl-
P eople recov er from schizophrenia. ness is due to inheritance rather than environment. The children
of people with schizophrenia have the same increased prevalence
The popular and professional view that schizophrenia has a pro- of the illness whether they are raised by their biological, schizo-
gressive, downhill course with universally poor outcome is a phrenic parent or by adoptive parents.
myth. Over the course of months or years, abou t 20 to 25 percent
of people with schizophrenia recover completely from the i11- OesrETRIc coMPLICATIoNS
ness-all their psychotic symptoms disappear and they return to Since identical twins only have a 50o/o risk of developing the ill-
their previous level of functioning. Anoth er 20 percent continue ness, we know that genetics alone do not explain why someone
to have some symptoms, but they are able to lead satisfyirg and gets the illness. Other powerful factors have to play a part; one of
productive lives. these is problems of pregnancy and delivery. The risk for people
In the developing countries, recovery rates are even better. born with obstetric complications, such as prolonged labor, is two
The two World Health Organrzatton studies mentioned above or three times gre ater than for those born with none. A history of
have shown that good outcome occurs in about twice as many obstetric complications has been found in one third to one half of
patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the developing world patients with schizophrenia, makirg it a major risk factor.
as in the developed world. The reason for the better outcome in
the Third World is not completely understood, bur it may be that VrnusEs
many people with mental illness in developing world villages are The risk of intrauterine brain damage is increased if a pregnant
better accepted, less stigm attzed, and more likely to find work in woman contracts a vLral illness. We know that more people with
a subsistence agricultu ral economy. schizophrenra are born in the late winter or spring than at other
times of year, and that this birth butrge increases after epidemics
WHAT CAUSES SCHI ZIPHRENIA? of viral illnesses like influ er:rza, measles and chickenpox.
Maternal viral infections, however, probably account for only a
There is no single organic defect or infectious agent which causes relatively small part of the increased risk for schizophrenia.
schizophrenia, but a varuety of factors increase the risk of getting
the illness-among them, genetics and obstetric complications. Poor parenting is not a cause of schtzophrenia.
GExerrcs Contr to the beliefs of professionals prior to the L97 0's and to
^ry
the impression still promoted by the popular media, there is no
Relatives of people with schizophrenia have a gre ater risk of devel- evidence, even after decades of research, that family or parenting
oping the illness, the risk being progressively higher among those
problems cause schizophrenia.
I'r, t t' tt,,,t,l
As early as L948, psychoanalysts proposcd that rnothcrs lirs- WnA'r'wortKs?
tered schizophrenia in their offsprirg through cold and distant
parenting. Others blamed parental schisms, and confusing pat- Thcrc is nlorc iU4r"ccnrcnt now about what is important in the
terns of communication within the family. The double-bind the- treatment o[' schizophrenia than ever before. In a recent global
ory, put forward by anthropologist Gregory Bateson, argued that project designed to combat the stigma of schizophrenia, promi-
schizophrenia is promoted by contradictory parental messages nent psychiatrists from all around the world signed on to the fol-
from which the child is unable to escape. Although en;oying lowing set of principles:
broad public recognition, such theories have seldom been ade- People with schrzaphrenia con be treated effecnvely in a voriety of
quately tested, and none of the research satisfactorily resolves the seffings. The use of hospitals is mainly reserved for those encoun-
question of whether differences found in the families of people tering an acute relapse. Outside of the hospital, a ra:nge of alter-
with schizophrenia are the cause or the effect of psychological native treatment settings have been devised which provide super-
abnormalities in the disturbed family member. vision and support and which are less alienating and coercive
than the hospital.
Millions of family members of people with schizophrenia
have suffered shame, guilt, and stigma because of this wide- Fawrt\ irwolvernent c6n imprwe the effecnveness af treatmmt A
solid body of research has demonstrated that relapse in schizo-
spread misconception.
phrenia is much less frequent when families are provided with
support and education about schizophrenia.
Drug abuse is not a cause of schizophrenta.
Mefucattons 6re 6.n importilrlt part of treatrnmt but thry are only
Hallucinogenic drugs like LSD can induce short-lasting episodes p6rt of thr &nswer. They can reduce or eliminate positive symp-
of psychosis and the heavy use of marijuana and stimulant drugs toms but they have a negligible effect on negative symptoms.
like cocaine and amphetamines may precipitate brief, toxic psy- Fortunately, modern, novel anti-psychotic medications, intro-
choses with features similar to schizophrenia. It is also possible, duced in the past few can provide benefits with less severe
>rears,
though not certain, that while not a causative factor, drug abuse side-effects than standard anti-psychotic drugs, which were
can trigger the onset of schrzophrenia. introduced in the mid-1950's.
Relatives of a person with schizophrenia sometimes blame Treatmffwt, should tnclude soctel rehabilttatton" People with schiz-
hallucinogenic drugs for causing the illness, but they are mistak- ophrenia usually need help to improve their functioning in the
en. We know this because, in the 1950's and 1960's, LSD was community. This can include training in basic living skills, assis-
used as an experimental drug in psychtatry in Britain and tance with a host of day-to-day tasks, and job trainitrB, job place-
America. The proportion of these volunteers and patients who ment, and work support.
developed a long-lasting psychosis like schizophrenia was Workhelps people recover from sc?wxophrenia. Productive activi-
scarcely greater than in the general population. It is true that a ty is basic to a person's sense of identity and worth. the avail-
Swedish study found that army conscripts who used marijuana ability of work in a subsistence economy may be one of the main
heavily were six times more likely to develop schizophrenia later reasons that outcome from schizophrenia is so much better in
in life, but this was probably because those people who were des- Third World villages. Given training and support, most people
tined to develop schizophrenia were more likely to use marijua- with schizophrenia can work.
na as a way to cope with the premorbid symptoms of the illness. P eopk wtth schwophrania can get w orse if tr eakd pnif* ely or con-
finedunrccasanly. Extended hospital stays are rarely necessary if
good community treatment is available. Jail or prison are not
appropriate places of care. Yet, around the world, large numbers
of people with schizophrenia are housed in prison cells, usually
charged with minor crimes, largely because of the lack of ade-
quate community treatment.
People vlith schwophrenia arld thar fawtily menfuers should help
plan and wsn dslwer treattnent. Consumers can be successfully
employed in treatment programs, and when they help train treat-
ment staff, professional attitudes and patient outcome both
improve.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
Peoplds responses tswards someone tvrth sc?nzophreniainfuence the
persoyfs cutrse af illness 6nd quality af hfe. Negative attitudes can
push people with schizophrenia and their families into hiding the N TNTRoDUCTNG rHrs TRANsLATIoN I would like to note the
illness and drive them away from help. If people with schizo- theme included in the authors' introduction to the original
phrenua are shunned and feared, they cannot be genuine members Chinese work, Zhen Jiu Fang Zhi Jing Shen Fen Lie Zheng
of their own community. They become isolated, and victims of (Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment and Prevention tf
discrimination in employment, accommodation, and education. Schizophrenia). The authors selected a four -character Chinese say-
ing to describe their book that literally translates 2s, "Cast brick;
elicit jade." \Mhen a Chinese speaker uses this saying, Chinese lis-
C.q,X ACUPUNCTURE AID THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY? teners instantly perceive the image of a crude and laborious job
being done in order to ultimately develop a valuable, refined
Within the Western medical framework outlined in this intro-
treasure. In the course of this introduction I hope to explain to
duction, acupuncture can certainly play a role in the treatment of
Western readers why this book, which :lrlay seem hopelessly slight
schizophrenia, insofar as it meets the followirg criteria:
for the great and noble task the authors undertake, should be
-It is a less stigm attztng treatment approach than alternative closelv examined to find its true treasure.
forms of treatment;
During the 1980's, while living in the People's Republic of
-It is non-alienating, non-coercive, non-intrusive, and China over a period of severalyears, I attended a three-month ses-
respects the individual and his or her personal integrity; sion at the Nanjirg College of TCM International Acupuncture
-It mobilrzes ar7 optimistic social consensus, iS part of a vig- Trainirg Centre. It was an impressive experience. The main cam-
orous effort to achieve a cure, and encourages involvement of the pus of the college covered a large city block. It had student dor-
broader social group to aid the reintegration of the ill person. It mitories, a cafeterLa, an athletic field, and classroom buildings to
enhances family support. accommodate several hundred undergradu ate and gradu ate stu-
There may well be levels far beyond these in which acupunc- dents, all of whom were specializing in acupuncture, herbology,
ture has a place to play in the treatment of schizophrenia. therapeutic massage, and other aspects of Chinese medicine. The
faculty gave students both classroom and clinical training; they
Now read on. conducted research, and wrote and published journals and books.
Not only was there the enormity of the surroundings, there
Richard Warner, M.8., D.P.M. was the enormity of the visible societal impact. Besides an entire
I t,tttr/rrlr,r'r l)t rlrtt r
hospital that applied primarily TCM treatments, lJrcrc wcrc erlso Itt sr)tItt( |:s |;()l{ lrN(;| |s||-st'|:n t(|N(;
several TCM outpatient clinics, some with a daily patient load in
l;or'-l'(,M spcL'ialists, tlris bclclk cxplains a basic protocol for treat-
the thousands.
irrg all me ntal diseases. It gives an historical overview of mental
Thus, while the experience of living amongsr Chinese people clisease treatments, including treatments for obscure symptoms,
made it clear to me that TCM is a living part of Chinese culture, and provides details on various ways in which the rnodalities of
-tCM
studying at the Nanjing College of TCM gave me the direct and have been used successfully, either uniquely or in combi-
powerful experience of using Chinese medicine for treating all nation with Western pharmacotherapeutic treatments.
manner of disease. There was no question as to whether or not
TCM worked. The sheer volume of patient care was enough to
RTSoURCES FoR wESTERN-TRAINED PSYCHOLOGY SPECIALISTS
make it very clear that this was no experiment.
For psychology specialists, this book invites an appreciation for
It was as a result of the considerable impression which my the complexity and usefulness of TCM. In fact, TCM has
TCM studies had on me that I decided to undertake the transla- arguably its greatest utility when it is not explicated or delimited
tion of this specialized work. It is my strong belief that there is by the theories of modern allopathic disease naming and symp-
much suffering by people with mental diseases that could be alle- tomatology. Thus professionals who have long worked within
viated if TCM were better understood, the confines of environmental/congenital and physi cal/mental
Many in our post-modern Western society question debates should find it useful and renewing to have mental dis-
whether allopathic medicine will reach the goal of curing all eases described from a well-developed and entirely different per-
disease. while we respect some of the miraculous achievements spectivs-that of yin /yang and the five phases.
of modern medicine, and rely on it in many ways, we no longer Additionally, the psychology specialist can discover how
look to physicians with complete faith, and there is large-scale TCM, or TCM in conjunction with Western medicine, is used for
acceptance of various forms of alternative medicine. Within patients in China who have psychological disorders. For exam-
this scenario it seems obvious to me that during the 2lst cen- ple, a full-scale Chinese treatment will be coupled with a greatly
tury a transcultural adaptation of Chinese medicine will reduced dosage of an allopathic pharmaceutical drug that is
become an influential dynamic in our native Western medical either very expensive or likely to produce strong side-effects.
systems. It is my hope that this work will help to clear the path Thus it provides a basis for psychology specialists to cooperate
to such an outcome. with TCM practitioners on the joint treatment of patients.
RESOURCES FOR THE GENERAL READER
A NOTE REGARDING TRANSLATIONAL GOALS General readers could utilize the information in this book by
My main goal in translating this book has been to provide a being aware of simple and effective treatment protocols that could
resource for English-speaking practitioners of Traditional be administered by their specialist or by referral. Patient involve-
Chinese Medicine (TCM), for Western-trained psychology spe- ment is a critical and acceptable tool in the quest for healing.
cialists, and for individuals (and their families and friends) who In aiming for this goal, the general rea{der will find it useful
suffer from mental diseases. to understand the basic fourfold process of TCM. First, the prac-
titioner collects diagnostic information by reading a patient's
pulse, visually observing the patient (especially the tongue),