Umerani 1!

Zain Umerani
Professor David Gray
RSOC 10
10 December 2014
The Mystery of Chi delves into the topic of Chinese treatments by utilizing chi, vital
energy. The film is hosted by Bill Moyers who discovers chi and its power along with Dr. David
Eisenberg, a professor at the Harvard Medical School who has an extensive knowledge on
Chinese and Western medicine. Dr. Eisenberg was one of the first American exchange students
sent to China and is very fluent in Chinese and familiar with the medical practices in China. It is
believed by the Chinese that if chi is in balance, one leads a healthy life. The film starts off with
Moyers and Dr. Eisenberg at a hospital in China where Moyers is introduced to Chinese
treatment via herbs including scorpions and lizards. Dr. Eisenberg mentions that the Chinese do
not know the chemistry behind the medicine. Another form of Chinese treatment presented by
the film is acupuncture, a practice that involves needles. The needles are inserted in meridians,
channels of energy, so that chi can be balanced. The film also depicts Chi Gong, a type of
treatment that comes in many forms. One form of Chi Gong is massaging the patient and
manipulating chi to maintain balance which keeps the patient healthy. The concept of balancing
chi is further exemplified when Moyers and Dr. Eisenberg visit a park where the viewer is shown
people performing exercises, such as Tai Chi as well as forms of Chi Gong. Through these
exercises, one is able to balance chi and live a healthy life. The film wraps up with a scene that
portrays a master using chi to throw people off when they try to attack him. The master claims
that he can control people by transferring his chi to throw them off.

Umerani 2!
This film was very informative and it clearly met its objective of portraying what chi is
and how Chinese medicine is based on chi. Moyers does an excellent job in going through each
form of Chinese treatment, and Dr. Eisenbergs inputs were very informative as he explained
briefly the type of treatment. The film does not exhibit any bias, however I did note a slight
comparison between Western medication and Chinese medication. One example of comparison
is when Dr. Eisenberg mentions that the Chinese have a different perspective of the geography of
the body and their way of finding a disease is different than the West. I also sensed a little
comparison during a surgery on a patient where Dr. Eisenberg sheds light onto the fact that the
patient was medicated with half the amount of medication than the Western world.
The film kept me captivated; however, I was left with many questions on the power of chi
as I felt many scenes were unbelievable. One example of a scene that I found tough to
understand is when the film portrays a doctor who has cured a majority of his patients with
fibrocystic breast disease. This disease is difficult to treat in the West, so it made me wonder how
Chinese medication was able to cure it. In terms of my religious beliefs, the film does not accord
with them because of the nature of chi. In Islam, there is no vital energy that exists. From what I
learned as a kid, energy such as chi, does not exist and was dismissed as mythical according to
my Sunday School teachers. When the master in the film was shown throwing people off, I
found it difficult that chi was the reason behind that. As I watched the scene, I also thought of the
laws of physics and how those laws were broken. Overall, I found the film to be informative
despite my beliefs on the reality of chi. I believe the film was crafted very nicely as it made me
acknowledge that the Chinese have mastered many forms of treatment.

Umerani 3!