The relationship most singers have with their doctors follows certain predictable patterns. Only a minority of singers make scheduled visits to monitor the larynx. For many singers, their medical history is a series of emergency encounters: an important audition this afternoon, a performance that cannot be cancelled tonight. Naturally, when a singer is experiencing a medical emergency, the doctor needs to be there to try to make things better. These moments of panic, however, are separated by long months of neglect, of no contact—until the next emergency.
This approach to medical treatment is increasingly prevalent among the general population as well. The prevalence of “Urgi-care” centers, and the increasing number of patients using hospital emergency rooms for primary care, bear witness to the Western attitude to medicine: Don’t act, react. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
There is another approach to health care, one that in many ways is more in harmony with what a singer does. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a way of looking at health and disease that is completely different from the “aspirin and Band-Aid” approach typical of our time and place. I believe that many aspects of the TCM philosophy resonate well with the singing profession and should at least be brought to the awareness of singers.
The key concept in TCM is the balance of opposites. It is from this balance that harmony results. Further, these opposites define each other, and are inseparable. This is the concept of “Yin and Yang.” When the opposites are in balance, health and harmony result.
First, Chinese medicine focuses on wellness, not on disease. It assumes (rightly, I think) that our bodies are capable to maintaining this wellness and overcoming disease under normal circumstances. A continuous and free flow of energy (qi, pronounced “chee”) through the body will allow the patient to deal with many kinds of pathogenic “invasions,” both from the outside (such as a cold) and from the inside (such as stress and worry). We derive this energy from different sources: the food we eat, the air we inhale, as well as our inherited energy. Energy circulates to all parts of the body, superficial and deep. TCM believes that disease results when the flow of energy is interrupted, either by blockage, or by a decrease in the total amount. The role of a physician is to facilitate this flow, clear the pathways of energy flow, and direct the qi to areas of blockage or deficiency.
This is the underlying principle of Chinese massage, acupuncture, and various forms of exercise (such as Qi Gong and Tai Chi). The exercises direct energy in cycles to various parts of the body for maintenance of good health. Meditation also can move energy in the body, by focusing on various energy centers. Massage and acupuncture are more interventional, and address specific areas where the flow of energy may be blocked or inadequate.
Second, TCM focuses on function, not structure. Practitioners consider the organs more in terms of what they do, rather than how they look. While Western medicine has great knowledge of how things look, TCM is interested in what they do—appearance is secondary.
This philosophy has a strangely familiar sound for singers. The concept of energy, the free flow of the breath, and coordination of different parts of the body, are all key ideas in producing the singing voice. The harmonious and interconnected breathing movements, inhalation and exhalation, is but one of many examples of the Yin-Yang concept. And the release of stress and tension, both physical and psychological, is certainly in keeping with the idea of unimpeded energy circulation, the concept of qi.
I encourage anyone who is intrigued by these ideas to pursue them by further reading. The best book for the general reader is The Web That has No Weaver, by Ted Kapchuk. Regardless of whether you decide to integrate Chinese philosophy into your thinking about health and disease, the book will enlighten you about how you look at yourself, your body, and your art.
Disclaimer: The suggestions given by Dr. Jahn in these columns are for general information only, and are not to be construed as specific medical advice or advocating specific treatment which should be obtained only following a visit and consultation with your own physician
