Does one size fit all in medicine? Thoughts from an Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner in Alexandria, Sydney, Australia.
Are we all the same or are we all different? Should every person with the same condition get the same treatment? Good question.
When we look at scientific research and studies- individuals are in a controlled environment with controlled variables. People with the same condition will get the same treatment to assess treatment effects. The results will often show some participants will get better, some will have no change and some may get worse. Why is this?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Acupuncture and Eastern philosophy has its own perspective- we are all different. From an Eastern point of view if we were to get five people with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and line them up and ask them about their condition and symptoms they might say different things. One person might have constipation, another might have diarrhoea, one has bloating while the others do not, one has reflux, one has low energy et cetera. From a TCM point of view the cause for each individual’s imbalanced condition might be different. Each person has an individual symptom picture and constitution and therefore treatment from an Eastern perspective would also need to be individualised. Internal medicine from a Chinese medicine point of view always requires thorough questioning and symptom differentiation. Treatments with acupuncture and herbal medicine are always tailored to each individual’s symptom picture or ‘pattern’.
External medicine and musculoskeletal treatment however may be simpler. If we line five people up with back pain and ask them about their symptoms- they will often be more similar. The differences will often be simpler- one has pain on the left, another has pain on the right, one has sciatica running down the inside of the leg, another has sciatica running down the outside of the leg, one has an issue with their gluteal muscles, another has an issue with their quadratus lumborum muscle. In these cases treatment may be more straight forward. Release the knots with acupuncture or massage, release the compensatory muscles and there should be relief.
This article highlights the individual nature of health and treatment but also that there are situations where a ‘one size fits all’ approach is valid, The bottom line and most important thing is that the treatment is effective and helps the person to feel better.
Warm regards, Ahil.
Any questions or to book in feel free to contact me on (02) 9341 5775 or by email at ahilnaturopath@gmail.com.
Ahil Naturopath/Acupuncture is a clinic located near Redfern, Alexandria and Waterloo. We also service areas across Sydney including Botany, Camperdown, Darlinghurst, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Mascot, Newtown, , Rosebery, Surry Hills and Zetland.
We offer Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Cupping, Gua Sha (Scraping) and Moxibustion services in South-East, Eastern and Inner City of Sydney.
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