Modern Traditions
Abstract
This piece is a video series documenting my learning process in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). I was inspired to learn about Chinese medicine from my mother, who recently began to study TCM a few years ago. As I progress towards my personal goal of becoming a physician in America, I think it is important to understand medicine’s many dimensions. My goal is to teach current and aspiring physicians about the basis of TCM and its relationship with “Western” medicine.
The first step of my process was learning about the basis TCM by watching my mother practice acupuncture, cupping, and moxa, as well as reading about the process in literature. Then, I took on the task of practicing acupuncture on my own body. Along the way, I took videos to document my experiences and show my progression. Over the course of these videos, I detailed my experience with acupuncture in the Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, and Chize pressure point and also included a segment about cupping. As a supplement to my videos, I have also written several blog posts which go into greater detail about my experiences.
One of the sources that I based my research on was Other-Wordly: Making Chinese Medicine through Transnational Frames, by Mei Zhan. Reading this piece allowed me to connect my own experiences in Chinese medicine with first-hand accounts from others, and I was able to discuss these connections in my blog. Furthermore, I was able to gain a lot of background information about the transmission of Chinese medicine across cultures from Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine and “Chinese Medicine and the Problem of Tradition”, by Volker Scheid. I was also influenced by Eana Meng’s blog, Of Part and Parcel, where she documented the prevalence of Chinese medicine in the Black Panther Party. I wanted to create a similar format to tell my story.
Content
Video 1:
Video 2:
Video 3:
Link to my blog:
References
Meng, Eana. “Dr. Mutulu Shakur and the Lincoln Detox Center,” Of Part and Parcel(blog), February 20, 2020, https://www.ofpartandparcel.com/blog-2/dr-mutulu-shakur-and-the-lincoln-detox-center.
Scheid, Volker. Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine, 1626-2006. Seattle, WA: Eastland Press, 2007.
Scheid, Volker. “Chinese Medicine and the Problem of Tradition”. Asian Medicine vol. 2, no. 1, 2006, 59-71.
Zhan, Mei. Other-Worldly: Making Chinese Medicine through Transnational Frames. Duke University Press, 2009.
Zhao, Zhihui., Yi Zhou, Weihong Li, Qingsong Huang, Zhaohui Tang, and Han Li. “Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies for COVID-19 Based on The Diagnosis and Treatment Program for Coronavirus Disease-2019 from Chinese Authority,” The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 48, no. 5, (2020): 1035-1049. https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/epdf/10.1142/S0192415X20500500.