TCM and TCMA

 by Phillip Starr

*Partially excerpted from “The Making of a Butterfly” by the author

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese martial arts went hand in hand and traditional medical therapy was part and parcel of one's martial arts regimen. One of the first Americans to travel to China (in the late 1970's) and practice kung-fu, Mr. Mark Salzman (author of “Iron and Silk”) discovered this when he went to practice at a park in China one day. Several people who had been watching him approached him and asked if he could help them with various ailments. They associated a martial artist with one who was also skilled in traditional medical therapies. Unfortunately, Mr. Salzman hadn't learned any of this part of kung-fu and had some difficulty communicating this to the local inhabitants.

My teacher, a highly skilled acupuncturist and tui-na (Chinese chiropractic and massage) practitioner, carried on this tradition. “This was very common in the country (rural) areas where towns were small and there were many villages. The village kung-fu teacher often was also the village doctor,” he told me.

My teacher, W.C. Chen, once told me that healing and hurting are two sides of the same coin. “If you know only one and not other (in so far as martial arts are concerned), you have only half an art.” And his lovely wife, Mei, added, “People appreciate healing more than hurting. In your life you will have more opportunities to to help heal people than hurt them.” My teacher taught me acupuncture, tui-na, rudimentary (Chinese) herbology, and qigong for health. “Teach your students the same way,” he admonished me. “This way the art will remain whole...and the world will be a better place. This is your mission.” And that's exactly what I did, requiring senior students to acquire as much skill as possible in the healing arts as a part of their upper-level examinations.

For many years I kept a small clinic in the back of kung-fu school. Various chiropractors and even physicians would frequently refer patients to me. I always enjoyed being able to help people regain their health. Mei was right; I certainly had many more opportunities to help heal people than hurt them!