Chinese Medicine

By

Patricia Renaud

There are many misconceptions about Chinese Medicine

• There is a great difference between the modern philosophy & the ancient philosophy of Chinese Medicine

• Folk remedy co-exists along side modern medicine

• Mix Western & Chinese Medicines

• For the Chinese practitioner the mixing is not important, the results is what matters

Philosophy & Theory of Chinese Medicine

• Chinese medicine considers illness & cures in the human body as a combination of emotional, physical, psychological, environmental & cosmic factors

• Chinese medicine deals with the mind, body, general health and disease totally when treating a person

Origin of Chinese Medicine

• The legendary founders of Chinese medicine for the Chinese people are:– The Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) &– The Devine Farmer (Shen Nong)

• Began to take form 5000 years ago• Women who can bring down the Spirits & the

cultivation of Spirits play an important role in early Chinese medicine & remain a predominate factor in Chinese folk medicine

Two main types of Chinese

medical practitioners • Official doctors-trained in official training

centers or government colleges

– served gentry

• Unofficial doctors (itinerant or religious folk doctors)-educated by teachers, often family members or religious teachers

– served common people & sometimes upper class

There are several varieties of Chinese Medicine including

• Acupuncture• Acupressure• Herbology• Chinese Nutrition• Moxibustion• Massage• Qigong

• Diagnosis-Observation of patient

• Therapy & Therapeutic Techniques

• Tuina• Jiaofa• Yangsheng• Mantras

Diagnosis

• The four basic methods of examination (sizhen) are:

– looking at the patient(wangzhen)

– examination by listening, smelling, & tasting (wenzhen)

– examination by interrogation (wenzhen)

– examination by touching (qiezhen)

Observing the patient

• Observes body as a whole• Some diseases show in the way a person moves &

looks– Observes shape of the body-large, small, thin, fat

– Observes posture of patient-may indicate deviation of backbone

– Observes color of face & parts of body

– Observes how patient behaves-quiet, aggressive, disturbed, does he think clearly, does he make sense

– Observes parts of body-head, hair, hands, tongue,

Eight factors that guide the practitioner

• Two basic elements of change-yin & yang can be called by different names to distinguish areas but the underlying theory is still the yin-yang relationship– biao-on the surface or superficial– li-internal or fundamental– han-cold– re-hot– xu-empty or powerless– shi-over-powerful or full

Chinese Therapy & Therapeutic Techniques

• Preserving health & preventing disease better than curing

• Herbal medicines & other external & internal practices of prevention popular in China

• Have innumerable exercises & herbal preparations• Prevent disease by practicing qigong & taijiquan• Physicians advise patient to take up form of exercise

to recover from illness, keep in shape & prevent recurring illness

• There are pills & medicines for regaining vitality

Eight methods of Therapy(Curing)

• Han- (sweating) making the patient sweat- superficial damage caused by external circumstances

• Tu- (vomiting) making the patient vomit- like when food is not digested or person has been poisoned

• Xia- (lowering) forcing matter in the body downward- like when there is constipation

• He- (harmonizing) adjust or regulate a body function- as when upper & lower parts are not in harmony

Eight Methods of Therapy (curing) continued

• Wen- (warning) raising the temperature in an area of the body- used when cold is cause of disease

• Qing- (purifying) clearing heat & purifying the body- used when heat is the source of illness

• Xiao- (dispelling) eliminating or dispelling the cause of disease- eliminate blockages, blocked body fluid or blocked materials

• Bu- (supplying) improve conditions of bloodfluid & functions of the body- gives someone more strength

Acupuncture

• Zhenfa (needle technique) is a way of influencing bodily functions by inserting needles in the Xue (acupuncture points)

• Was popular in ancient times then forbidden in 1822, was rediscovered this century

• Physician must be acquainted with the exact location of the Xue or can cause damage instead of cure

Acupuncture Needles

• Originally used 9 needles but now use many more

• Needles originally made of bone, stone or metal including gold or silver now they are made of stainless steel

• Needles used differ in both length & thickness

• Smallest needles measure less than one inch but largest can be one foot in length

• Needles can be inserted perpendicular or slanting

• Speed of insertion, depth of insertion differ

• Once inserted needle may be turned, pulled, heated

Set of Acupuncture Needles

Documented Successes with Acupuncture

• Acupuncture is combined with herbs in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue– considered a paradigm shift that causes damp heat, latent heat,

Qi deficiency & blood deficiency

• Acupuncture used for Back pain– considered blood stagnation causing damp heat &kidney

pathology(can be anything from stones to deficiency in Yin or Yang)

• Acupuncture & herbs successfully used for treatment of “Women’s problems”– (Menopause, PMS, Pain occurring with menstruation and

excessive flow or spotting)

More successful uses of Acupuncture

• Lupus-acupuncture combined with herbal formulas for full recovery of patients

• Sciatica-acupuncture combined with acupressure for full relief of pain

• Varicose veins-acupuncture combined with hot herbal decoction to soak & wash area to speed healing

• Infertility-acupuncture has been combined with traditional Chinese medicine in the successful treatment of various causes of infertility in both male & female patients

Acupressure

• Similar to Acupuncture in use of points but uses pressure instead of needles

• Pressure on different points can relieve or cure many different ailments (including pain in bones, joints, muscles & nerves to blockages like carpal tunnel)

• Continued use will relieve many conditions that normally require surgery in Western countries

Moxibustion• Application of very powerful & pungent

essence to strategic points

• Mainly used in combination with Acupuncture

• Moxibustion is the burning of the Moxa herb

• Moxa particularly effective when patient is suffering from cold or dampness

Moxibustion• Herb thought to be pure Yang in nature

therefore suitable for warming

• One method of treatment is burn herb rolled in paper a short distance from the skin along the track of the jing (meridians)

• also burn over holes to allow to enter body (as ears, mouth, nose)

Chinese Massage

• Consists of internal & external aspects

• Influence conditions of the skin & muscles

• May be directed at the bones, joints, bloodfluid, or other internal parts or functions

• Uses techniques like chiropractic in the West

• All parts of the body can be treated

• Self-massage is form of this therapy

There are eight fundamental techniques of massage from which all other forms derive

• Tui (pushing)• Na (grasping)• An (pressing or

pushing downward)• Qian (pulling)

• Da (beating)

• Dong (moving)

• Mo (rubbing)

• Gun (rolling like waves)

Different systems of Massage

• There are many combinations derived from the eight fundamental techniques of massage such as:

– Tuina (pushing & grasping)

– Anmo (pressing & rubbing)

– Dianxue (touching of the holes)

• Who techniques are practiced:

– One hand Combination of hand & foot

– Two hands Using other parts of body

– With feet Using a massage medium (such as sticks, rollers or herbal preparation)

Qigong• The skill of directing & controlling Qi

– Rapid development of Qigong is based on clinical results & supported by scientific research

• Includes methods similar to hypnosis, psychotherapy, trance, laying of hands and magnetism

• Is used for many things including the treatment of cancer

• IS also the practice of exercise (Physician must undergo a long period of body & mind training before they are allowed to practice or teach)

Qigong continued• Physician uses concentration & relaxation in his

body to make his own qi flow in the direction he wishes ( he can transmit it into the patients body directly or by touching the person)– When this is done, magnetic, bio-electrical

reactions, hormonal & molecular changes occur– Greatest changes seem to be within body cells

• Qigong physician is employed at every respectable hospital to teach patients health exercises both for rehabilitation or to prevent development of disease

Chinese Herbal Medicine

• The oldest medical book that mentions herbs is the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine)

• Book is dated to between 800 BC & 200 BC

• Compendium of medical theory & practice attributed to Yellow Emperor thought to have lived c.4700 BC (he may be a mythical character used to provide credence to the work though)

Period of the Nei Jing

• This period one of great creativity & change• Period of transition from shamanistic medicine

to one based on theory & accumulated knowledge of body

• Book discusses theory of medicine & knowledge even though it was suppose to have been written 2500 years prior to this

• The 28 substances & 12 prescriptions are the first mention of Chinese Herbal Medicine & continues to be practiced today

Herbology & Other Medicines

• Pharmacology is an ancient Chinese science

• Ingredients used range from herbs to minerals to animal components– Almost anything within these boundaries

is suitable for use in a medication

Preparation of Medicine• When preparing medicines they take

into consideration the basic compatibility or incompatibility of the different products, the volume used, the way it will be used (orally or externally), the restrictions & prohibitions or counter-indications of the products

Herbs• Unique strength of herbal therapies is that the

prescription is made to order according to the needs of a specific person

• A formula for one person for a headache will contain different ingredients for that person than it would for another person also with headaches

• Ingredients are all natural• Can be without animal products (for a

vegetarian)

There are many uses of Ginkgo

• Memory impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease & other mental disorders from poor circulation-improves the memory & mental acuity in many chronic brain syndromes

• Circulation problems-improves the blood flow by reducing thickness in blood

• The extract of the nut & leaves of the Ginkgo tree are used.

• Known as an excellent antioxidant

New product used as a cure for Tumor or Cancer

• New anti-cancer Chinese prescription proven & recognized to have 80% curing rate in the final stages of Cancer patients in clinical tests all over China & the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. Called “China No. 1 Tian Xian Liquid”– Has been documented to reduce or cure breast lumps– Breast cancer patients cancer spread to bone tissue yet

after treatment patient returned to work

– Colon cancer patient in final stage is cured

How Chinese medicine is classified:Yaoxing-nature or Weidao-taste

• Four qi (siqi) of medicine:– Han-cold

– Re-hot

– Wen-warm

– Liang-cool

• Medicine not fitting these categories are called pingxing yao (neutral nature)

• Smell & taste of medicines allow them to be be classed in other categories:– Suan-sour

– Ku-bitter

– Gan-sweet

– Xin-pungent

– Xian-salty

– Dan-tasteless

– Se-astringent

How the medicines work:

• Each & every nature or taste influences the basic cause of disease and creates a change in the condition

• The taste makes them harmonize with certain body functions & through the relationships of the five agents they affect the functions either directly or indirectly

How are medicines prepared?

• Choa-frying

• Pao-roasting

• Zhi-broiling

• Zhi-roasting in a liquid (including vinegar, honey, alcohol, water etc.)

• Wei-stewing (wrapped in wet paper or wet bread until outer material becomes dark)

Jiaofa

• Jiaofa-(horn-method) where physician uses glass cups or bamboo segments, heated on the inside by fire, and stuck to parts of the patients body

• Cup sticks tightly because of the vacuum created by the heat and dispels cold & dampness from the body. It then warms the Qi and reduces swelling

Yangsheng• This is the nourishment or cultivation of life

• By taking care of one’s life & daily influences or activities, disease is prevented

• Uses diet & exercise

• Uses martial arts & even Yoga

• Some knowledge of the body is required for this

• Stresses the importance of uniting the Qi otherwise no single method will prolong life

Mantras• Mantras are powerful therapeutic means to the

Chinese

• Are pronounced silently or aloud

• Promotes health & inner comfort

• Mantras can have the opposite effect

• Fu are talismans (secret writing in red ink or blood on yellow paper & given to the person) were used to expel evil influences or as a spiritual means to make a person more in harmony with their surroundings

Summary

• The Chinese learned long age that the body was a circuitry of electrical impulses with a variety of critical points along the electrical pathways

• A needle applied to the proper point energizes a particular organ

• Believed emotional events create blocks in the circuitry & must be relieved so energy flow can be restored

Observation on ancient sciences

• While Chinese were mapping the strategic points of the body , the astrologers were mapping the skies.

• Is there one source of wisdom and have the ancient Chinese & astrologers been able to tap into it and turn this into their healing arts with the combination of both things?????