Did all Chinese that have a Doctor in Acupunctuere learn the MCO as part of their tuition?

[Josama]

Like the title says.

[VCraigP]

Like the title says.

I think you mean "as part of their curriculum".

 

Let me clarify and broaden your question. Why as about all Chinese? Lets ask about all TCM Doctors.

 

Obviously if we define the MCO as Du and Ren channels we can say all TCM Doctors know of it.

 

The more important question is not about the MCO but rather "do all TCM Doctors learn about and practice qigong or other similar energy arts as part of their cultivation to improve their practice of medicine?"

 

Unfortunately the answer is NO, not all do. But IMO all should.

 

Craig

[Josama]

Sorry I wanted know if all TCM education absolved in China does include some form of enerergetic practice as part of the programm and if this obligatory to be practised by students?

[ChiDragon]

Sorry I wanted know if all TCM education absolved in China does include some form of enerergetic practice as part of the programm and if this obligatory to be practised by students?

 

To the best of my knowledge, Chi Kung practice was not part of the TCM program. It was up to each individual TCM practitioner to be practiced on his own.

[Non]

Schools in America may or may not have courses on qigong. Back in the 80s or early 90s neigong was required for Tuina programs in China.

Edited August 22, 2011 by Non

[Maddie]

I'm in TCM school now, and as far as I know we don't learn MCO as part of the curriculum.

[henro]

I'm studying Chinese medicine right now in Los Angeles. My school is heavy on qigong, but the others in town are not. They do all have some cultivation requirements though.

 

I looked into a couple schools in China, none of them had any kind of cultivation courses in their curriculum. When I asked one of the advisors about it she said that's what the park is for in the morning.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Schools in America may or may not have courses on qigong. Back in the 80s or early 90s neigong was required for Tuina programs in China.

 

This information may be of interested and is from the Preface of Professor Jerry Alan Johnson's Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy Volume 1 p. XVIII to XIX

 

Following a discussion of the differences between modern Western and TCM approaches, Johnson writes:

 

With such fundamental divergencies in philosophy and technique, it is almost inconceivable that these two medical systems could ever operate together in the same setting. The fact is that they do function together, and quite effectively, too. Ironically, we can thank Mao Zedong for the union of these two unlikely bedfellows.

 

Recognizing that there were far too few Western trained physicians and nurses to meet the primary health care needs of China's vast population, from the outset of his leadership Mao advocated the systemization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and advocated its implementation alongside Western medicine in China's hospitals and clinics. The results of this integration have been astonishing, as witnessed in the effective use of acupuncture anesthesia during surgery.

 

Nonetheless, in his efforts to create a "modern" Chinese medicine, Mao shunned some of the traditional theoretical aspects of Chinese medicine, such as the concept of Qi, which he considered feudalistic and counterrevolutionary. For this reason, he actively discouraged Medical Qigong practice as superstitious. It was not until the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1975 that Qigong reclaimed its rightful place as one of the major branches of Chinese medicine.

 

During Chairman Mao's reign, a high party official in Beijing was suffering from an "incurable" disease. Both Western medicine and TCM had failed to alleviate his suffering. In desperation, he went to one of the few Medical Qigong clinics operating in the country and was cured. The official then lent his support to the promotion of Medical Qigong for the benefit of the Chinese people. Before long, there were hundreds of Medical Qigong hospitals and clinics throughout

China.

 

Thereafter, Qigong experienced an unprecedented growth in China, and became available to the general populace for the first time in history. Qigong was taught in the public education system, beginning at the elementary school level. Qigong departments were added to large urban hospitals. Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine developed and established sound Medical Qigong training programs. According to a recent survey, one third of the population of Beijing, China's capital city, practiced Qigong daily.

 

Regarding the situation in the US he writes:

 

Medical Qigong, however, is still at the very early stages of public recognition, understanding, and acceptance. Traditional Chinese Medicine schools around the United States, as well as independent Medical Qigong masters, are only now beginning to establish comprehensive Medical Qigong training programs.

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.) is divided into four main branches: acupuncture, herbs and diet, massage therapy, and Medical Qigong. It is important for T.C.M. practitioners to have exposure to all four branches to be able to understand the relative strengths and limitations of their particular field of expertise, so that they will be able to select the most effective and appropriate treatment modality for their patients. Until very recently, most schools in America have been relatively unaware of the extent to which Medical Qigong therapy has developed in China, and have failed to present Medical Qigong as a significant part of their training programs for students of Oriental medicine.

 

Unfortunately he includes the following sad note to Medical Qigong's heyday in China:

 

By the end of 1999, however, many of the Medical Qigong colleges and universities had been closed due to the political actions of the Falun Gong organization.

 

I hope that everyone finds this interesting. I also hope that this thread stays on track with medical qigong and avoids a degeneration into a discussion of Chinese politics so that useful information about medical qigong can be exchanged here without having to wade through a lot of political talk. If you don't like the politics expressed in the last quote above, you can always start a new thread devoted to such a discussion.