The First Hurdle...

As a practitioner, the most enjoyable aspect about writing a Blog on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is that I get to discuss my general experiences with the field of TCM as well as my experiences in treating patients here. As I enter my 12th year in practice, I have seen a tremendous amount of progress in the way the field of TCM is being accepted in the US.

When I first started as a practitioner, most people I talked with, outside the ones in the field were not very receptive. When I asked them to describe their views on TCM, the first terms that they would spit out were "Quackery" or Voo-Doo medicine. Many of these people would also associate TCM with the Martial Arts. In fact, they would cite Bruce Lee as their only link to the Chinese or Japanese culture. Western physicians and practitioners also shared these beliefs.

I was essentially spending most of my time just educating people on the validity of the field. Many viewed me as some Shaman instead of a licensed practitioner. This was definitely a humbling experience as I never had to gain credibility in any pursuit I was in before.

Due to this lack of awareness in the community, I determined that the first thing I had to do is assume the role of an educator and open the eyes of as many people as I could in appreciating the real value behind this medicine. I still fondly remember going, with my assistant, into the offices of physicians and other Western practitioners for the sole purpose of educating them on "science" behind TCM...