:: Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine ::
Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac.
What It Does
Chinese medicine is a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated,
and prevented illness for over twenty-three centuries. While it can remedy
ailments and alter states of mind, Chinese medicine can also enhance
recuperative power, immunity, and the capacity for pleasure, work, and
creativity.
How It Thinks
Within Chinese Cosmology, all of creation is born from the marriage of two
polar principles, Yin and Yang: Earth and
Heaven, winter and summer, night and day, cold and hot, wet and dry,
inner and outer, body and mind. Harmony of this union means health, good
weather, and good fortune, while disharmony leads to disease, disaster,
and bad luck. The strategy of Chinese medicine is to restore harmony.
Each human is seen as a world in miniature, a garden in which doctor and patient together strive to cultivate health. Every person has a unique terrain to be mapped, a resilient yet sensitive ecology to be maintained. Like a gardener uses irrigation and compost to grow robust plants, the doctor uses acupuncture, herbs and food to recover and sustain health.
| "I fell off a roof and was unable to walk without severe pain. I was told I would have chronic arthritis for the rest of my life and never return to my occupation as a roofer. After the third visit I experienced whole days without pain for the first time in six months. By the fifth visit I walked normally, without discomfort, and within a few weeks I returned to work." -- Angus McKenzie, age 36 |
Body Constituents (Qi, Moisture, Blood, Spirit, Essence)
Just as Nature contains air, sea, and land, the human body is comprised of Qi, (pronounced chee), Moisture, and Blood. Qi is the animating force that gives us our capacity to move, think, feel, and work. Moisture is the liquid medium which protects, nurtures, and lubricates tissue. Blood is the material foundation out of which we create bones, nerves, skin, muscles, and organs.
Human beings intermingle psyche and soma, Spirit (Shen) and Essence (Jing). Shen is the immaterial expression of the individual; and Essence represents the body's reproductive and regenerative substance. Chinese medicine appreciates the impact of the unseen upon the visible. Even though it is impossible to touch or measure thoughts or emotions, they are acknowledged as inextricably linked to physiology.
| "I was on a sea-saw of anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs for years until I began acupuncture to stabilize my dosage levels. It occurred to me that maybe I could use acupuncture to get off drugs altogether. I got three treatments a week for five months and I'm now free of two very addictive medicines, both of which were prescribed by psychiatrists. I'm relieved to feel back in control of my life again."--Stephanie Mills, age 35 |
Organ Networks (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney)
As Nature is organized by five primal powers- Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water- so the body is divided into five functional systems known as Organ Networks. These Networks govern particular tissues, mental faculties, and physical activities by regulating and preserving Qi, Moisture, Blood, Spirit, and Essence.
For example, the Kidney Network includes yet extends beyond the job of managing fluid metabolism which we in the West ordinarily associate with the kidneys. The Kidney stores the Essence responsible for reproduction, growth, and regeneration. It controls the teeth, bones, marrow, brain, inner ear, pupil of the eye, and lumbar region, and is associated with the emotion of fear, the will, and the capacity for sharp thinking and perception. So problems such as retarded growth, ringing in the ears, infertility, low back pain, paranoia, fuzzy thinking, weak vision, apathy, or despair are viewed as dysfunctions of the Kidney Network.
The Heart not only propels blood through the vessels, but harbors the Spirit and governs the mind. Symptoms as varied as anxiety, restless sleep, angina, and palpitations occur when the Heart is agitated.
The Spleen is in charge of the assimilation of food and fluids, as well as ideas, so when this Network is disturbed, indigestion, bloating, fatigue, scattered thinking, and poor concentration ensue.
The Liver is responsible for the storage of Blood, flow of Qi, and evenness of temperament- so when the Liver is thwarted, tension in the neck and shoulders, high blood pressure, headaches, cramping, moodiness, and impulsive behavior may follow.
Through the breath, the Lung sets the body rhythm, defends its boundaries, and affords inspiration. A troubled Lung might trigger tightness in the chest, skin rashes, vulnerability to colds or flues, rigid thinking, or melancholy.
| "Since my childhood I'd been dependent on inhalers and anti-asthma medicines. Along with acupuncture treatments for six months, I eliminated spicy and cold foods from my diet. Now I can play basketball without needing bronchodilators and I only take medicine occasionally if I get a bad case of hay fever."--Robbie Johnson, age 33 |
Body Climates (Wind, Dampness, Dryness, Heat, Cold)
In Nature, extreme wind, dampness, dryness, heat, and cold wreak havoc in the
world. These same forces can derange balance within the human body, weakening
or obstructing the movement of Qi in the organs. As winds shake the trees of
the forest, disassembling leaves and branches,
internal Wind manifests as vertigo, unsteady movement, and trembling. As saturated
earth generates swamps, so Dampness becomes phlegm and edema in the body. As
aridity withers vegetation, so Dryness causes chapping
or cracking of mucus membranes. Just as ice inhibits the rush of water in a stream,
so internal Cold retards circulation and depresses metabolism. And just as fire
scorches the earth, so internal Heat may inflame tissue.
Health and Illness
Qi, Moisture, and Blood circulate within a web of pathways called channels
that link together all parts of the organism. Health exists when adequate
Qi, Moisture, and Blood flow smoothly. Symptoms as varied as joint pain,
headache, anxiety, fatigue, menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, asthma,
indigestion, and the common cold occur when their circulation
is disrupted.
All illness is understood as a consequence of either a depletion or a congestion of Qi, Moisture, and Blood. Depletion leads to weakness, lethargy, frequent illness, poor digestion, and inadequate blood flow. Congestion results in aches, tension, tenderness, pain, a distended abdomen, irritability, and swelling.
| "My rash was red and itchy all over both legs. In the night I'd scratch and drive myself mad. I tried regular doctors and homeopathy-I tried everything. After six visits it was pretty much clear. Then I tried to quit smoking. It's been a year-and-a half since my last treatment and the rash hasn't come back, and I haven't smoked either"--Helena Muscal, age 22 |
Diagnosis
Practitioners assess a person's health by feeling the pulsations at each wrist
and by observing the color and form of the face, tongue, and body. This
information is interpreted in the context of a patient's present and past
complaints, work and living habits, physical environment, family health
history, and emotional life.
For example, if Max has red eyes, a yellow coating on his tongue, and a bounding pulse, this indicates Heat and congested Qi. He may be complaining of stomach pain, migraine, nausea, fever, or bronchitis. If Emma has pale lips, brittle hair, a thin pulse, and dry tongue, this suggests deficiency of Blood and Moisture, which undermines the function of the Liver, Heart, and Spleen. Her complaints may be that she feels tense, anxious, and irritable, has been unable to conceive, and has trouble with chronic fatigue, depression, or insomnia. Diagnosis is a way of understanding a problem within the categories of Chinese medicine.
Treatment
The goal of treatment is to adjust and harmonize Yin and Yang-wet and dry,
cold and heat, inner and outer, body and mind. This is achieved by regulating
the Qi, Moisture, and Blood in the Organ Networks: weak organs are tonified,
congested channels are opened, excess is dispersed, tightness is softened,
agitation is calmed, heat is cooled, cold is warmed, dryness is moistened,
and dampness is drained.
Treatment may incorporate acupuncture, herbal remedies, diet, exercise, and massage. Duration of treatment depends on the nature of the complaint, its severity, and how long it has been present. Acupuncture is scheduled as often an three times a week or as little as twice a month. Response varies. some need only a few sessions while others need sustained care to reverse entrenched patterns established over time. As symptoms improve, fewer visits are required, individual progress being the yardstick.
| "For three years I had no energy, no stamina. I had been diagnosed as both having the AIDS and Epstein-Barr viruses. With walking I got short of breath and felt pain in my chest. In the beginning, acupuncture made me feel spaced out and tired. After two months I felt more energetic, my digestion improved, and I wasn't short of breath. After eight months of treatment combined with herbal tonics daily, I regained my strength and returned to work and a more normal life-style. It's been six months since my last treatment but I won't hesitate to rely on acupuncture if I start feeling sick again."--Frank Bell, age 31 |
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is based on the assumption that Qi courses through the body just
as streams and rivers ebb and flow across the surface of the earth. Every
Organ Network has a corresponding set of channels. The acupuncture points
are located in small depressions in the skin called "men" or "gates" where
the channels come closest to the surface. In ancient times, when cities
were fortified by walls, gates were opened to receive sustenance
and closed to keep harm away. With acupuncture, the gates of the body are
opened and closed to adjust circulation in the channels and expel noxious
influences from them.
Thin, solid, sterile stainless steel acupuncture needles are inserted into acupuncture points to communicate from the outside to the inside. Acupuncture mobilizes Qi, Moisture, Blood, invigorating proper function of the muscles, nerves, vessels, glands, and organs.
| "For months my blood pressure was so high that I was dizzy all the time and couldn't stand up. I was frightened because it was barely under control with medication. Within 48 hours after one of my acupuncture treatments, the pressure dropped so low that my doctor had to take me off medication. It remained normal and I can walk around now without feeling dizzy"--Esther Zipin, age 88> |
