History of Medicine

Happy Fall! The prettiest season in New England with leaves changing color and the weather getting cooler, not to mention hordes of squirrels scurrying around gathering acorns for the winter (I just learned that a group of squirrels is in fact called a scurry!). Fall is also special for me because it's my birthday season (plus Halloween and Thanksgiving season)! Changing color of leaves in Fall In ancient medicine, Fall is associated with the beginning of the Yin cycle (of yin and yang fame) with the days getting shorter and cooler. The Summer element of Fire (signifying activity and energy) gives way to the Metal element in fall. The metal signifies calmness and organization, so here's to a more organized and structured lifestyle (which seems impossible right now with senior year and college apps on my head but oh, so necessary!) An old Chinese saying by Tao Te Ching goes,  When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might b

Welcome to Fall! Today, the autumn equinox marks the beginning of fall, my favorite season of all! “Equinox” of course means equal night in Latin and marks the day when the sun shines directly on the equator and both poles are equidistant from the sun, making day and night of equal length. It is also a point of balance between changing seasons, and between feminine and masculine energies. Position of earth relative to sun  It held special significance in ancient times as many societies celebrated it as a festival of harvest. In Greek mythology, the fall equinox marks the return of the goddess Persephone to the underworld to reunite with her husband Hades, king of the underworld (who incidentally abducted her after falling in love with her). Although she was rescued by her father, Zeus, she chooses to go back to Hades for six months every year during autumn and winter. Her mother, Demeter, who is the Goddess of agriculture and fertility, mourns her loss by making the earth infertile dur

I have previously written about the ancient medical science of India called Ayurveda. Tracing its roots back to 6000 BCE (unofficially), Ayurveda is older than the Classical civilizations and thus predates Greek medicine. Ayurveda is still in practice in many parts of India as alternative medicine. But I recently discovered there is another form of alternative medicine in India called Unani medicine. I first heard about it from a Harvard professor and I was embarrassed to admit I hadn't heard of it, so I decided to dig deeper and what I found is quite interesting. Turns out it is still used in practice today as one of the 5 traditional medical sciences recognized by the Indian government as AYUSH ( Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddhi, Homeopathy).   Interestingly, Unani medicine is none other than ancient Greek medicine practiced by Hippocrates and Galen. In fact, Unani means "Greek" in Arabic. Unani medicine was introduced in India around the tenth century by Arab and Persian

In a true marriage of tradition and innovation, an AI (artificial intelligence) robot has been built by a Singapore startup called Ai Treat to give massages based on the tradition of Tui Na, an ancient Chinese medical therapy. The robotic masseuse, EMMA, uses sensors and 3D vision to measure muscle stiffness and identifies pressure points before giving a personalized massage to patients for the purpose of relaxation and pain relief. EMMA (Expert Manipulative Massage Automation) was developed by a physician trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and uses the same principles of personalized soft tissue massage which is derived from Tui Na therapy. Tui Na is the oldest known massage therapy and is one of the four branches of TCM, along with acupuncture, qi gong, and herbal medicine. It is meant to stimulate the flow of qi to promote balance and harmony within the body. The massage alternates between yin techniques, which are gentle, passive, and meditative, and the yang techniques

I read a fascinating discussion on the contrasts between ancient and modern medicine which really struck a chord since I have spent much time researching and writing about the concepts of experience versus evidence in medicine. Reflecting on cupping therapy, the paper's author, Dr. Anna Dinallo of the University of New Mexico, made the observation that modern medicine is based solely on knowledge of anatomy, which is learned primarily through dissection. Therefore, all modern medical knowledge is really obtained from a dead body. The author also argues that modern practitioners use anatomical dissections to discredit alternative medicine which does not have an anatomical foundation. I found that really interesting. All ancient medicine is based on experience. Diagnosis itself relies on examination through observation of pulse, smell, and sound-- all senses that the author argues rightly, are absent in a corpse during dissection. In fact, Ayurveda has 8 distinct examinations that ar

Believe it or not, one form of bloodletting uses live leeches to suck blood from the body! A leech is a parasitic worm belonging to the same family as earthworms. They look like shorter, fatter versions of earthworms. They can attach to the human skin through suckers at both ends of their body and suck blood, getting fatter as they drink your blood! Medicinal leech also called Hirudo medicinalis They are supposedly very efficient in sucking blood -- once attached a leech can suck several times its body weight of blood. They also secrete an anesthetic into the skin when they bite (so you don't scream in pain!) and their saliva contains anticoagulants that stop the blood from clotting. I suppose that's what makes them a popular choice for bloodletting.  Interestingly, leech therapy was practiced all over the world and since eternity. The first documented evidence of using leeches in medicine comes from Susruta and Charaka in India around 100 CE. A century later, Galen also became

Bloodletting is a form of wet cupping and was a very common medical procedure in the Classical times. Because illness was thought to be caused by an imbalance of bodily fluids or humors, ancient physicians like Hippocrates figured draining the bad blood from a sick person would bring back good health. Although bloodletting was popular in ancient Greece and Rome, it originated in ancient Egypt like other forms of cupping as I mentioned in my last post.  In the procedure, a surgeon would first tie the patient’s arm to make the veins swell, then make an incision and drain out blood. The famous Greek physician Erasistratus taught that all illnesses were caused by an excess of blood, or plethora, so bloodletting was meant to return the body to its normal state. Even Galen who developed the concept of plethora or excessive humors recommended bloodletting widely for illnesses such as fevers and headaches, and expanded its use in the Roman empire. Ancient vase depicting bloodletting. Image: L