So why are the students at the course stuyding Chinese medicine?

Many reasons. Some have a burning desire to learn and practice Chinese medicine. Most in that group have a clear sense that they want to practice the older, more complete version of it, CCM, instead of the Western medicine-influenced versions that many schools teach. They (ummm, we) also react quite badly to the implied views of Western medical influence from some teachers. But the course is better than most on this, and a half-way point between Western influenced acupuncture (TCM) and the older versions is where most of the teaching is done.

Some students have turned up out of the blue, quitting their previous job ”to do something completely different”. Some don´t know. Some seem to have an interest in Chinese medicine but not actually know all that much, they want to learn more and see.

Some think that you can learn just a little acupuncture and then start practicing, with the kind but perhaps misplaced view that ”people don´t try to treat what they don´t know.” Others of us blanch at the idea that four years is more than just a good start and thank you for turning up.

And there are students from all over: many of course from London or around the city, but also from Germany, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Lithuania, Slovakia and – winner of the long-range persistence cup of 2010 – Canada.

It´s a very wide range. What we all have in common is this idea that we want to study Chinese medicine full time at a Western university for at least three years. Three for the Bachelor; four for the Master. I think there are five similar courses in Great Britain: there are none in Scandinavia.