Not All Traditions Are Good
A few years ago, a close friend recommended an acupuncturist to me and took me to his home for treatment. During the acupuncture, I noticed his needles were shared among different patients. A female patient before me had used needles that were not sterilized, and he was about to use them directly on me. I quickly refused to let him continue and pointed out that this was highly improper and could easily spread diseases like hepatitis B and AIDS, urging him to pay attention to patient safety.
Unexpectedly, this fellow immediately said his needles were golden needles, belonging to the Metal element in the five elements; according to traditional TCM theory, Metal governs purgation and destruction and can eliminate all viruses and bacteria, so I need not worry. He then rattled on at length about yin-yang and the five elements, trying to convince me with his own system.
Before going, my friend had vigorously praised this acupuncturist great skill, but after that I could no longer trust not only the acupuncturist but also this close friend. I do not think my friend would deceive me, but I feel his ability to judge is too poor to be relied upon. He later kept sending me all kinds of information about divine doctors, Buddhist healers, and Daoist healers, none of which I dared to believe.
Another fellow treats all kinds of difficult diseases, including cancer and AIDS, with his medicinal liquor—said to have been developed after he was inspired by the thousand-year preservation of Mawangdui female corpse Xin Zhui. This deliberately mysterious approach convinces some people who lack discernment. He is also skilled at selling his liquor using pyramid-sales tactics, completely ignoring the fact that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, and aggressively peddling it among cancer patients; many patients have suffered greatly. These people hide behind the traditional TCM saying that wine is the chief of medicines to find theoretical justification for themselves. Whether these traditional sayings are right or wrong is beside the point to them.
These are all behaviors that wrap themselves in the mantle of tradition to excuse their own ignorance and recklessness. In reality there are many such people, who raise the banner of the long history of Chinese traditional culture and treat these outdated and wrong notions as truth. If anyone criticizes them as dregs, they denounce them as renegades who forget their roots and are unpatriotic.
A few days ago someone also told me how wonderful alcohol is, and I reminded him that alcohol is classified by the WHO as a Group 1 carcinogen and is harmful rather than helpful to cancer patients. Unexpectedly, this fellow told me he scorns these ideas of modern medicine. With such a person, I can only fall silent. Another alcoholic is hopelessly addicted to drink; after developing colorectal cancer he desperately wants to drink and tells his family that TCM uses wine as medicine, that wine is not only harmless but can cure disease, so why cannot he drink? This is also speechless-inducing.
Yesterday I published an article on my official account, Keep Sweating Through Exercise Even in Winter. A reader angrily messaged me, saying that the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor Inner Canon) teaches autumn harvest and winter storage, that winter is a season of closure and storage, so how can one do sweating exercise?
By his reasoning, are the Winter Olympics—which the world has held for many editions and which were about to open in Beijing—all harmful? Is the ice sports we vigorously promote all harmful? Are the views of so many medical experts worldwide that more exercise benefits health all wrong? Is only his view correct? Is he some kind of heavenly authority?
Another example: I previously pointed out that Chinese cuisine is very unhealthy—that the pickled and fried foods we Chinese love, our habit of eating while hot, and our high-temperature stir-frying all easily cause cancer and lead to diseases like hypertension and stroke. Then someone jumped out and said this tradition has existed since ancient times, so why were our ancestors fine? This statement is utterly ignorant. How do they know our ancestors were fine? From ancient times to the present, have there been few Chinese who died suddenly of various diseases?
I should not judge these friends, but I keep them at a respectful distance. I dare not entrust my life and health to people who treat health as a trifle, even if that may not be their intention. But their narrow horizons and stubborn personalities determine the height at which they understand problems.
Tradition contains both good and bad things; classical TCM theory contains both what is worth taking and what is absurd. We must absorb the essence and discard the dregs. As Professor Tu Youyou said, Chinese medicine is a great treasury, but not everything in that treasury can be used as-is.