Acupuncture (AP) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
GENERAL CONCEPTS (2/7)
Kass_R2 (1990) TCM and Pulse Diagnosis In San Francisco Health Planning: Implications For a Pacific Rim City: Part 2.
Materials and Equipment.
Med files at On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco (see Appendix E) contain comprehensive Med information on every client who visits the centre. These files are updated regularly (usually daily) and are considered an accurate and comprehensive account of what disease conditions plague On Lok clients at any given time. The files were used in this investigation to verify the health condition of each subject at the time of his/her pulse examination. The following bits of information were deleted from each file in order to avoid any confounding variables: name, age, height, weight, pulse rate, and blood pressure information.
An electronic pulse-taking device developed by Dr Laub (1983), working in conjunction with Dr Broffman and Dr McCulloch (1986) was used by one of the 2 TCM physicians taking part in the study. This device detects radial artery pulse signals at the same 18 positions palpated by TCM physicians millenia ago. Pulse images are digitized by the device and written to disk as a computer file. Each image can then be printed out (see Appendix D), matched with one of the 31 recognized pulse patterns in TCM (Porkert, 1983), and used for diagnostic purposes.
Pulse Assessment Form A (see appendix B) was used in the test of Pulse Diagnosis reliability. This form is divided into 3 main sections.
General Pulse Section.
The first section (general pulse section) assesses the radial artery pulse as it appears at 3 spatial locations (Cun/Inch, Guan/Gate, and Chi/Foot) and 3 depth locations (superficial, middle, and deep) in the left and right wrist area. This assessment is general in nature and does not separate out unique characteristics of the pulse at the various spatial and depth locations.
A total of 11 pulse categories are considered in this section. Each category is associated with 2 qualitative dimensions:
1. Depth (Floating or Deep): a floating pulse is found in the superficial region of a pulse position; a deep pulse is found in the deep position;
2. Intensity (Strong or Weak): a strong pulse refers to a forceful beat; a weak pulse refers to a delicate beat);
3. Amplitude (Big or Small): a big pulse refers to a large (long) stroke; a small pulse refers to a small (short) stroke;
4. Frequency (Fast or Slow): a fast pulse refers to frequent beats; a slow pulse refers to infrequent beats;
5. Rhythm (Rhythmic or Arrhythmic): a rhythmic pulse refers to uniform cycles of the pulse; an arrhythmic pulse refers to irregular cycles;
6. Length (Long or Short): a long pulse has a wide base; a short pulse has a thin base;
7. Type (Yang or Yin): a Yang pulse is characterized by an expanded pulse; a Yin pulse is characterized by a deflated pulse;
8. Temperature (Hot or Cold): a Hot pulse is associated with an energetic pulse rate (strong, rapid); a Cold pulse is associated with a lethargic pulse rate (weak, slow);
9. Qi Quantity (Shi or Xu): a Shi (Excess) pulse contains a large amount of Qi; a Xu (Weak) pulse contains a small amount of Qi;
10. Texture (Hard or Soft): a hard pulse has a pointed top; a soft pulse has by a round top;
11. Width (Wide or Thin): a wide pulse has a large peak; a thin pulse has a narrow peak.
Sub Pulse Type Section.
Section 2 (sub pulse section) provides for a more detailed analysis of 4 of the 11 pulse categories in section one (depth, intensity, amplitude, and frequency). Depending on what decisions were made in this prior section, each physician chooses from among the pertinent "Sub 1" and "Sub 2" qualitative dimensions described below:
1) For floating pulses: simple, flooding, or none (sub 1) and soft, bowstring hollow, leathery, or none (sub 2).
2) For deep pulses: simple, hidden, or none (sub 1) and weak, prison, or none (sub 2).
3) For either strong or weak pulses: full, feeble, thready, or none (sub 1) and slippery or none (sub 2).
4) For either big or small pulses: long, short, or none (sub 1).
5) For slow pulses: simple or none (sub 1) and knotted or none (sub 2) For fast pulses: simple or none (sub 1) and rapid, agitated, or none (sub 2).
Individual Pulse Section
The third section of Pulse Assessment Form A (individual pulse section) describes the pulse as it is found at each of the 3 spatial locations (inch, gate, and foot) at the left and right wrist area. The same 11 pulse categories are used to analyze these 6 spatial locations. The various depth location findings (superficial, middle, and deep) at each spatial location are taken into account in this assessment:
1) depth: floating or deep;
2) intensity: strong or weak;
3) amplitude: big or small;
4) frequency: fast or slow;
5) rhythm: rhythmic or arrhythmic;
6) length: long or short;
7) type: Yang or Yin;
8) temperature: Hot or Cold;
9) quantity: shih or Cold;
10) texture: hard or soft;
11) width: wide or thin.
Assessment Form B (see Appendix C) was used in the assessment of Pulse Diagnosis validity. This form allowed each physician 3 opportunities (1st, 2nd, & 3rd choice) to correctly match a given Med file (coded A-J) with a given pulse (Coded 1-10). The level of certainty associated with each attempted match was indicated by the attachment of one of 3 symbols (*=confident, +=fairly sure, -=doubtful) to each proclaimed match.
Procedure
In August of 1988 data collection for the pulse analysis component of the study was completed at On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco. 10 subjects were examined by 2 TCM physicians; one using the Traditional hand palpation method and the other using a computer assisted electronic device.
The 2 TCM physicians were selected on the basis of their extensive experience of this form of diagnosis and because Dr McCulloch had used an electronic method of Pulse Diagnosis (Broffman & McCulloch 1986).
The 2 physicians examined the pulse of the same 10 subjects and attempted to: 1. obtain the same pulse readings on a given subject (a test of the reliability of Pulse Diagnosis); 2. correctly match subjects with their corresponding Med files on the basis of pulse analysis alone (a test of the validity of Pulse Diagnosis).
The 2 TCM physicians made their respective pulse examinations over the course of a single day in a specially prepared room at On Lok Senior Health Services.
3 precautions against experimenter bias were observed: 1. the subjects sat behind a screen with only the diagnostically relevant area of their wrists visible to the 2 physicians (a special glove was worn); 2. no contact was allowed between the 2 examining physicians at any time during the study; 3. the pulse examination schedule was altered in the middle of the day in order to avoid any detectable patterns. All pulse examinations were timed by the research assistant.
The matching of the 10 Med files to the 2 sets of pulse profiles (one traditional set and one electronic set) occurred after all pulse examinations had been completed. The physicians were given as much time as needed to fill in the 2 assessment forms, and were allowed to consult any resource materials. The assessment process took each physician circa 2 h.
Kass_R3 (1990) TCM and Pulse Diagnosis In San Francisco Health Planning: Implications For a Pacific Rim City: Part 3.
Data Analysis
Reliability of Pulse Diagnosis
The following hypotheses were constructed to test the extent of correlation (reliability) between TCM pulse readings and electronic pulse readings:
H(0)=matches between TCM pulse readings and electronic pulse readings are the result of chance alone; the evidence does not suggest that TCM pulse-taking is reliable.
H(1)=matches between TCM pulse readings and electronic pulse readings are not the result of chance alone; the evidence suggests that TCM pulse-taking is reliable.
An exact correspondence between how Dr Broffman evaluated a given pulse category for a given subject and how Dr McCulloch evaluated the same category was considered a match in all 3 sections of Assessment Form A. The normal approximation to the binomial (Parzen 1960, p239) was employed to determine whether the results obtained (or more extreme results) were better than chance alone would normally produce. The probability of at least x matches is the sum of the binomial probabilities [x + (x + 1) + (x + 2)...] which can be approximated by a normal distribution. A probability value of The % of correct matches in all 3 sections were calculated as an additional way to assess the reliability of the 2 methods of pulse analysis. The results for the 3 sections were:
87 matches of a possible 110 matches, 24 (79% of possible matches) were achieved in the general pulse assessment section. The probability of this result or more extreme results occurring by chance alone is p In the sub pulse section:
4/5 possible matches (80% of possible matches) were achieved in the depth/sub 1 category (p=.023 for 4 or more matches);
1/4 possible matches (25% of possible matches) were achieved in the depth/sub 2 category (p=.52 for 1 or more matches);
2/7 possible matches (29% of possible matches) were achieved in the intensity/sub 1 category (p=.56 for 2 or more matches);
1/2 possible matches (50% of possible matches) were achieved in the intensity/sub 2 category (p=.75 for one or more matches);
2/7 possible matches (29% of possible matches) were achieved in the amplitude/sub 1 category (p=.74 for 2 or more matches),.
7/7 possible matches (100% of possible matches) were achieved in the frequency/sub 1 category (p=.0078), and.
7/7 possible matches (100% of possible matches) were achieved in the frequency/sub 2 category (p=.0002).
463 matches out of a possible 660 matches (70%) were achieved in the individual pulse section (p (Note: Possible matches in the general pulse section is equal to the number of subjects (10) X the number of choices/subject (11) on Assessment Form A. Possible matches in the individual pulse section is equal to the number of subjects (10) X the number of choices/subject. Possible matches in the sub pulse section is equal to the number of subjects for whom a match occurred in a previous pulse assessment stage: 1. the number of matches in the depth, intensity, amplitude, and frequency main pulse categories became the possible match numbers for corresponding Sub 1 responses; 2. the number of matches in the sub 1 pulse category became the number of possible matches for corresponding sub 2 responses. The decision not to examine results in cases where no match was achieved in a previous section was made to simplify interpretation (e.g. if a general interpretation of the pulse is disparate as reflected in a no match, the interpretation of a corresponding lower level match (which represents a finer look at this general assessment) is unclear.
Validity of Pulse Diagnosis.
WM theory contends that palpation of the radial artery pulse at the right and left wrist areas can reveal no diagnostic information about the ST, LU, SP-pancreas, GB etc, as claimed by TCM physicians. The following hypotheses were constructed to test this contention:
H0=correct matches between Med files and pulse profiles are the result of chance alone; the evidence does not suggest that TCM diagnosis is valid.
H1=correct matches between Med files and pulse profiles are not the result of chance alone; the evidence suggests that TCM diagnosis is valid.
Pulse/Med file matching results were considered significant in this study if the probability of occurrence by chance alone was Dr Broffman used the hand palpation method to achieve 2 correct 1st choices (p=.264 for 2 or more 1st choice matches to occur by chance alone), one correct 2nd choice (p=.322 for 3 or more 1st & 2nd choice matches to occur by chance alone), and 3 correct 3rd choices (p=.047 for 6 or more 1st, 2nd, & 3rd choices to occur by chance alone). Dr McCulloch used a computer assisted electronic device to achieve 2 correct 1st choices (p=.264 for 2 or more 1st choice matches to occur by chance alone).
Discussion
Several methodological approaches were considered in this investigation of TCM Pulse Diagnosis; a design in which: 1. both TCM physicians used hand palpation methods; 2. both physicians used electronic pulse detection methods; 3. one physician used the hand palpation method and the other used the electronic pulse detection method.
The first 2 alternatives were rejected in favour of the third for 2 major reasons: 1. testing an electronic device was an essential part of this research 25; 2. only one experienced electronic device operator was available in the San Francisco Bay area. The results achieved for the chosen approach (palpation/electronic) do not necessarily suggest what levels of validity and reliability would have been achieved had one of the other 2 approaches mentioned above (palpation/palpation; electronic/electronic) been used in the study.
In other words, a low reliability finding in this investigation would not rule out the possibility that a high level of reliability could have been achieved if the electronic/electronic approach had been used. Lack of reliability in this investigation could be explained in any of the following 8 ways:
1) electronic assessments of the pulse are accurate but hand palpation assessments are not as a consequence of improper palpation technique;
2) electronic assessments of the pulse are accurate but hand palpation assessments are not as a consequence of faulty interpretation of pulse findings; 3) hand palpation assessments of the pulse are accurate but electronic assessments are not as a consequence of improper sensor placement;
4) hand palpation assessments of the pulse are accurate but electronic assessments are not as a consequence of faulty equipment;
5) hand palpation assessments of the pulse are accurate but electronic assessments are not as a consequence of faulty interpretation of pulse findings; 6) both electronic and hand palpation assessments are inaccurate as a consequence of improper measurement techniques;
7) both electronic and hand palpation assessments are inaccurate as a consequence of faulty interpretation of pulse findings;
8) both electronic and hand palpation assessments are inaccurate as a consequence of Pulse Diagnosis being nothing more than an artifact;
A high level of reliability in the chosen palpation/electronic approach, however, does suggest that a high level of reliability would have been achieved if the electronic/electronic approach had been used.
Kass_R4 (1990) TCM and Pulse Diagnosis In San Francisco Health Planning: Implications For a Pacific Rim City: Part 4.
Significant Results
In both the first section (general pulse) and third section (individual pulse) of Pulse Assessment Form A the physicians achieved a significant p In section 2 (sub pulse section) a significant p=.023 result (80% of possible matches) was obtained in the depth/sub 1 pulse category; a significant p=.0078 result (100% of possible matches) was obtained in the frequency/sub 1 pulse category; and a significant p=.0002 result (100% of possible matches) was obtained in the frequency/sub 2 pulse category.
No significant findings were obtained in the remaining 4 categories (depth/sub 2, intensity/sub 1, intensity/sub 2, amplitude/sub 1), which represented 25%, 29%, 50%, and 29% of possible matches respectively.
The above findings suggest that Pulse Diagnosis reliability goes down as more subtle levels of distinction are attempted.
Other results suggest that there may be some validity to TCM Pulse Diagnosis; in the pulse/Med file matching effort Dr Broffman was able to achieve a statistically significant result. Although this additional information was available to the 2 physicians, there is no evidence that they took the information into account in their selection process. Both Dr Broffman and Dr McCulloch achieved correct 1st choice matches on this subject, but this could be coincidental and unrelated to a confounding variable. A second analysis was made in which the subject in question was not factored into the results. It also questionable whether the use of second and third choice selections in the determination of statistical significance is a viable methodological approach. A statistically significant result was obtained only after second and third choice selections were taken into account; this may indicate an inherent lack of precision in TCM Pulse Diagnosis that limits its clinical usefulness.
An alternative explanation links apparent diagnostic imprecision to incomplete symptom recording in On Lok Med files rather than any inherent weakness in TCM Pulse Diagnosis. Often symptoms that are useless from a WM viewpoint can be the key that unlocks a diagnosis in TCM. For example, chronic canker sores helps in the diagnosis of a HT Syndrome in TCM.
Minor symptoms such as this could very well be left out of Western oriented On Lok Med files; thus putting the TCM physicians at a distinct disadvantage in their matching efforts. If more minor symptoms had been recorded in On Lok Med files the 2 physicians may have achieved better results.
(Note: A 1/3 correct rate is not deemed acceptable by most physicians (Western as well as alternative practitioners) and patients, suggesting that only first choice selections should be included in a test of Pulse Diagnosis validity).
Also, the physicians might have fared better had they been Western-trained in addition to being experts in TCM. Neither their prior training nor currently available resource books afforded them much help in accurately translating Western disease conditions into TCM nomenclature; a process which was vital to the achievement of good results.
The physicians did not have extensive experience diagnosing very old individuals (mean age 80.5) who suffered from so many acute and chronic disease conditions; this may have been another impediment to their success. TCM physicians typically cross-check the findings of Pulse Diagnosis with other physical indicators in the body (such as the face and tongue), and with the patient's symptom-history (TCM-Syndrome). When contradictory findings are found at any of these other sites the Pulses are reexamined and any errors are corrected. This recovery process could render TCM Pulse Diagnosis a useful method, even if the technique and/or its implementation is less than perfect. Had the physicians been allowed to look at each patient's tongue as well as examine her pulse they may have achieved better results.
Conclusion.
More research on TCM Pulse Diagnosis is needed before a definitive statement can be made on the reliability and validity of its use. Although preliminary investigation suggests that there may be some scientific basis for this ancient technique, its diagnostic reliability needs to be improved substantially in key areas. It is unclear whether low reliability in this study are the result of operator error, faulty equipment, or improper interpretation of pulse findings.
One of the key findings in this investigation was that the complex nature of traditional hand palpation virtually rules out its effective use by Western physicians in San Francisco; accurate pulse assessments by individuals who have only a superficial training in TCM diagnostic techniques is not a realistic objective.
The electronic pulse-taking device, however, appears to hold great promise even though it did not successfully show its diagnostic capabilities in the test of Pulse Diagnosis validity. The positive results achieved in the general and individual sections of Pulse Assessment Form A (the test of reliability) suggest that further refinements in this technique could eventually lead to an effective and easy to use tool for Pulse Diagnosis in a more integrated dual health care system in San Francisco.
Although the basics of Pulse Diagnosis (e.g. hard versus soft pulse) can be learned in a relatively short time, detection and interpretation of more subtle pulse forms are needed in order to perform an accurate and comprehensive diagnosis.
The electronic device is interfaced with a PC. This offers the possibility to develop a partially or completely automated system of interpreting pulse patterns according to the 30 recognized wave forms in TCM.
Efforts in this direction are already being made, and preliminary results are encouraging. This would greatly reduce the training needed to operate a device and shorten the time needed to take the pulses and interpret them to circa 10 min. If this feature can be developed, TCM Pulse Diagnosis could become: 1. highly accessible to Western physicians, and; 2. an effective means of helping bridge the gap between Western and TCM systems of Med.
KORYO AP EXPERT SYSTEM (KAES 2) SOFTWARE: Modern technology and ancient art, the true synthesis of East and West. Adapted from WWW.
E-Mail: bestam@datanet.hu.
OUTLINE.
WHAT DOES KAES 2 DO?.
WHO IS KAES 2 FOR?.
THE TECHNICAL STUFF.
MENU.
A SCREEN SHOT.
HOW CAN KAES 2 BE ORDERED.
EXPERT REVIEWS.
RELATED ARTICLES AND WWW SITES.
WHAT DOES KAES 2 DO?.
KAES 2 is a fun and interactive experience which provides you with treatments for 90 diseases using a fuzzy logic that can think through the many "shades of grey" inherent within TCM theory.
KAES 2 disease nomenclature is based on those set forth by WHO.
KAES 2 provides ranked listing of 6 possible treatment strategies including Moxibustion.
Uses deductive logic engine. That means that the computer does more than spit out answers, it chooses more than one treatment plan and offers you options.
Provides explanation to validate conclusions and recommendations.
Prints one report/patient including data, disease, symptoms, diagnosis and therapy.
Displays anatomical charts of over 800 AP points and provides explanation for each point.
HOW DOES KAES HELP THE PRACTITIONER?.
Contains useful administrative features in data inputted and printed-out in Patient History.
Through the extensive symptoms and question asking battery, KAES 2 helps improve and refine the information gathering process.
Through the one-panel, "Results Diagnosis Window," KAES 2 contains all of the information required to truly understand a problem, treatment principle, and a ranking of treatment choices to be explored and selected as is appropriate for the patient.".
Because of KAES 2's rapid diagnosis and printed report, it allows even greater quality of analysis and therapy while at the same time allowing for a higher quantity of patients to be seen.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM KAES 2?.
MDs interested in learning about TCM.
Provides practitioners schooled in WM a simple way to ask the right questions to come up with a Syndrome differentiation consistent with TCM theory, and of course the appropriate points to needle.
Students of TCM.
A quick and fun way to associate Syndromes with diagnosis, AP point locations and needling depths.
Teachers of TCM.
Makes a great teaching aid, very intuitive and easy to use.
Registered acupuncturists and practitioners of TCM.
Especially useful when a patient brings in a Western diagnosis, since the diseases are organized by Western differentiation.
TECHNICAL STUFF.
KAES 2 software comes on 2 x 3.5" installation disks.
KAES 2 looks and feels like a Macintosh or Windows 95 menu-driven program.
NOW works with Windows. Requires at least 500 KB free memory and 2 MB RAM.
KAES 2 is available for updates, and has a money-back guarantee.
Other first-of-a-kind software soon available for TCMs.
Basic technical support available via fax. But, KAES can be learned in 5 min.
How to order KAES 2
With a manual including installation instructions, KAES costs $290. Please note that KAES 2 will be available with an update in the near future. The Textbook of Koryo Med, which provides a highly illustrated description of the AP aspect of Koryo Med is available with a minimum order of 10 at a price of $45. To order KAES 2, please send an American Express Money Order by registered mail only to: Best American Imports, Batthyanyi utca 34 fsz. 3, Budapest 1015, Hungary.
After you have mailed the international money order, please go to the order form page and fill out the information boxes there and submit it to us.
It will be received within 6 wk. If you would like to have more information on ordering KAES 2, please call or send an e-mail.
FAX MANUALLY!!!: [36] (1) 201-9272. Because transatlantic weather conditions affect faxing, you may need to try more than once.
Liao_SJ (1992) AP for low back pain in Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Int Med, Book of Common Questions). AETRIJ Oct-Dec 17(4):249-258. New York Univ Dental Coll, New York. In Huangdi Neijing Suwen, among the materials which heretofore have no English translation, there are 3 Chapters on pain. One of them was devoted entirely to the low back pain. This is certainly an indication of its importance even >2300 yr ago. Since it still plagues us today, we have translated that Chapter of this TCM classic to see what we can learn from the ancients. We attempted to second-guess the ancients in the diagnosis of the various sets of symptoms, in the light of western medicine. We discussed the difficulties in interpreting the archaic text. We pointed out that there were associations of the Mais (the Channels and Vessels) with various Syndromes (sets of symptoms) but the AP points were vaguely described and had no names. We inserted our selections of currently used AP points to match the described loci.
Liao_SJ (1992) The origin of the Five Elements in the traditional theorem of AP: a preliminary brief historic enquiry. AETRIJ 17(1):7-14. New York Univ Dental Ctr, New York. The Five Xing (Phases) are essential in the theory of traditional AP and TCM. The word Xing has been translated as Element. However, it actually denotes a phase of movement and activity. The word Element implies a stationary state. Some of the evidence in ancient Chinese literature was reviewed to support the hypothesis that Five Xing were originally meant to be the Five Xing Xin (Moving Stars, i.e., Planets). By the 4th century BC, associations of the Stars with human events gradually evolved. However, between the 4th and the 6th century AD, when the Taoist scholar-physicians expanded the Five Xing into abstractive concepts, they used the 5 basic materials (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood), and their characteristic attributes or associations, to depict the Five Xing. Since they were basically alchemists and not astronomers, they apparently minimized the relationship between the Five Moving Stars and human illnesses. We propose that the usage of the word Element be discontinued and the word Xing be employed as is.
Limehouse_JB (1992) An Introduction to TCM. Probl Vet Med Mar 4(1):53-65. This chapter introduces veterinarians to TCM. TCM has its own unique approach to describing medical conditions. The Chinese have described naturally occurring medical phenomena accurately for millennia. Ancient theories and concepts allowed them to treat conditions without the knowledge we currently have of neurophysiology. The terminology used in the study of TCM will help show the difference between TCM and medicine as it is practised in the west. TCM encompasses Qi and its functions, the Channels, and the Five Xing (Phases). It will be shown how knowledge and application of these concepts can be used to diagnose and treat disease.
Ma_XL3 (1996) Clinical Point Selections. Adapted from WWW (Acupuncture.com). Dr Xiu Ling Ma, Instructor at Emperor's Coll of TCM, Santa Monica California. She recently arrived in the USA from the PRC and has done a wonderful job of truly enriching the educational experience of her students. This chapter of Acupuncture.com represents the notes that she wrote for young acupuncturists as to which points are appropriate to which diseases, and best of all, why. Certain AP points came up often at the beginning of the class, and at this time, a more full explanation of the therapeutic actions of these points were given. Most reasons given for each point chosen is listed on the document called Therapeutic Explanations. We hope that you'll get as much out of these notes that we did. Notes on: Therapeutic Explanations; Local and Distal point treatments; Symptoms and their points; Four Needle Treatments; Dental; Toothache; Endocrine/Immune; Allergic Rhinitis; Gynaecology; Dysmenorrhoea; Amenorrhoea; Ben Lou; Pre-menstrual Syndrome; Musculoskeletal; Acute Lumbar Ms Sprain; Chronic Low Back Pain; Bi Syndromes; Torticollis; Periarthritis of Shoulder; Cervical Spondylopathy; Neurological; Headache; Sciatica; Nose, Throat and Eyes; Sore Throat; Myopia; Conjunctivitis; Tinnitus/deafness; Psychotherapy; Schizophrenia; Neurosis
McWilliams_C01 (1996) A Rational View of Chinese AP, Massage, and Med Gymnastics: Part 1. Adapted from WWW (Acupuncture.com). [Charles McWilliams has been a researcher and teacher of TCM philosophy for >20 yr: WebMaster]. Years of teaching-experience have shown that the dead and lifeless words, commonly found in standard or "essential" textbooks of Chinese AP (e.g. Yin-Yang, Qi-Xue, Perverse Qi, Channel, Five Phase Theory, etc) serve as immediate points of confusion for newcomers who want to learn and understand TCM. Also, most textbooks either present the indelibly allied treatment methods of massage (Tui-Na, An-Mo) and Med gymnastics as subsidiary or inferior in application, or leave it out altogether as though it is not part and parcel to the scope of conduit therapy. These misrepresentations, now replete in our literatures, are because Westernized analytic thought has all too often been used to "explain" the phenomena of TCM. Some of the most essential and core theories have been left entirely out of our textbooks due to a paralysing paradigm. The author will show how TCM science in relation to a fundamental understanding of quantum physics can quickly bring the student into our marvellous paradigm of TCM Healing. Dr Charles McWilliams (DAc DHom, is Academic Dean of the PanAmerican Inst of BioEnergetic Med, Ltd, and Director of the Jade Island Acad of Massotherapy & Aesthetics. He formed and licensed in the State of Florida the first school of Oriental and Homeopathic Therapy in 1981. He can be contacted at POB 553 Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies, Caribbean; phone/fax (809) 469-9490 E-mail jadeoest@caribsurf.com.
Internet Newsletter- http://www.cps caribnet.com/jade/welcome.html.
Introduction
WM and TCM have been referred to as antithetical systems by many authors (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12,13,16). WM culture has been dominated by the view of intellectual and technological superiority. The human body is viewed as a machine composed of parts, is to be analyzed by its parts, and repaired by its parts, piece by piece. Their concept of homeostasis is only relatively new, yet it is viewed subservient to its properly maintaining parts, e.g. the endocrine glands and ANS. This view is now, however, being slowly eclipsed by a more holistic and ecological conception with a view that science is now showing increasing interrelatedness and interdependence on all living phenomena, save that of space and the cosmos. For millenia, TCM and philosophy have been mainly holistic and universal. The entire universe of which man and earth is a part, is viewed as interrelated. The human organism is a microcosm of the universe and its operations are reflected in nature and the cosmos (astrologically speaking). This dynamic way of thinking, the Asian scholar Joseph Needham aptly called "correlative thinking." (7) The TCM view of our body has always been mainly functional and focused on interrelation of the organism (anatomy, physiology, pathology), to the earth (agriculture, dietetics, herbology), and to the cosmos (meteorology, climatology, and cosmology). The 2 scientific Med systems are in essential opposition, while recently modern physics continues to substantiate concepts of the Chinese naturalists >4000 yr old(2,3,6,7). This century's almost entirely independent histories of science and culture, as applied in WM and TCM, were determined at the outset at the epochal transition between the Arien and Piscean Ages. One was a cultural revolution that began with Confucian and Taoist philosophy (circa 500 BC), and the other was Greek philosophy that began around the same period with such intellectuals as Pythagoras, Plato, Hippocrates, and Aristotle. These intellectual revolutions were essentially formations of world-views, or paradigms, of whose systems are now legion.
The Western student, versed in mechanistic and materialistic viewpoints, has inordinate difficulty to grasp the dictums as presented in Westernized texts on TCM, which from the outset should become axioms. Without knowledge of basic TCM theory (Yin-Yang and Five Phase Theory of Qi relationships etc), the acupuncturist has no theoretical foundation upon which to base their practice. This is because its foundation has suffered a Westernized, fragmented paradigm, imported essentially by missionaries and authors writing as spectators to TCM practices, rather than Western students of TCM savants.
The advent of quantum physics, however, as the author will point out, provides valuable new tools and concepts which will quickly immerse the AP student in a working framework and living dynamic that can not only be applied in practice, but in day-to-day life itself.
Secondly, in part 2 of this article, the author will show where exhaustive studies of the ancient and modern classics of AP have revealed and made clear that the AP format as presented by many of these same, confused occidental authors, has set wrong standards for practice within the framework of TCM. Because Vietnamese became a part-Westernized language, we have our French and Vietnamese colleagues to thank for bridging the gap in our misunderstandings, although its profound applications have yet to be universally applied in theory and in practice which this article hopes to initiate within the Pan American regions.
Ideograms.
Yin-Yang, is the first and most essential concept generally taught in the TCM, whose healing arts include AP, macrobiotics, herbalism, dietetics, massage, etc. Yin-Yang are complementary but opposite states or conditions. Yin describes states of matter or Qi which are negative, female, dark, cold, and wet. Yang describes states which are positive, masculine, light, warm, and dry. The ventral area and lower half of the body, below the waist, is Yin; the dorsal area and upper half of the body is Yang. Likewise, the Solid Organs (LU, SP, HT, KI, PC, LV) and glands are Yin (the Zang); the Hollow Bowels (LI, ST, SI, BL, TH, GB) are Yang (the Fu). The Channels, conduits of Qi (vital energy) that connect the Zang-Fu, also are divided into opposites, Yin-Yang.
The idea of Yin-Yang is symbolized in the form of the so-called Chinese "monad", the symbol of a closed circle divided by a S-curve into equal halves. Yin-Yang are terms used to express a fundamental premise of Chinese thought: to convey the idea of the polar quality of all effects. That polarization of reality had consciously been realized by the priests of the Shang period (second millennium BC).
Tsou-Yen was a famous feudal lord of the alchemical school circa 350-270 BC. His Yin-Yang Chia set out the doctrine of Yin-Yang as the controller of all cyclical movements and of destiny. According to Needham(7), he may have been the sole originator of the Five Phase Theory. He propounded Confucius' "middle kingdom" (China), naming it the spiritual red continent, which held the whole world in place. The division of phenomena and effects into 2 polarised Yin-Yang groups, which can transform one into the other making a polar unity, had already served to regulate the order of Chinese cultures for >1000 yr earlier.