Chinese Cosmetic Surgery

Posted: 3/27/2007 - Commentary by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Spread the word about this comic: Tweet Pin It

There's not really a particular opinion statement being made by this cartoon; it's simply a funny thing to imagine. Have you ever seen funny signs for doctors or chiropractors? "Back surgery center, Dr. Thomas Payne" or "Chiropractic Care with Dr. Popwell," for example.

Being that I am such a fan of Chinese culture (and I actually speak Chinese), I wondered what kind of name might be seen on a sign for Chinese cosmetic surgery. This name, "Dr. Lai Po Suk Shen" seemed appropriate.

Of course, those familiar with Chinese names and culture will point out that Chinese names are usually only three words, not four. Also, the "Lai" and "Shen" might be somewhat common in Mandarin Chinese, but the "Po" and "Suk" are really more Cantonese (Hong Kong Chinese). But I combined them here for the sake of humor, even though no Chinese person would actually have such a name.

Chinese medicine is a far superior system of medicine than western medicine, in my opinion. It's based on over 5,000 years of careful study and observation about the energy systems in the body, all from a holistic perspective that has great respect for life and the interrelationships of living systems. There are things modern medicine still hasn't figured out that Chinese doctors were teaching their students a thousand years ago. That's how far behind coventional medicine is today, compared to the wisdom of Chinese medicine. You can read Chinese medicine books today, written a thousand years ago, that make modern medicine seem hopelessly outdated. (Of course, you have to be able to read Chinese to notice this...)

A Chinese medicine practitioner, of course, would never condone liposuction. Instead, they would use acupuncture and medicinal herbs to help rebalance the body's energy, support the liver and encourage the patient to make considerable lifestyle changes to begin the journey back to a healthy weight. Chinese medicine is always about supporting the patient, whereas conventional (western) medicine is usually about attacking the patient or hijacking the patient's biochemistry with dangerous drugs, chemotherapy or barbaric treatments like radiation.

So don't expect to actually find a Dr. Lai Po Suk Shen offering Chinese cosmetic surgery. But it is a funny thought, huh?