Week Eight---HIV and AIDS ....

How do you feel about western approaches to HIV/AIDS? ....To me, it seems Western medicine has an adequate understanding of the HIV lifecycle, however, it is very limited in treatment and prevention options because the virus is actually quite intelligent---it directly attacks the immune system, taking our helper T cells hostage, it tends towards latency, hiding in our genome, and when it does reproduce, it does so recklessly, thus spawning mutant variations of the virus. HAART, while this course of treatment does have many side effects, it does help many people extend their lives. Vaccination as a real means of HIV prevention is not an option at this time---social change, however, is within our means. HIV/AIDS is an epidemic. A pandemic. We know how the virus is transmitted, and we have educated people about these facts, but unfortunately, these facts are often pre-packaged, and not culturally specific. We can teach young women in sub-Saharan Africa to say 'no' to unwanted sexual advances, but does her culture give her the permission to say 'no'? Many women marry when they are young girls, and often to older men who have had many sexual partners---many HIV infected women contracted the virus from their husbands. Navigating cultural norms that are different from our own is a delicate process---to be effective, we must not judge. And we must not judge those who have been stricken with HIV/AIDS. In addition to general education about HIV/AIDS that is culturally specific, I feel that we must also work towards erradicating the social stigma that also affects those who are affected with the virus. Is HIV/AIDS not a ravishing disease that destroys lives like any other disease? In working to heighten awareness of the disease, we have also created panic. People are scared of HIV/AIDS, but with certain precautions, it is actually not that easy to transmit/contract. Think of the polio epidemic in this country---polio was at an all time high at a time when there was mass immigration, and the epidemic was blamed on the "dirty immigrants" whose customs seemed strange. But in fact, polio is a disease of CLEANLINESS. It's route of transmission is fecal-oral, and many contract the disease as babies---funny thing about polio, if you contract it as an infant, you are more likely to fight it off and gain immunity ....if you contract the infection at an older age, its disease is much more severe, often crippling its victims. People were trying to protect themselves from polio infection through excessive cleanliness, but in actuality, they were making themselves more susceptible ...and for a long time, even with this knowledge, people were still happy to ignorantly blame those who had recently immigrated to the country. What am I trying to say?---Medically, HIV/AIDS is challenging, both to treat and prevent; but through sensitive social change, we can both prevent the disease and offer better treatment to those who are infected by working towards eradicating the social stigma that one contracts along with the virus.

Can TCM strengthen our immune systems? ....In thinking about HIV/AIDS and the mechanisms involved in the disease---how we don't really understand why the immune system ceases to fight the infection---it makes me wonder if the immune system just gets 'tired'. That perhaps our lifespan is directly correlated with the strength of our immune system, but that our immune system has a set point at which it has been 'used-up'. This would be our constitution. Even though our constitution is believed to be pre-determined by our pre-natal essence, it does not mean that we can not work with what we are given. By supporting our immune system, we can strengthen our constitution and keep it at peak function---every well-used machine is going to need maintenance. (Ah, but we are more than machines!) By clearing disharmonies in the body through various modalities---such as acupuncture, herbs or lifestyle changes---we are supporting our immune systems. Going back to HIV/AIDS, I think that using TCM to support the body in its attempts to manage the infection could strengthen the immune system, thus improving quality of life as symptoms of the disease would be less severe.

What do you think of "the deal that saved the whale?" ...I think it is a model idea. Not only does this plan have tremendous foresight for long-term environmental concerns, it is also meant to provide sustenance for the native people who populate this region. There are so few natural habitats on this planet untouched by human hands ....human hands can meddle, but they can also protect.

Week Seven---Cell Biology and Cancer ....

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer? ....There is so much information available on cancer---statistics, potential causes and prevention. There are also a great number of people afflicted with cancer, and many who are not yet aware of their condition. And while cancer is a condition that many people have been touched by in one way or another (oneself, a family member or a friend has been diagnosed), I do not feel that there is a tremendous understanding of cancer in the realm of Western medicine. To me, cancer seems like an umbrella term for many possible cellular disorders that in time, with more research, may be siphoned out of the general 'cancer' category. Research that points toward viral factors as a potential cause in some cancers seems promising. In regards to treatment options, I feel that many Western therapies are too aggressive and invasive. There is too much focus on 'the tumor' and not enough on supporting the body as a whole (and the mind) while it undergoes the trauma of 'cancer therapy'. No doubt that being diagnosed with cancer is not an easy thing. I suspect that many people who are diagnosed may feel shocked and some-kind-of-panicked. I feel like there is this judgment here in Western society---we are supposed to *fight* cancer---and if you do not utilize all available technologies (surgery, chemo, radiation), then you are giving up on life. Living with cancer is not an option.

How does the TCM approach to cancer differ?....TCM takes the whole complexity of the situation into account. In contrast to Western medicine, TCM most notably treats the body as a whole and because of the philosophies behind TCM practice, namely the relationship between the internal organs and the emotions, the emotional well-being of an individual also figures into treatment. It is believed that a weakened body is highly susceptible to carcinogens, and therefore the development of malignant cells. Cancer is treated as a systematic disorder. The body is supported, not further traumatized. For cancers that are more advanced, TCM can be a tremendous suppotive therapy that can help ease the symptoms of cancer increasing quality of life and lifespan. TCM helps people live with cancer. TCM can also help prevent cancer by balancing the disharmonies that are believed to cause cancer before they do.

Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection? ....Gosh. I hope so! However, I think genetic evolution is powered more by culture and politics these days than by the 'natural' criteria of Darwin's days. Survival of the richest is more the game. Ironically though, take away a rich man's toys and send him off into the woods to play ...not likely that he will survive. (I don't mean to sound so critical---try and try I might, I can't even light a fire in my fireplace!)

Week Six----The Nature of Life ....

How do you distinguish between living and non-living systems? .....To me, "living" implies a constant state of 'coming into being'---one is always 'becoming', shifting and changing through interaction with one's environment. Re-organizing. Adapting, for better or worse, but still able to adapt and thus live. I think of qi and its aggregation (life) and dispersal (death). To me, non-living systems are 'objects'---like a shoe. My shoes do not have the ability to generate new soles as they are worn down by friction with the pavement, and they never had this ability. The cognition factor is a bit complicating for me---meaning, cognition is usually associated with consciousness ...but are all living systems conscious? It is our consciousness that allows (or causes) us to see ourselves as separate, closed systems. We do not have roots. We must imagine that we do. We have a past, family and ancestors. But we are still individuals. I think about plant life. Plants have roots, and they are clearly living. And I feel that plants have their own kind of innate intelligence, but is it consciousness? Strange to think how different living systems may perceive the same world ....and how it is impossible to know the reality of any other.

What do you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps? ....In general, I feel that humans have this attitude that our species is the only species that could have language or the intelligence to use tools, but more to the point, when we witness these abilities in other creatures, we are marvelled and treat it as a novel 'discovery'. In the case of chimps, we are especially prone to treat their abilities to communicate with each other, or make and use tools, as something that informs us about ourselves---as if we are gazing upon our past in the present and---wow!---look how far we have come! I feel that the only significance that can be ascribed to chimps's use of language and tools is that they are intelligent beings interacting with each other and their environment. Any attempt to connect these 'findings' with human evolution are grasping attempts on the part of man frantic desperate to name his origins.

"Chinese Medicine Gaining Respectability in the West" ....I think most of us have some experience to share about how Western Medicine has let us down. Perhaps it is the very thing that brought us to the study of Chinese Medicine. Western Medicine is highly successful at treating traumas (this is my only reason for having medical insurance), but overall, I feel like it fails to see the bigger picture---whether that be the view of the body (mind and spirit) as a wholistic system, the treatment of symptoms and not the source problem, the deeper societal implications of a healthcare system that regards care as an economic privilege rather than a human right, etc.... What impresses me most about Chinese medical care is the level of interaction between the practitioner and the patient. The practitioner asks questions and listens, but more than anything---listens. I feel that many Westerners are becoming more and more disheartened by the poor level of care that they receive from their generic HMO plan. (Get 'em in and get 'em out! Pay your bill.) Because Chinese Medicine's diagnostic techniques rely so strongly on the patient-practitioner relationship, people automatically feel like they are receiving a higher standard of care. The fact that Chinese Medicine is gaining more respect in the West is in part due to Western Medicine's acceptance of Oriental medical modalities. Western Medicine still holds a position of authority in our society---afterall, many people still need a doctor's validation that they are 'sick' in order to acknowledge that their health is out of balance. But I do feel that in terms of healthcare, the health-carelessness that many of us are used to is being recognized as sub-standard. Our healthcare system is dictated by insurance companies, and with that, I am not sure how I feel about Chinese Medicine being subsumed into the Western Medical system (as it stands). This is a huge issue with many points to examine. But overall, I feel that this is a great time to be studying Chinese Medicine---as people mind's open more to the possibilites of non-Western treatment modalities, the more hope I have for positive changes in our country's healthcare system and standards of care.

Week Five----The Complexity of Life ....

Can diversification save species? ....The extinction of many species of plants and animals is largely due to human activities. What comes to my mind is agriculture and our tendencies toward monoculture---the harvesting of short-term profit over long-term sustainability. The diversity of crop species is necessary for ensuring the security of our food supply. However, the fact is, we still choose to grow vast fields of only a few species of one crop (if that many), and they will be the most profitable species of this crop. And when this crop is attacked by a disease that threatens to destroy it because it lacks biological resistance, and even our chemical pesticides can not fix the problem ....we have a real problem. The article on Cavendish bananas we read in class is a perfect example of this not so uncommon scenario. At the end of the day, whether we are talking about crops, animals or our habitats---biodiversity breeds interdependence, and interdependence is what connects Everything.

Do you vote for the chicken or the egg? ....Ah, such a dilemma. I will stick with Darwin on this one---the egg. From Darwin's perspective, what qualifies as a "chicken" had to have been bred from two mating creatures that were not qualitatively "chickens," but together, made a "chicken." And this chicken hatched from his very own egg---a chicken egg---that was laid by his not-quite-chicken mother. (Afterall, a chicken can not hatch from a not-quite-chicken egg.) I vote for the egg.

"I always eat my broccoli!" ....I feel that food is medicine. There are foods that can protect against disease ....but there are also foods that can cause disease. We are what we eat---but we are more than that of course. We have our genetic pre-dispositions. We are also affected the environments that we live in, the air we breathe. But it is a no-brainer to me that eating foods as close as possible to their sources (for example, fresh vegetables) is nutritionally superior to the processed, packaged items that qualify as food for most people. My own food choices are primarily based on nutrition. One aspect of our culture that I find astounding is that many people lack knowledge of basic nutrition---do not regard food as their 'fuel'. And many do not respect the healing (and disease causing) aspects of food and realize that they have choices to make.