During a casual chat with a dentist friend, we had a difference in opinion on the efficacies of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (or "TCM" as it is more popularly known). Neither can she bring herself to concur on my suggestion that Chinese Astrology studies like Bazi (or 4 Pillars) and Zi Wei Dou Shu (ZWDS) are useful towards maintaining good health.
To most people, Western Medicine is scientific, more widely accepted and belongs to the main stream tools toward health and wellness. Hence, it is the defacto choice for them. While I have utmost respect for the advancement Western Medicine have made until today, I have come across enough cases that makes me convinced that TCM is the superior choice to Western Medicine when it comes to achieving good health. I will say TCM is more effective at keeping people in the pink of health while Western Medicine is better in treating sick people. When people are severely ill, naturally Western Medicine is the better choice of treatment.
What is my basis for concluding so? Western medicine treats symptoms but do not get to the root of the problem. For someone suffering from headache they usually prescribe pain killers but falls short of addressing the real cause of the headaches. When a patient has fever, sometimes they ask the patient to dip in cold water or stay in cold air-conditioned rooms to combat the rising temperature. Proponent of Western Medicine may challenge me to say why make a fuss when the illness is "cured". I will say the symptoms may be cured but the root cause of the illness is merely subdued. The result of which is a weaker health constitution in the long term.
TCM is very different as it seeks to identify the underlying health deficiencies. TCM acknowledge that the body consists of organs that are all interlinked and their yin & yang composition determines how the energy flows within the organs of the body. TCM thus goes right to the root of the health problem instead of just treating the symptoms. Rome is not built in a day, and neither should we expect our health problems to be fully cured by a TCM practitioner within a short period of time. For those that have developed to a critically late stage of illnesses, I still advocate they rely on Western Medicine as the short term cure but use TCM as the longer term fallback solution.
When do Bazi and ZWDS come into play? They hold the key towards a comprehensive diagnosis of the health problem and medical prescription. I am a firm believer of the adage that "prevention is better than cure". Bazi and ZWDS will be able to identify the inherent health deficiency and medical problem of a person even way before the symptoms or the illness sets in. They can also help to identify the Fengshui aspects of the house or environment that the person lives in that will prevent such illnesses from setting in. An understanding of Bazi and ZWDS also holds the key to prescription of a comprehensive cure. This is because the patient may not articulate the medical problem clearly enough and an effective cure can only be achieved when the TCM practitioner understands how the energy flows within the organs and their yin & yang predisposition.
Opponents may still claim that I am bigoted against Western Medicine. In my next article, I will share a few examples of how Western Medicine failed or how TCM + understanding of Bazi/ZWDS cured a problem that was not satisfactorily resolved by Western Medicine.