Ethics and the Therapeutic Relationship Julie Stone This article explores what practising ethically means with specific reference to the practitioner/patient relationship in complementary medicine. What emerges is that the practitioner’s responsibilities need to be looked at alongside the patient’s self-responsibility and active participation in the therapeutic exchange. Read the whole article
A Bargain A Patient A patient describes the process of change and self-realisation s/he undergoes whilst being a patient of acupuncture.
Chinese Medicine and Family Stories Arnold Desser From his experience of working with people with chronic illness, Desser looks at how their stories of illness, sadness or pain have become their life and imprison them. Using case-studies as examples he explores working with TCM ideas and systemic ideas about communication and relationship to help effect change.
Hysterical Diseases Dr Huang Xing Yi This article discusses the acupuncture treatment of 3 different cases of hysterical disease, where patients suffer from real and often severe symptoms for which no organic pathology has been found. Translated by Tom Dey.
The Nature of the Whole: Exploring Qi and Qi Gong Rosie Grandage As qi gong is such an inherent part of Chinese culture, the author argues that it should not be practised just as a series of exercises to maintain health but as a way of understanding the basis of Chinese science and philosophy, from which the Chinese developed their medicine, art, astronomy, music and literature.
Ants and Acorns: Some Thoughts on Complexity, Chaos and the Therapeutic Relationship Francesca Diebschlag Diebschlag outlines the main features of the sciences of complexity, those sciences which deal with self-organising systems such as general systems theory and chaos theory and how they might inform what occurs in the therapeutic encounter.
Chinese Research in the Treatment of Colitis Bob Flaws In this article, the author presents functionally translated abstracts of a number of Chinese journal articles on the treatment of chronic and ulcerative colitis. Protocols include both orally administered decoctions and retention enemas.
Interview with Phuoc Huynh Hla Myat Saw Phuoc Huynh describes his training in oriental medicine with his teacher, the Vietnamese master Dr Ba Van Nguyen, who specialised in the Shan Han Lun and the Jin Kui Yao Lue.
Three Cases of Migraine: Similarities and Particularities Geoff Wadlow Three cases of migraine are presented where the presenting conditions and the treatment approach of Chinese medicine are similar, but where the details surrounding a patient’s life can often explain why a treatment may not work rather than the prescription of points chosen.
Tasking Our Patients John Hicks In this article the author suggests that by understanding the patient’s model of the world (borrowing from the theoretical framework of neuro-linguistic programming), a practitioner may be able to produce tasks for the patient which will reduce the frequency and intensity of negative emotional episodes which may be the ‘cause’ of disease.