Kampo...my new fascination

Last week when I was out to dinner with a handful of Japanese doctors and Pittsburgh's Dr. South-Paul and her husband, I met Yoshinaga sensei, a Kampo medicine doctor. I didn't know much about the Kampo branch of medicine, so I asked him if he'd be okay with me shadowing him at the hospital to better understand traditional Japanese medicine. He seemed excited enough about the idea and we arranged to meet up today after lunch.

So! At 1:30 I walked into the Kampo office ready to learn. He began by showing me their display of numerous herbs and dried....things. I barely recognized any of them and asked him what almost all of them were. He then started explaining "Kampo for dummies". From what I understand, Kampo is derived from traditional Chinese medicine and it's method of curing disease is via the use of natural herbs and remedies. It's practice is the balance of ying and yang, hot and cold, and ki (composed of ki, ketsu and sui, vital energy, blood and water).

Ying and Yang depict the two different reactions the body has to disease; hot/heat/hyperfunction or cold/chilld/hypofunction. A disease is diagnosed partially based on if the patient presents with a ying or yang condition. Ki is the universal energy that exists in the world and Kampo works to harmonize ki within the body. Disease then, is abnormal quantities or locations of ki. Ki, ketsu and Sui are similar to the "neuro-immuno-endocrine" triangle of western medicine.

There is also an aspect to Kampo which I find very interesting and different from western medicine. And it is the idea that ki, the basic element of life that supports life's mental and physical aspects, connects mind and body. Thus, Kampo philosophy regards body and mind as inseparable and they are diagnosed and treated together.

Diagnosis is complicated, but involves 3 different "check points". 1. Measuring heart rate/strength at the wrist, 2. Abdominal palpation and 3. Checking out the tongue (who knew it had so much to say?). I was allowed to watch the doctors during their rounds today and I have to say I am very intrigued at the philosophy and application of Kampo medicine and am certainly eager to learn more. They even let me borrow two books on Kampo medicine so I can do some reading for myself. They let me visit the downstairs pharmacy where they do all of their brewing...I mean herbal mixing (it smelt like Christmas in there because of all the cinnamon and cloves etc, amazing) and they even let me try some of a candy like gummy that they made by mixing a few ingredients (yummy!).

I also had to ask while I had the chance. "Okay....I am constantly exhausted but western medicine blood tests tell me nothing is abnormal and I should be feeling fine. What does Kampo medicine say?"
Let's just say I've never had so many people look at my tongue and react so intensely before. I've been told that my "ki" is imbalanced because I have a spotty tongue and I have a weak pulse. I was given a tester of kampo medicine tea that should have me feeling better in no time. Trying it first thing tomorrow morning with breakfast.

Really excited about this one!

sushi picture = mandatory