The connection between Eastern and Western medicine is something that many patients and practitioners grasp for as we are constantly seeking a way to communicate our goals and intentions. Sometimes, there are relationships between the two and other times there are not. One subject though that interested me was that of antibiotics. It seems many people take them for a slew of conditions and there is a barrage of new information coming out regarding antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and new therapies being used. So how does Chinese medicine view and understand the nature of antibiotics?
When a person gets a bacterial infection, Chinese medicine does not see the bacteria, rather we look at the signs and symptoms one is experiencing. Oftentimes, when a person has a bacterial infection, there is heat involved as well as mucus. We use these clues to tell us the nature of the pathogen so that we know how to treat it. If there is heat and the mucus produced is yellow or green, which we also view as heat, we might treat this through the application of cold. In Chinese herbology, stemming from 4,000 years ago, knew that herbs such as Goldthread/ Coptis root (Huang Lian) and Phellodendron bark (Huang Bai) had a very cold nature that could be used to treat damp-heat conditions. Today, scientific studies have found that these herbs have a broad spectrum in their antibacterial function.
Because antibiotics are cold in nature, this also explains why many people who take them begin to have loose bowels, upset stomachs and poor appetite- the cold can be damaging to the warmth of the Spleen and Stomach.
The post was written to provide an insight and connection between Western medicine and Chinese medicine; it in no way suggests discontinuing a treatment that has been prescribed by one's doctor.
As a student of Chinese medicine, I welcome any and all questions. Thank you- Collin
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