About

The way we live and practice medicine of every discipline today is not sustainable, so how can we improve?

Clinical Nature is an educational resource for all health professionals, researchers, students, patients, parents and members of the public with an interest in exploring an integrative and holistic approach to health care.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” - Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Building upon the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine, join us as we push the boundaries of “medical practice” by integrating evidence-based knowledge from traditional and complementary medicines, food as medicine, environmental health and sustainability, evolutionary medicine, medical anthropology, spirituality and philosophy with an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural mindset.

Our aim is to change the nature of medicine as we know it, from disease treatment and management towards a model that embeds the values of preventative health and integrative education into our daily lives. One that inspires us to enjoy, respect and live in harmony with our environment.

A letter from the editor

My name is Jinnan Cai and Clinical Nature is a labour of love dedicated to my family, friends and inspirational teachers. I am a self-taught designer and entrepreneur who had the opportunity to cut my teeth in the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley startups, disruptive innovation and venture capital. I still love it, and all of the amazing ways technology will continue to empower the way we live, work and play.

Yet I also know that my lifestyle is totally unsustainable. I’m turning 25 as I write this and I don’t want to see my friends and family fight cancer or succumb to chronic illnesses in the future that we already know how to prevent today. Nor do I want to burden my future children and grandchildren with the mass pollution of our natural environment and the waste of its precious resources, so that they can’t breathe the air, swim in the sea or eat fresh food from the soil without getting sick.

I belong to a generation that was taught to revere the marvels of science and not the miracles of nature. Our grandparents did so much with so little, and we do so little to solve our most pressing problems while creating so much waste. I now realise that it’s because we don’t know about how the world we have inherited used to be.

“Surgery, diet, antiseptics — these three are the vital things of the future in preserving the health of humanity. There were never so many able, active minds at work on the problems of diseases as now, and all their discoveries are tending to the simple truth — that you can’t improve on nature.” – Thomas Edison

We no longer know how to take care of the nature that surrounds us. We don’t grow our own food or raise our own animals, we don’t cut down our own trees or collect our own water. We have no idea about what it takes to keep soils healthy, fertile and productive. We can’t respect and protect what we don’t understand, and that is how our ancestors lived in harmony with nature.

We belong to nature and it’s our home. If we don’t know how to take care of our environment then we aren’t taking proper care of ourselves. We seem to forget that we depend on our ecosystem for everything we have and use including the medicines we have yet to discover. We can’t be healthy on a sick planet.

Jinnan is currently studying Chinese Medicine/Human Biology at RMIT University in Melbourne and leads the development of health IT innovations with Future Health.

Our medical advisors

Clinical Nature is kindly supported by our panel of experienced clinicians and medical educators.

Daniel Weber (PhD MSc) is a pioneer in complementary oncology, accomplished international lecturer, author and CEO of Panaxea Medicine. Daniel holds the Vice-Chairmanship in Oncology for the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies. Daniel has a BA in Acupuncture, a post-graduate diploma both in Somatic Psychotherapy and in Adult Education, a MSc in Chinese herbal medicine, a PhD in traditional Chinese medicine, and is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Health Science at Charles Sturt University in complementary oncology. He has been in private practice in Sydney, Australia since 1977.

Ping Wang is a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and director of the Ping Ming Health clinic in Perth, Western Australia with over 25 years clinical and teaching experience. She was a former lecturer at the Capital Medical University in Beijing and the Perth Academy of Natural Therapies for 15 years. She enjoys consulting, writing and training TCM students and practitioners from her busy Perth clinic.

Dr Mike Cadogan (FACEM) is a consultant emergency physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and rock-doc with a passion for rugby, medical informatics and medical education. Mike is editor of the award winning Life in the Fast Lane medical blog and an expert in medical applications of social media. He is a sought after speaker and consultant to corporate, educational and research institutions in Australia and internationally.

Disclamier

The information on this website is not medical advice. Clinical Nature is an educational blog and all content is provided as-is. We encourage readers to contact us if errors or omissions are found and we will correct them. Always seek professional advice from a qualified health care practitioner before commencing, changing or discontinuing any medication or treatment.