The Perception Factor

In the previous blog, I discussed the challenges that TCM practitioner face on daily basis. The ones I noted were all tangible in character; that is, they all were ones that could easily be discerned. However, there is an aspect of this profession that is not one a person could readily identify. What am I alluding to?

Perception is a factor that does not receive the credit it deserves in how people will embrace a particular field. When I perceive anything to be pleasant, I am more inclined to engage in the activity. This seems very simplistic and easy to appreciate. However, we never realize the depth to its influence.

In the US, the people have been conditioned to view the healthcare system as infallible. The primary reason is the way the healthcare system and the doctors have been perceived the public. Doctors are still, for the large part, revered as almost “All- Knowing” or even “God-like”. Most patients go to their doctors and do everything they tell them to do without even questioning them.

You may even be in that same category. Why is this? I feel that over the past century, the advancements in medical technology and pharmaceuticals has been so great that the layman feels overwhelmed. The result is that he perceives the US healthcare system as being extremely advanced and, therefore, infallible.

When a person perceives a field as such, he will be very reluctant to question its authorities. He will also be very reluctant to consider differing methods of treatment and philosophies of care. Thus, a field like TCM will be affected by such a perception. How so? For one, that person will not consider any other forms of treatment unless his Western medical doctor advises him to.

I, for one, have seen this firsthand. I often explained to such a person the details and reasonings behind treating his condition by the modalities of TCM. The most common response I get back is that “Let me check with my doctor, first”.