Exploring the Marvels and Challenges of Medicine–3 Real-Life Cases

Dr. Yang Jingduan, shares his insights into spiritual and physical health through a series of lectures titled, “The Three Tiers of Doctors Forum.”

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Modern life can be exhilarating—but living at a fast pace can also bring worries, stress, tension, anxiety, and even mental exhaustion. In today’s chaotic world, many people are looking for a sense of peace and good health. Dr. Yang Jingduan, a well-known Chinese psychiatrist in Philadelphia, launched a series of lectures titled “The Three Tiers of Doctors Forum” to share his insights into spiritual and physical health.

The following is a transcript of his talk:

The topic of health is inexhaustible and of great interest to everyone. As someone who has been studying medicine for over forty years, I continue to uncover new things every day, and there is still much that remains unknown to me. This is the marvel and the challenge of medicine.

Today, I would like to share several cases of the same type of illness. When we perceive illness at different levels, we may employ different treatment methods, or patients themselves may choose different approaches, leading to entirely distinct outcomes. The cases I am about to discuss are all based on real experiences.

The first case involves one of my patients, a white woman in her 50s. Over the past six months, she has frequently experienced lower back and leg pain, with the pain radiating from her lower back to her legs, particularly to the outer side of her thighs. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), her symptoms suggest a blockage in the gallbladder meridian, as TCM posits that pain arises when the meridians are blocked.

According to TCM, meridians are the channels through which energy flows in the human body. They are responsible for transporting qi and blood—the fundamental substances that constitute and sustain human life—throughout the body. The internal organs are connected to the body’s surface through these meridians. Along the meridians are specific points known as acupoints, which possess unique functions. By stimulating the corresponding acupoints through techniques like acupuncture and massage, it is possible to treat diseases related to specific organs.

This patient had experienced a severe psychological trauma in the past, and a major contributor to her pain was post-traumatic stress syndrome. From a TCM perspective, this is not surprising. She received TCM treatment for a period, but, regrettably, she did not follow through with the treatment. At times, when she experienced immediate relief or when her symptoms were less noticeable, she would skip sessions for one or two months.

Not too long ago, her pain suddenly intensified, and she went to the hospital for an examination. The MRI results revealed two problems: Congenital lumbar stenosis and lumbar disc herniation. The hospital recommended immediate surgery, warning that her symptoms could potentially cause further nerve damage, resulting in permanent harm. Hearing this, the patient became highly anxious, exacerbating her pre-existing mental instability to the extent that she could barely walk.

She came to me for advice recently. While I am not an expert in neurosurgery or orthopedics, I had a different perspective. Firstly, MRI images do not always correlate well with clinical symptom of lower back pain. Some people have severe lumbar disc herniation or it appears severe on the images, but they exhibit no clinical symptoms. Conversely, some people experience severe pain, yet their images appear normal. In other words, these images alone cannot be the sole basis for treatment.

I believe that a more conservative approach should be adopted, with at least six weeks of conservative treatment to give the body a chance to recover. Lumbar disc herniation and congenital lumbar stenosis may not necessarily be the direct causes of her current pain. If she has had congenital stenosis from birth, why is she only experiencing pain now? How long has her disc herniation been present? Is there a possibility of self-recovery?

In short, I believe that rushing her into surgery within two days was not the right approach. This patient was emotionally fragile, and under the pressure of the doctor’s diagnosis, she opted for surgery. Although the surgery went well, and the MRI indicated a decent recovery, four months later, her back pain, muscle spasms, and leg numbness remained very prominent.

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The second case involves a white male in his 40s, who presented symptoms very similar to the previous female patient. However, he was more reluctant when it came to surgical procedures. He tried to avoid surgery whenever possible and leaned towards more conservative approaches, including acupuncture. He had previously undergone therapy and received acupuncture, which had initially provided some relief. Unfortunately, after two months, his pain returned, and acupuncture was no longer effective. Later, he sought treatment at my clinic, expressing his strong preference for conservative methods.

When it comes to acupuncture, different practitioners may have varying education, treatment habits, and techniques. After examining the patient, I decided to give acupuncture another try. I devised a treatment plan for him that involved acupuncture sessions twice a week.

Since he had previously received acupuncture from another practitioner, I employed a more traditional approach known as the “contra-part needling” method, which is detailed in the classical Chinese medicine text, “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic.” In summary, this method involves treating the opposite side of the affected area. In his case, given the severity of his right-sided back and leg pain, to the extent that he needed a crutch, I refrained from needling the right leg or the painful area, as previous attempts at acupuncture had proven ineffective. Instead, I applied the “contra-part needling” method by needling on the left side. Following each session, he experienced relief, and within four weeks, his back and leg pain completely vanished. He has now returned to a state of normalcy.

While this patient also had a lumbar disc herniation, he did not have congenital lumbar stenosis. This case prompts us to wonder: “Did his disc herniation disappear? If not, why did his pain vanish?” This illustrates that if the pain is due to blocked meridians or inadequate flow of qi and blood, acupuncture can effectively resolve the issue. Conversely, if the pain is caused by bone issues, nerve compression, or structural problems, acupuncture may not help improve the condition.

The third case involves a friend of mine who had experienced severe lower back pain. At the time, I even suspected it might be kidney stones or gallbladder stones. However, he chose to use his own method of meditation, and the pain completely disappeared.

Throughout this process, his pain became extremely intense, and suddenly, he found himself unable to move his lower back and legs without experiencing excruciating pain. I was traveling at that time and could not provide any assistance. As a Falun Gong practitioner, he believed that his symptoms were a manifestation of his own karma and that through meditation and simultaneously enduring some suffering, he could “cleanse” his karma. He dedicated a specific amount of time to meditation every day, and within a week, all his symptoms disappeared. Based on my experience, severe lower back and leg pain of this magnitude often requires an extended period for recovery, even with conventional medical treatment. However, he chose to follow his own method, and remarkably, he quickly returned to normal.

In a 2015 study, 88 female patients diagnosed with chronic low back pain were divided into two groups at random. One group received mindfulness-based stress reduction in addition to usual medical care, while the other group received only usual medical care. The findings revealed that meditation effectively reduced the severity of pain. Patients who participated in eight meditation sessions reported significantly less pain compared to those who only received usual medical care.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2011 utilized an advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique called pulsed arterial spin labeled MRI to investigate the impact of meditation on pain-related brain processes. The results indicated that, following four days of mindfulness meditation training, healthy participants experienced a significant 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness when meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation, as compared to their resting state. Researchers attributed this change to increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, which are regions involved in the cognitive regulation of pain perception.

The three individuals mentioned earlier shared a similar medical condition, yet their choice of treatment methods resulted in different outcomes. This leads us to question the essence of diseases and whether there is only one or a few viable treatment methods. The diversity in treatment approaches prompts us to consider how this might extend to a broader reevaluation of the entire medical paradigm. It also encourages us to reflect on our perception of diseases and health, fostering discussions on various interpretations of diseases and treatments.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.