sun simiao

Oct

2017

Sun Simiao’s Code of Medical Ethics

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Sun Si Miao 孙思邈 [581—682 A.D.], a revered Chinese alchemist, scholar, monk, and clinician, has been venerated as the ‘Medicine God,’ Medicine Buddha, a deity invoked during healing practices, and commonly referred to in China as ‘King of Medicine.’ During the Ming Dynasty [1527 A.D.], eight stone tablets engraved with quotations from his works were erected in his birthplace in Shanxi Province, and to this day there are activities each year in his hometown that celebrate his memory. Sun Simiao is credited with the first Chinese code of ethics for doctors, less a formal code per se, and more of the philosophy of a virtuous physician and values that suggest an ethical practitioner. The principles primarily focus on compassion, humility, conduct, and beneficence rather than physician truth-telling and self-importance. A Heart of empathy and quiet, free of wants and desires, pledged to heal and rescue sentient beings from their suffering.

• First develop compassion, not giving way to wishes, desires, and judgments.

• S/he sympathizes with those who experience grief as if s/he has been affected by it.

• S/he does not ponder fortune or misfortune of self, above preserving life and having compassion for it.

• By no means should there arise an attitude of rejection. Sympathy, compassion, and care should develop for whoever suffers from conditions looked upon with contempt by people.

• Treat all patients alike, whether powerful or humble, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, resentful relatives or kind friends, locals or foreigners, fools or wise men.

• Neither dangerous mountain passes nor the time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue should keep her/him from helping wholeheartedly.

• S/he makes a dignified appearance, neither luminous nor somber.

• It is not permissible to be talkative and make provocative speeches, make fun of others, raise one’s voice, decide right from wrong, and discuss other people and their business.

• The wealth of others should not be the reason to prescribe precious and expensive treatments. The object is to help.

• It is inappropriate to emphasize one’s reputation, belittle other physicians, and praise one’s virtue. Indeed, in actual life someone who has accidentally healed a disease then strides around with head held high, showing conceit, and announcing that no one in the entire world could have measured up to yield such results; underscoring one’s own merits and abilities. Such conduct has to be regarded as contrary to the teachings of magnanimity. In this respect, all physicians are, evidently, incurable!

Adaptation derived from a review of related articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda, and S.Y. Tan, MD.

Jan

2015

Food Therapy to Nourish Health

Roots of Chinese medicine are based in “Nourishing Life” or Yangsheng 養生
✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold 千金翼方, compiled by Sun Simiao in the Tang Dynasty, is a comprehensive medical classic which summarized studies and records on medical treatment and had great influence on the development of oriental medicine in the later ages. Sun Simiao lists 233 categories, and among other material, covers internal, external, and first aid medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, detoxification, Yangsheng, acupuncture, and is the earliest Chinese text to discuss the concept Shiliao 食療 or nutritional therapy, and the knowledge that food is the first treatment for any ailment.

Aug

2014

China’s First Code of Medical Ethics

Sun Si Miao [581—682 A.D.] was a famous clinician and alchemist. Credited with the first code of ethics for Chinese doctors; less a formal ‘code’, and more the philosophy of a virtuous physician and values that suggest an ethical practitioner. The principles primarily focus upon compassion, justice, beneficence and humility, rather than physician truth-telling and self-importance.

• First develop compassion, not giving way to wishes, desires, and judgments.

• She sympathizes in her heart with those who experience grief as if she herself has been struck by it.

• She does not ponder her own fortune or misfortune above preserving life and having compassion for it.

• By no means should there arise an attitude of rejection. Sympathy, compassion, and care should develop for whoever suffers from conditions looked upon with contempt by people.

• Treat all patients alike, whether powerful or humble, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, resentful relatives or kind friends, locals or foreigners, fool or wise.

• Neither dangerous mountain passes nor the time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue, should keep her from helping whole-heartedly.

• She makes a dignified appearance, neither luminous nor somber.

• It is not permissible to be talkative and make provocative speeches, make fun of others, raise one’s voice, decide right from wrong, and discuss other people and their business.

• The wealth of others should not be the reason to prescribe precious and expensive treatments. The object is to help.

• It is inappropriate to emphasize one’s reputation, belittle other physicians, and praise one’s own virtue. Indeed, in actual life someone who has accidentally healed a disease then strides around with head held high, showing conceit, and announcing that no one in the entire world could have measured up; underscoring one’s own merits and abilities. Such conduct has to be regarded as contrary to the teachings of magnanimity. In this respect, all physicians are evidently incurable!

Adapted in part from articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda & S.Y. Tan, MD, and Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Dec

2013

WATER INTAKE AND HEALTH

Turning to traditional Chinese medicine and a Taoist concept of health and long life, one is taught to be moderate in every action and attentive to the signals of the body, and to the prevailing influences of nature. Eating when hungry and drinking when thirsty, we should ingest only enough food and drink to satisfy actual needs, needs which match our level of activity. Advice regarding water intake is to drink only when thirsty or to drink a few sips regularly throughout the day. To consume more than what is essential is considered in defiance of natural balance.

There are obvious cases where higher fluid consumption is important, such as for people who are perspiring profusely [due to exercise, hot weather, or resulting from a feverish disease], those who are losing fluids due to diarrhea, as well as one who tends to form kidney stones. But by eating the suggested five servings of fruit per day, plentiful amounts of water are provided; many fruits and vegetables being more than 80% water in content.

Most yin quality foods in a healthy diet contain a significant quantity of water making it feasible to get the 2.5 liters a day without drinking copious amounts of water. However, the popular impression is that for good health one must drink 2.5 liters of water per day, when essentially, emphasis needs to be placed upon consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, not on high volume water-intake. Health advisories recommend that sedentary women consume approximately 2,000 calories per day, for which the suggested 1 ml/calorie translates to only 2.0 liters of total water needed. Adding 1.9 liters of water from drinking glass after glass of water simply doubles such suggested intake.

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Adaptation derived from a review of related articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda, and S.Y. Tan, MD.

Drinking large volumes of water appears to be inconsistent with age-old advice regarding health maintenance.