中西医的差异

Differences Between Chinese and Western Medicines

中西医的差异

For many years, there have been repeated discussions to give up Chinese medicine. It's recently become a hot topic once again. Advocates believe the Chinese medicine is not scientifically based in comparison to Western medicine.

据说，最近几十年，出现过多次要求取消中医的呼吁，最近再次成为热点话题。倡导者认为：与西医相比，中医没有科学依据。

Although it is debatable whether Chinese medicine is scientifically sound, you cannot deny that it has a rich philosophic significance. This is very different from Western medicine. Usually, a Chinese medicine practitioner approaches the illness from a broad perspective, emphasis its entirety and dialectical implications. This is why some people view it as a holistic medicine. In contrast, a Western doctor deals to recipe with symptoms. For instance, if someone has a sore throat, a Western doctor will treated it as a throat problem while a Chinese doctor may link it to the disorder of the patient's stomach.

中医是不是科学有待论证，但中医有着深厚的哲学内涵却毋庸置疑。从这点上说，中西医迥然不同。中医通常从宏观角度认识问题，强调整体性和辨证施治，有人称其为整体医学。西医则从微观入手。比如一个人咽喉痛，西医诊断为咽炎，而中医则有可能诊断为脾胃失衡的症状。

What's the difference between Chinese and Western medicines?

A Chinese doctor examines its patients by using methods like observing, smelling, asking and feeling. His Western counterparts relies on symptoms or evidence, like body temperature and lab tests. A Chinese doctor determines the problem of patients interior organs by influence through observing very exterior signs such as

complexion or the tongue. A Western doctor, on the other hand, makes his judgement based on the results of lab tests on the internal organs. He then reinforces its judgement by examining exterior symptoms. A Western doctor uses chemical based medicines and surgery, but a Chinese doctor relies on some herb medicines and acupuncture.

中西医的疗法有什么不同之处呢？中医讲究望、闻、问、切来诊病，西医则注重症状，重证据，如体温和化验结果等。中医通过看人的气色、舌质等外部症状来分析内部病变，而西医则通过化验手段来判断脏器病变，然后检查病人的外在症状，来证明他的判断。西医多用化学合成药物或手术，中医多用天然药物或针灸疗法。

For patient, which is preferable? It depends. Usually a Chinese doctor will recommend Western medicine for intensive treatment and Chinese medicine for the recovery. In fact, Chinese medicine is probably more effective in treating some functional diseases, while the cause is difficult to discover.

对病人来说，中医和西医哪一个是最好的选择呢？这要依情况而定，中国医生通常建议在手术阶段选择西医，在恢复阶段选择中医。一些难以查出问题的功能性疾病，用中医调理或许更为有效。

What will happen if Chinese medicine is indeed abandoned? No idea, but for people with terminal diseases, Chinese medicine may be the last result. Chinese medicine can not only alleviate pain but also offers the option of different treatment.

如果取消中医结果会怎样？我无法预料，对那些身患绝症的人来说，中医也许是他们最后的希望，它可以缓解疾病，为患者提供另一种治疗方案。