Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Feng Shui and Traditional Chinese Medicine

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Feng Shui: Teaching About Science and Pseudoscience

Part of the book series: Science: Philosophy, History and Education ((SPHE))

  • 997 Accesses

Abstract

The defining basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is identification and mastery of chi and hence the enabling of the balance of the vital yin and yang ‘forces’ inside the body. TCM considers sickness or pain to be a result of chi blockage and/or unbalanced chi in the body. All TCM therapies – herbal concoctions, acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, diet, and qigong - are based on this fundamental philosophy and perspective. The evidence for efficacy of acupuncture, much less for any inference to the yin-yang balance, or chi movement, as the cause of any such efficacy, is problematic. Where there are beneficial outcomes – pain relief, relaxation, stress reduction, and so on – many are shown to be placebo effects, psychosomatic effects, the result of standard biochemical processes, and so on. For each class of outcomes, the naturalist response is to look for scientifically established causal explanations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    On the traditional philosophical underpinnings of TCM, see Beinfield and Korngold (1991) and Porkert (1974, 1982).

  2. 2.

    See https://www.dopemystic.com/dopemystic-blog/2018/2/21/the-chakras-continued-and-the-dopemystic-reiki-healing-process

  3. 3.

    See Sacks (2014). And https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/reiki-goes-mainstream-spiritual-touch-practice-now-commonplace-in-hospitals/2014/05/16/9e92223a-dd37-11e3-a837-8835df6c12c4_story.html?utm_term=.c4ab83e238cb

  4. 4.

    See https://www.reiki.org/faq/whatisreiki.html

  5. 5.

    See https://www.wellnessinstitute.net/ The Centre also, for a fee, offers instruction in Craniosacral Biodynamics, Polarity Therapy, NeuroEnergetic Therapy, and more.

  6. 6.

    Brian Dunning, Skeptoid #411

  7. 7.

    Available at www.silverlineddays.com

  8. 8.

    On the legal-medical-economic issues, see: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/

  9. 9.

    See Centre for Scientific Medicine reports at: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/reiki/

  10. 10.

    Sydney Morning Herald 16 October 2018, p. 1

  11. 11.

    See, https://www.springforestqigong.com/how-springforestqigong-works

  12. 12.

    Moxibustion is similar to medical acupuncture except that instead of needles, burning moxa wool is used to treat or prevent diseases. Moxa is often applied on the meridians and their acupuncture points. The SCIO claims that moxibustion is wonderful for simulating chi and blood flow and so ensuring that organs function well.

  13. 13.

    See The Economist 16–22 March 2019, pp. 28–29.

  14. 14.

    Numerous studies document the chi-basis of acupuncture and moxibustion practice. See Chang (1976) and Norris (2001). The latter affirms that ‘qi is central to all aspects of traditional Chinese medicine … and the same can be said of the distinction between yin and yang’ (Norris 2001, pp. 1, 6).

  15. 15.

    See at least Cyranoski (2017), Huston (1995), and Skrabanek (1985).

  16. 16.

    Because it cannot be controlled, Facebook is banned in China. State-controlled WeChat takes its place. It is no surprise that the International Journalist Association in 2017 ranked China 194 out of 197 countries for freedom of press.

  17. 17.

    See http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-meta-analysis-of-studies-into-acupuncture-and-chronic-pain-2/

  18. 18.

    See http://edzardernst.com/2017/12/a-new-comprehensive-review-of-acupuncture-turns-out-to-be-an-orgy-in-wishful-thinking/

  19. 19.

    See Laudan (1981), and the numerous realist responses to this pessimistic induction, especially Brown (1994), Bunge (2006), Psillos (1999), and contributions to Agazzi (2017).

References

  • Agazzi, E. (Ed.). (2017). Varieties of scientific realism: Objectivity and truth in science. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beinfield, H., & Korngold, E. (1991). Between heaven and earth: A guide to Chinese medicine. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergson, H. (1911). Creative evolution (A. Mitchell, Trans.). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. R. (1994). Smoke and mirrors: How science reflects reality. New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bunge, M. (2006). Chasing reality: Strife over realism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Capra, F. (1982). The turning point. New York: Bantam Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capra, F. (1984). The Tao of physics (2nd revised edition of 1975 original). New York: Bantam Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, S. T. (1976). The complete book of acupuncture. Berkeley: Celestial Arts Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. (1985). Psychological causation and the concept of psychosomatic disease. In D. Stalker & C. Glymour (Eds.), Examining holistic medicine (pp. 67–106). Buffalo: Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colquhoun, D. (2011). Acupuncturists show that acupuncture doesn’t work, but conclude the opposite: Journal fails. Available at: http://www.dcscience.net/?p=4439

  • Colquhoun, D., & Novella, S. (2013). Acupuncture is theatrical placebo. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 116(6), 1360–1363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cyranoski, D. (2017, November 29). China to roll back regulations for traditional medicine despite safety concerns. Nature.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eitel, E. J. (1873/1987). Feng shui: The rudiments of natural science in China. Hong Kong: Lane Crawford (Graham Brash, Singapore).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernst, E., Lee, M. S., & Choi, T.-Y. (2011). Acupuncture: Does it alleviate pain and are there serious risks? A review of reviews. Pain, 152(4), 755–764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillies, M. A. (1996). Henri Bergson and British modernism. Montreal: McGill Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper, D. (2017). Science in ancient China. In I. R. Morus (Ed.), The Oxford illustrated history of science (pp. 45–71). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersey, F. (2017, September 14). Traditional medicine courses rolled out in Chinese schools as 12-year-olds learn acupuncture. The Telegraph.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, P. (1995). China, chi and chicanary: Examining traditional Chinese medicine and chi theory. Skeptical Inquirer, 19(5), 38–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laudan, L. (1981). A confutation of convergent realism. Philosophy of Science, 48, 19–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M. S., Pittler, M. H., & Ernst, E. (2008). Effects of Reiki in clinical practice: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 62(6), 947–954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z. (1996). The private life of chairman Mao: The memoirs of Mao’s personal physician. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J. L. (2010). ‘Wang Fuzhi’s philosophy of principle (Li) inherent in Qi. In J. Makeham (Ed.), Dao companion to neo-Confucian philosophy (pp. 355–380). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, M. R. (2015a). Science teaching: The contribution of history and philosophy of science: 20th anniversary revised and enlarged edition. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, M. R. (2015b). Reflections on 25-years of journal editorship. Science & Education, 24(5–6), 749–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Needham, J., & Ling, W. (1956). Science and civilisation in China, Vol. 2, History of scientific thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, C. M. (2001). Acupuncture: Treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Offit, P. (2013). Do you believe in magic? The sense and nonsense of alternative medicine. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orleans, L. A. (Ed.). (1980). Science in contemporary China. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porkert, M. (1974). The theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porkert, M. (1982). The difficult task of blending Chinese and Western science: The case of the modern interpretations of traditional Chinese medicine. In G. Li, M. Zhang, & T. Cao (Eds.), Explorations in the history of science and technology in China (pp. 553–572). Shanghai: Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Psillos, S. (1999). Scientific realism: How science tracks truth. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radner, D., & Radner, M. (1989). Holistic methodology and pseudoscience. In D. Stalker & C. Glymour (Eds.), Examining holistic medicine (pp. 149–159). Buffalo: Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sacks, B. (2014, May 16). Reiki goes mainstream: Spiritual touch practice now commonplace in hospitals. The Washington Post.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, W. (1996). Antiscience trends in the rise of the “alternative medicine” movement. In P. R. Gross, N. Levitt, & M. W. Lewis (Eds.), The flight from science and reason (pp. 188–197). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Semple, D., & Smyth, R. (2013). Oxford handbook of psychiatry (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Skrabanek, P. (1985). Acupuncture: Past, present and future. In D. Stalker & C. Glymour (Eds.), Examining holistic medicine (pp. 181–196). Buffalo: Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • State Council Information Office (SCIO). (2016). Traditional Chinese medicine in China. Beijing: SCIO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, K. (Ed.). (1993). The practice of constructivism in science and mathematics education. Washington, DC: AAAS Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, K. (2000). Constructivism in science education: Moving on. In D. C. Phillips (Ed.), Constructivism in education (pp. 227–253). Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, K. (2015). Connecting science education to a world in crisis. Asia-Pacific Science Education, 1, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41029-015-0003-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, A. J., Cronin, A. M., Maschino, A. C., Lewith, G., MacPherson, H., Victro, N., Foster, N. E., Sherman, K. J., Witt, C. M., & Linde, K. (2012). Acupuncture for chronic pain: Individual patient data meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(19), 1444–1453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegman, M. E. (1980). Biomedical research: Clinical and public health aspects. In L. A. Orleans (Ed.), Science in contemporary China (pp. 269–294). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wensel, L. O. (1980). Acupuncture for Americans. Reston: Reston Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wozniak, J. A., Wu, S., & Wang, H. (2001). Yan Xin Qigong and contemporary sciences. Champaign: International Yan Xin Qigong Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan, X. (2015). Secrets and benefits of internal Qigong cultivation. Malvern: Amber Leaf Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Michael R. Matthews

Authors
  1. Michael R. Matthews
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Matthews, M.R. (2019). Feng Shui and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In: Feng Shui: Teaching About Science and Pseudoscience. Science: Philosophy, History and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18822-1_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18822-1_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-18821-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-18822-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation