Conference hydra::dejavu

1806.0. "Review: Healing and the Mind, Bill Moyers" by DWOVAX::STARK (ambience through amphigory) Tue Feb 23 1993 10:15

    For anyone that hadn't heard and might be interested,
    there's an interesting series on PBS this week, 
    _Healing_and_the_Mind_, hosted by Bill Moyers.
    
    Last night's show did half on a (imo) rather weak overview
    of Chinese medicine, showing a traditional herbal pharmacy, an
    acupuncture-assisted brain operation (lowers the amount of
    chemical anesthetic neded) and some Tai Chi and Qigong practice and
    meditative therapy.  Also some 'no-hands' Qi healing therapy.
    
    The actual principles of Chinese medicine were barely
    touched on, a lot of time was spent with Moyers wondering
    what 'Qi' really is, and the Chinese trying to explain to him that
    it isn't anything they really think much about since it is
    so ubiquitous to their arts.   The best thing to come out of
    this first segment, to me, was an appreciation for how
    different the Chinese medical model is, how subjective-experience-centered,
    and how much there is within in that can someday be better understood.  
    
    It didn't help much that Moyers' tour guide and translator was
    Dr. Eisenberg, who had attempted and apparently considered himself utterly 
    failed at about a half a dozen different difficult traditional Chinese 
    arts, including traditional healing massage, acupuncture, and Tai Chi, 
    and so still seemed tp hold them with that certain mystique that 
    masters of these arts often seem to find so droll in their students.
    
    Imo, they could have linked this segment with the second half 
    of the show by describing the various research that has shown part of the 
    mechanism by which acupuncture works for analgesia (releasing endogenous
    opiates), but I suppose they wanted to leave the Chinese and Western
    medicine segments distinct to emphasize the contrast.
    
    The second half was slightly more detailed, an overview of
    recent neurotransmitter research, highlighted by interviews with
    such pioneering neuroscientists as Candace Pert, and showing
    how this information relates to biofeedback experiments and
    therapies, and just barely touching on how meditation and biofeedback
    might be related.  
    
    The accidental discovery of neural influence in on immunological
    mechanisms, and the revolutionary work by Pert and others in
    discovering the distribution of neuropeptides throughout the
    body was covered in simple terms, emphasizing well.
    
    The fact that 20 years ago the mechanisms for 'mind-body'
    interaction and the ways in which behavioral ('holistic') medicine works 
    were unknown and in some quarters denied was beaten to death about a dozen 
    times, almost overpowering the importance of the emerging neuroscience 
    knowledge.  But I suppose there is still an ingrained attitude and
    inertia in Western medical education that has not yet caught up with this
    trend, and in a practical sense, much of medcal practice does truly
    ignore the feelings and subjective experience of the individual.
    
    The fact that the influence of feelings on health has long been
    common folk knowledge but was not formally recognized by medical
    science was emphasized several times as well.  
    
    I found this to be very good television overall.
         
    There is a book by the same name associated with the series also.
    
    The next show seems to cover meditation in more detail.
    
    						kind regards,
    
    						todd

    I saw the first half and agree totaly on your comments on how the
    Chinese Medicine was presented. I expected much better but still good
    TV overall.
    
    Sam
    

    I also started this topic (sans my review) in VAXCAT::HOLISTIC,
    note 771.  
    							todd

    I've had a chance to watch some of all three shows.  Though the
    presentation of the "science" of Chinese medicine was opaque, I still
    found it of great interest that this information is being shared with
    millions of viewers.  I have had a chance to work with a number of
    Asian practices (Aikido, Tai Chi Chuan), and a number of meditative
    disciplines (many via Arica Training), so I have some deep
    understanding of what was presented.  I would also agree that for
    someone not familiar with these practices, it must have looked like a
    magic show, or some kind of chicanery.
    
    I was deeply moved by the Workshop in that remote location as the
    participants attempted to make meaning of their lives as they all faced
    imminent death from Cancer.  This made all the triviality on TV worth
    wading through to catch a gem such as this.  As most mature people
    realize, we all will obey the laws of entropy--some day. What is most
    important is to make good use of our time, and to find a way to express
    it to ourselves before it is over.  For showing this, Moyers and  the
    Producers deserve respect and gratitude.
    
    Richard B

    Richard, I spent most of the episode of the workshop in tears. It was
    that moving for me.
    
    BTW, folks, I've taped all three shows. I got 'em all on one tape at
    SLP speed. If anyone wants to borrow them, send me mail at
    WMOIS::CONNELL and we'll set something up. 
    
    I'm leaving for the day, but will be able to log in again on Monday.
    
    PJ