Western medicine and Japanese Kampo medicine are in a complementary relationship — Stillness and movement are beautifully harmonized in Japanese Kampo medicine

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis review is a general outline to have a proper understanding of Japanese Kampo medicine from my point of view.BackgroundWhat is the basis of medical care? The answer is how to capture the signals emitted by the living body. In western medicine, diagnosis with a disease name is required for medical therapy to acquire a medical insurance reimbursement. In contrast, in Japanese Kampo medicine pathophysiological diagnosis is required for choosing the proper medication. Western medicine is the science of disease, while Kampo medicine is the science of indication. In other words, western medicine has been searching to find a drug that works, while Kampo medicine has been pursuing how to make medicine work.Present Position of KampoJapanese Kampo medicine originally comes from traditional Chinese medicine as delineated in the Chinese classic medical texts Shokanron and Kinkiyoryaku. This framework was introduced to Japan around the 5th to 6th centuries; after that, while inheriting past experience, repeating verification anew, and progressing in search of new developments, Japanese Kampo medicine has been developing. Kampo medicine has succeeded in combining with the perspective of modern western medicine, and looks for what appropriate therapy is in accordance with the Kampo medical syndromes. Kampo medicine is a harmonious medical practice. To investigate Kampo prescription a little deeper, the medicine is usually broken down into its crude drugs.ConclusionCoexistence with Japanese Kampo medicine fills gaps in western medicine by its complementary approach. For understanding Kampo medicine, both western and Kampo medical understanding of Kampo medicine are required.