Hello, Chinese Medicine (XIX) A Brief Description of Chinese Medicine

? Chinese medicine, ancient medical skills, ancient culture, ancient medical texts, and the rapid development of modern thinking concepts seem to be incompatible, so that people are difficult to understand. This paper tries to use the modern scientific theory of thinking to make a brief description of the basic principles of Chinese medicine for the benefit of modern people's understanding of Chinese medicine.

I. Brief history

? Scientific theories originate from actuality and are proposed to solve practical problems. All true scientific theories must be combined with the actual and are doctrines to solve practical problems.

1, the emergence of Chinese medicine

? Chinese ancestors encountered a variety of internal and external factors in life and labor on the health of the body, try or summarize the experience of fighting with the disease, and gradually developed the theory and techniques of traditional Chinese medicine.

? "Shennong's tasted a hundred herbs and encountered seventy poisons in one day" describes the spirit of Shennong's practice and exploration for medicine. The Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica is the first medical work in China. Shennong was Yan Di, the leader of the Jiang tribe in ancient China. In his honor, the descendants named China's first medical work Shennong Ben Cao Jing (神农本草經). From this, it can be seen that Chinese medicine originated in primitive society and originated in the Yellow River Valley.

2. The Development of Chinese Medicine

? The formation of the theoretical system of Chinese medicine is marked by the emergence of the four classics (Shennong Ben Cao Jing, Huang Di Nei Jing, Nanying Jing and Typhoid Miscellaneous Diseases). They were written between the Warring States and the Two Han Dynasties.

? Many medical doctors from Jin, Tang, Song, Jin and Yuan, down to Ming and Qing dynasties developed the theoretical system of Chinese medicine from different perspectives based on the classic works of Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine) and Yan Jing (Treatise on Typhoid and Miscellaneous Diseases), in their respective clinical experiences and theoretical researches.

? The Treatise on the Origin and Candidates of All Diseases, written by Chao Yuanfang in the Sui Dynasty, is China's first monograph on the causes, mechanisms, and symptoms of disease.

? The Pulse Classic, written by Wang Shuhe in the Jin Dynasty, is the first monograph on pulse science in China.

? Acupuncture and Moxibustion A and B Jing for the Jin Dynasty by Huang Fu Qui, China's first monograph on acupuncture and moxibustion.

? Qianjin Yaofang" for the Tang Dynasty Sun Simiao, China's first medical encyclopedia.

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? The Four Great Masters of Jin Yuan were four famous medical doctors, Liu Wansu, Zhang Congzheng, Li Dongyuan and Zhu Danxi.

? Liu Wansu and Zhang Congzheng advocated the elimination of evils.

? Liu Wansu, with his theory of fire and heat, used cold medicines, and was called the "Cold School".

? Zhang Congzheng, believed that the disease is born from the evil, with sweat, spit, under the three methods to attack the evil, known as "attack the lower school".

? Li Dongyuan and Zhu Danxi advocated that the main focus should be on supporting the corrections.

? Li Dongyuan was the founder of the "Spleen and Stomach Doctrine" in Chinese medicine, which is also known as the "Earth Complementation School.

? Zhu Danxi, who advocated the doctrine of "Yang is always in excess and Yin is always in deficiency", and utilized medicines that nourish Yin and reduce fire, is known as the "Yin Nourishing School".

? In the Ming and Qing dynasties, two schools of thought emerged: the school of warm tonic and the school of warm disease.

? Warm tonic school: developed from Li Dongyuan's "earth tonic school", emphasizing the spleen and kidney, good at warm tonic.

? Warm Disease School: Developed from Liu Wansu's "Fire and Heat Theory", it created the diagnosis of Wei Qi, Ying Blood and San Jiao, and formed the doctrine of warm disease.

? Qing Dynasty physician Huang Yuanyou studied the classics of the "Four Sages" (Huang Di, Qibo, Yue Ren, Zhongjing), from source to stream, re-calculated, and made the "Four Sages Heart Source", which explains the origin of internal and external diseases.

? Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, China was invaded by the Western powers, while the influx of modern medicine (Western medicine), a serious impact on the development of Chinese medicine. People began to use the Western medical system of thinking mode to review, Chinese medicine into the survival and abolition of the debate.

? In recent times, with the phenomenon of Chinese medicine "alternative" to Western medicine, acupuncture aroused great interest in the Western medical profession, the domestic use of Chinese medicine on the "SARS" and "new coronary" effective treatment, so that the world began to recognize Chinese medicine. The world to recognize Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine began to show signs of recovery.

Theoretical assumptions

? The establishment of scientific theories undergoes a process of transformation from hypothesis to conclusion. A hypothesis is a statement of the problem to be studied. It is based on facts, on phenomena observed in practice or empirical phenomena or experimental phenomena.

1, heaven and earth and man constitute the natural world, man is part of nature. Heaven and earth and man are interconnected, and movement and change are connected, that is, qi is connected, and heaven and man are united.

? The ancestors of the Chinese civilization, like all civilizations in the world, revered nature, observed and summarized the laws of the sky and climate, and discovered that there is a connection between human life, old age, sickness and death and nature.

2. In the human body, there is a connection between the functions of the various parts of the body, which coordinate with each other to accomplish life activities, i.e., the holistic view of human life.

? Human life is made up of organs and organs, eating, drinking, sleeping and drinking is the basic activity of life. The physiological functions of different parts are interconnected to maintain life, and the meridians are the channels of connection.

3, the human body's life activity arises from the contradictory nature of material change. Different levels of contradiction constitute the life activity, the specific manifestation of gasification, gas lift in and out.

? "Not in and out, there is no way to grow strong old has been, not lift, there is no way to grow the collection, is to lift in and out, there is no ware not there"

? Human life activities, and material intake, digestion, absorption and excretion are closely related. In the human body, material changes, energy changes, the expression of essence and spirit, are the movement of gas.

4. Yuan Qi is the foundation of human life. Yuan Qi is not only the driving force of human life activities, and implies the self-organizing function of life activities (or code), life activities under its control. "The birth of all things, are endowed with vitality."

? The contradictory changes in the life activities of the human body. Need to rely on the conditions of the environment, the exchange of material and energy with the outside world, that is, the life system has the characteristics of a dissipative system. The human body is a thermostatic system, all the life activities of the human body are promoted and regulated by the Yuan Qi. Whether or not the function of self-organization exists determines the life and death of a person and affects his or her health whether or not, the function of self-organization is an important feature of life

? Chinese medicine to the understanding of life, both to understand the anatomical structure of the human body features, but also focus on the human life of the "black box" and "dissipation system" combination of features. The self-organizing function of the human body is the basis of life activities and individual characteristics, and the reason why "righteousness exists within, and evil cannot be dried up". All parts of the human body is close, there is no independent of the whole of a part of the human life activities are in the external and internal links are constantly updated to carry out.

Theory

The structure of a scientific theory consists of three elements: concepts; basic principles; and logical conclusions deduced from these concepts and principles.

1. Basic Concepts

(1) Qi

? Qi is the composition of the human body and the maintenance of human life activities, strong vitality, movement, extremely subtle substances, is the unity of vital substances and physiological functions.

? Qi is the material foundation of life-sustaining activities. Qi is often in the metabolic process of continuous self-renewal and self-replication. This change in the movement of qi and its accompanying energy transformation. The transformation process of qi into form and form into qi includes the generation, transformation, utilization and excretion of qi, essence, blood, fluid and other substances.

(2) Essence

? Essence or Jing Qi is a tangible, mostly liquid, subtle substance.

? In a broad sense, essence refers to the subtle substances that make up the human body and sustain life activities, including semen, blood, fluid and liquid. In a narrower sense, essence refers to the essence hidden in the kidney, i.e. the essence of reproduction, which is the basic substance that promotes the growth, development and reproductive function of the human body.

? Essence includes both innate and acquired essence. Endowed with parents, full of water and grain essence, and hidden in the kidney, called the essence of the innate; by the diet of the essence, called the essence of water and grain. The essence of water and grain to the five viscera and six organs and other tissues and organs, will be called the essence of heaven.

(3) God

? God is a collective term for the master of the human body's life activities and its overall external manifestations. It refers to the human spirit, consciousness, thinking, emotion, feeling, movement and other physiological activities, and is the highest form of human life activities.

? God both by the essence, gas, blood, fluid, etc. as the material basis and produce, but also can react to these substances. God has the role of governing and regulating the normal metabolism of these substances in the body.

(4) Yin and Yang

? Yin and yang are the fundamental laws of nature, and are the paradigms that characterize the intrinsic nature of things and the characteristics of their nature, as well as the two opposing specific properties. The human body can be divided into two categories of yin and yang according to the characteristics of yin and yang, the human body with warmth to promote the role of the gas called Yang Qi, the human body with nutritional moisturizing effect of the gas is called Yin Qi. The unification of yin and yang is the fundamental law of the movement of life. Such as surface and inside, cold and heat, and so on, and marked two opposing specific movement tendency or state, such as up and down, inside and outside, late and number, and so on.

"Yin and Yang, one into two also", there is gas in order to yin and yang win back.

? The yin and yang attributes of things and phenomena in terms of their mutual opposites are comparative and are determined by their nature, location, and trends. Yin and Yang is an abstract concept of attributes rather than the entity concept of concrete things, but also a pair of relational categories, which represents the unity of all kinds of material characteristics of the relationship between the opposites. That is why it is said, "Yin and Yang are famous but invisible."

(5) Meridians and collaterals

? Meridian, is the general term for meridians and collaterals. Meridians, also known as meridians, have the meaning of path. The meridians run up and down the body, communicating both inside and outside, and are the longitudinal backbone of the meridian system. Most of the meridians circulate in the deep part of the body, and there are certain parts of the circulation. Luo, also known as the network, there is the meaning of the network. Luo vein is a branch of the meridian vein, smaller than the meridian vein. The network is crisscrossed, the network of the whole body, everywhere.

? Meridian coherent, all over the body, forming a criss-cross contact network, through the regular circulation and complex liaison meeting, composed of the meridian system, the human body viscera, limbs, organs and flesh, sinews and bones, and other tissues closely linked into a unified organic whole, thus ensuring the normal conduct of human life activities. Therefore, the meridian is running blood, contact viscera limb joints, communication inside and outside the upper and lower, regulating the function of the human body a special pathway system.

(6) viscera

? Viscera is the body's five viscera (heart, lungs, spleen, liver, kidneys), six viscera (gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, bladder, San Jiao) and the House of Qi Heng (brain, medulla oblongata, bone, veins, gallbladder, women's cells) of the general term. Its main is the human body visible, touchable entity organs.

? Viscera is a comprehensive concept of form and function, not only has anatomical significance, but more importantly a functional model of the human body. The five organs of the human body are the five systems of the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys.

? The five viscera and six bowels system function is to gas, blood, water and fluid, essence, God, water and grain essence transformation and operation. The functional objects or roles of the systems are differentiated and specialized, coordinating with each other to maintain normal life activities.

(7) Qi Mechanism

? The movement of qi in the human body is called qi mechanism. There are many different forms of qi movement, but the main ones are lifting and lowering, entering and exiting, gathering and dispersing, and so on. Lifting and lowering, out and in, gathering and dispersing, although opposing, but maintains a coordinated and balanced relationship.

? Gasification refers to the movement of gas and the changes it produces. Qi is the process and state of being that qi must undergo. Qigong implies qigong and produces various changes during its movement, while qigong is the process that qigong activities must undergo, the foundation and influence qigong, and the two are closely related.

? The human body's gas is constantly in motion with a strong vitality of the subtle substances. It is popular in the whole body organs, meridians and other tissues and organs, nowhere, always promote and stimulate a variety of physiological activities of the human body. Qi imbalance and qi malfunction is the basic mechanism of disease.

(9) Physique

? Physique, formed by congenital inheritance and acquired, is a relatively stable characteristic inherent in the morphological structure and functional activity of the human individual, and has a correlation with psychological character.

? The differences in individual constitution are manifested in certain differences in response and adaptation to external stimuli in the physiological state, as well as the susceptibility to certain pathogenic factors and the tendency of disease development in the process of pathogenesis.

? The above concepts are the core of many concepts in the basic principles of Chinese medicine. The different meanings of these concepts are the same, highlighting the view that the human body is a dynamic whole, i.e., the object of research in Chinese medicine is the living life.

2. Basic Theory

? The basic principles of Chinese medicine, the main basic theories are (1) yin and yang theory (gas monism), (2) the doctrine of internal organs, (3) meridian theory, (4) the cause of disease, (5) the theory of disease mechanism. (Due to space limitations, this article will not go into detail)

3, the basic laws

? The basic principles of Chinese medicine in the basic concepts and principles to obtain a series of basic laws.

For example, I. Laws relating to gas and yin and yang.

? Qi, a thing of two bodies, is divided into yin and yang. (1) Yang from the main Yin, the body's internal yin and yang, to the Yang as the basis of the Yang gas that is solid, the Yin must be from the.

(2) The human life activity is a balanced process of maintaining the balance of yin and yang. Yin and yang growth leads to the transformation of yin and yang, is the process of quantitative change to qualitative change. If the yin and yang exceed a certain limit, the balance is broken, and the human body causes disease.

For example, two, the law about meridians.

? The twelve meridians are divided into four groups: the three yin meridians of the hand; the three yang meridians of the hand, the three yin meridians of the foot, and the three yang meridians of the foot.

(1) The twelve meridians go and the law of intersection. Hand San Yin meridian, from the chest to the hand, hand San Yang meridian; hand San Yang meridian, from the hand to the head, foot San Yang meridian; foot San Yang meridian, from the head to the foot, foot San Yin meridian; foot San Yin meridian, from the foot to the abdomen (chest), hand San Yin meridian.

(2) Twelve meridians according to the human body essence, blood and fluid circulation order, in order, the hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, hand Sun Small Intestine Meridian, foot Sun Bladder Meridian, foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, hand Syncope Yin Pericardium Meridian, hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, foot Syncope Yin Liver Meridian, and then return to the hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, the cycle has no end.

For example, III. The laws concerning the five viscera.

? One qi is divided into five elements, and the five elements are attributed to one qi.

(1) The five organs of the human body are matched with the five elements, and each of the five organs doubles as a five-organ. The liver is wood, the heart is fire, the spleen is earth, the lungs are gold, and the kidneys are water.

(2) five organs with five elements, five elements have the birth of grams, win and restore, regulating the five organs abnormal.

? The five elements are born with the five organs. Wood gives birth to fire, liver blood, the heart of the blood, the liver blood function is normal to help the heart of the blood function; fire gives birth to earth, the heart of the blood, the main spirit of the function is normal, the blood can camp spleen, the spleen in order to play the main transportation, blood, the function of the blood; earth gives birth to gold, the spleen can be beneficial to the gas, chemical and angry transmission of the essence in order to fill the lungs to promote the lungs of the main qi function, so that the declaration of the normal gold water, the lungs, the main purity of the kidneys, the main collection of essence, the lung qi The lung gas can help the kidney to store the essence, the gas, and the function of the main water; water begets wood, the kidney stores the essence, and the liver stores the blood, and the kidney essence can be transformed into liver blood, which can help the liver to function normally.

? The five elements and the five viscera. Water and fire, kidney water to help the heart, can prevent the heart of the heart of the fire; fire and gold, that is, the heart of the fire of the yang heat, can inhibit the lung qi淸肃太过; gold and wood, the lung qi淸肃, can inhibit the liver of the yang of the upwardly mobile. Wood opposes Earth, i.e. Liver Wood can restrain Spleen Earth. The earth can control water, as the transportation of the spleen-earth can prevent the flooding of kidney water.

Four, the explanation of the phenomenon

? The basic principles of Chinese medicine construct models for analyzing and solving problems on the basic concepts of the five doctrines and summarize the laws.

For example, one, the internal organs function model of human physiology. Viscera doctrine is the study of the body viscera image of the doctrine, including three aspects, namely, the physiological function of each viscera, pathological changes and their interrelationships. This doctrine is mainly through the study of the external signs of the organism, to understand the rules of visceral activities and their interrelationships.

? The five organs belong to the physical organs; from the functional point of view, the five organs are the main "hidden essence", that is, biochemistry and storage of qi, blood, fluid, essence and other subtle substances, presiding over the complex activities of life. So: "the five viscera, hidden essence and not diarrhea, so full and can not be real"

? Six viscera belong to the lumen organs; from the functional point of view, the six viscera is the main "transfer of things", that is, acceptance and putrefaction of water and grain, transfer and excretion of dross, mainly on the drinking of food to play the role of digestion, absorption, transportation, excretion. So: "six internal organs, the transmission of chemical substances but not hidden, so solid and can not be full."

For example, two: the theory of qigong has qigong circle lift model. Huang Yuanwu in the "four saints heart source" book summarizes the qi theory of traditional Chinese medicine, put forward the qi circle lifting model. Liver and spleen ascend to the left, lung and stomach descend to the right, spleen and stomach earth are in the center for dispatching and elevating, liver and gallbladder are in the center for running and elevating, heart and lungs are in the upper part, and kidneys are in the lower part. This is the small universe of the human body circle movement.

For example, the theory of disease mechanism is based on the five movements and six qi to build a model of the cause of disease. It is proposed that "internal and external sensations and injuries are totaled in these six qi." The cause of human suffering from internal and external diseases is generated by the twelve meridians divided into six qi by category. When a person suffers from internal injury, it is the change of the six qi of the human body; when a person suffers from external sensation, it is the change of the six qi of nature, which affects the six qi of the human body and makes induction. People suffer from diseases as a result of the rise and fall of the six qi in the division of the qi and from the qi of the qi of the six qi. This determines the location, symptoms, nature and evidence of disease. "The six qi of a person is not seen if he is not sick; where a meridian is sick, the qi of a meridian is seen." When a person is healthy, the six qi are harmonized (balance of yin and yang), no wind, no fire, no dampness, no dryness, no heat, no cold, i.e., no one qi appears alone. In unhealthy or sick people, the six qi in the human body do not intermingle, and one of the six qi is seen alone.

For example, the fourth: the theory of constitution is modeled as a peaceful person with a peaceful constitution. The body will be divided into normal body and abnormal body, abnormal body and then divided into deficiency body and solid body. Deficiency is divided into qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yang deficiency and yin deficiency. Solid constitution is divided into phlegm-dampness, dampness-heat, blood stasis and qi depression. The theory of constitution explores the relationship between health and disease and its transformation from the viewpoint of dynamic balance of yin and yang in human body, and guides the identification of body, disease and treatment.

V. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases

? The theory of Chinese medicine is that the human body is holistic and has the characteristics of a "black box", and the life of the human body lies in the movement and connection of qi, blood, and essence within the "black box", and the opening of the "black box" means the "connection" is broken. The opening of the "black box" means the destruction of the "connection" and the termination or mutilation of life. It is believed that "the organs hidden in the interior, must have the appearance in the exterior", "there are all internal, must be the appearance of all external".

? The basic principle of TCM diagnosis is (1) the Division of external speculation. "Division outside", that is, tightly and comprehensively grasp and analyze the human body in the "hidden" manifested in the external "elephant"; "figure inside". ", is based on the external "elephant", comprehensively analyze and speculate on the internal "hidden" situation. (2) Seeing the small and knowing the small. Chinese medicine believes that the overall change originates from the local change, the local can show the whole. For example, the whole body's qi and blood, the operation of the meridian gas, can be reflected in some specific local. For example, pulse, tongue, etc. (3) To measure change with constancy. "Constant", that is, for the routine, common sense, common sense, common volume, with relative and extensive. "Change" means change, alteration, abnormality. To differentiate in detail, there is a difference between "change in the norm" and "change in the abnormality". The "change" caused by "imbalance of yin and yang" is measured and evaluated by the "normality" formed by the "secret of yin and yang", which is the basic standard of TCM diagnosis. This is the basic standard and reference for TCM diagnosis.

? The method of diagnosis and treatment of diseases in Chinese medicine is based on the four diagnostic (looking, smelling, asking and cutting), starting from the symptoms, using the law of diagnosis to analyze the symptoms of the disease, taking drugs and formulas, and adjusting the qi of the disease body.

? The diagnosis and treatment of Chinese medicine focuses on identification, based on the identification of the eight principles and six meridians, and gives a clear identification of the cause of the disease, the location of the disease, the nature of the disease, and the evidence of the disease by combining the dialectic of the cause of the disease, the dialectic of the blood, qi, blood, fluid, the identification of the internal organs, the identification of the meridians, the identification of Wei Qi, Ying blood, the triple focus of the disease, etc.

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? Various methods of identification is the law of TCM diagnosis and treatment. When you are experienced in diagnosis and treatment, you can use the formula to recognize the evidence, and use the prescription or change the prescription treatment.

? Chinese medicine is the overall connection to diagnose and treat the disease, is to identify the evidence of the way to accurately grasp the results of the analysis, to realize the treatment of the disease to seek the root cause.

Sixth, the new understanding of Chinese medicine

? Theory is a construct of ideas about empirical facts, something that is not reality but is in accordance with the law, which leaves reality but does not deviate from it (based on and above experience). It provides a clear means of expression for describing empirical phenomena or facts.

? Using modern scientific theoretical methods to analyze the basic theories of Chinese medicine, the content of Chinese medicine theory is in line with the scientific point of view. The problems of Chinese medicine come from the human social practice of human disease prevention and treatment. Through groping and summarizing, and combined with the already advanced ideas (I Ching) continue to explore, the formation of theoretical concepts, the establishment of ways and means of problem analysis and interpretation.

? Analyzing the theory of Chinese medicine, its theory contains theoretical assumptions, concepts and general laws, and the mode of analyzing problems. The theory of Chinese medicine contains the elements and interrelationships necessary for modern scientific theories, which are expressed in the ancient Chinese medicine only by the words "rationale, method, prescription, and medicine".

VII. Conclusion

? In modern science, the theory of any discipline is a kind of cognition of certain practical activities, and has its adaptive conditions and scope, that is, the limitations of the theory. Chinese medicine theory is more applicable to the human body as a whole intact lesions (undiseased), and for the repair of organ mutilations and foreign bodies for the removal of the human body and other medical problems can not help, this is the Western medicine is good at, we are accustomed to say that Chinese medicine surgery to be developed or undeveloped. However, this inadequacy does not deny that Chinese medicine is a great discovery in human medical understanding. The so-called "a foot has its own shortcomings, inch has its own long", Chinese medicine and Western medicine's respective specialties, is the development of its basic views and conditions, are the contribution to human medicine.