Taoism and Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine is rooted in the ancient philosophy of Taoism, a philosophy which suggests that a part can be understood only in its relation to the whole. Chinese Medicine uses this holistic approach -- a person who is living in harmony with nature has mental, physical, and spiritual balance. And when an imbalance occurs, the complete physiological and psychological aspects of the patient are taken into consideration in the diagnosis.  The treatment seeks to restore balance and harmony to the body.

In Chinese Medicine there is a systematic way of distinguishing the patterns of disharmony, understanding the relationships between all the signs and symptoms of these imbalances, and prescribing treatment that restores balance. This is a medicine of prevention and cultivation of longevity. 

Because of the importance of Taoism to acupuncture, it was not surprising that “Philosophy of Chinese Medicine” was my first required course in the Masters of Traditional Chinese program. My eyes were opened to a new way of viewing health and treating disease.

The “Tao” meaning “the way” or the “path” is the concept of living a righteous way of life that is balanced, simple and in tune with nature. Lao Tzu is considered one of the founding fathers of Taoism and in his book the Tao Te Ching one can find his profound teachings on the subject of living the Tao way.  The three treasures that illuminate the teachings of Lao Tzu are: living with compassion, in moderation, and with humility.

                                                            

Yin and Yang

Yin and yang theory comes out of the Taoist philosophy. This is another way of viewing the world and seeing that all things are parts of a whole. Yin moves into yang, and yang moves into yin, and this is the natural flow of life. The constant transformation of yin into yang and yang into yin is the source of life, and the basis of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

The character of yin is that of the shady side of the slope. Yin is the cold, the rest, the darkness, the moon, the inward, and the feminine. The character of yang is the sunny side of the slope. Yang is the warm, the active, the light, the sun, the vigor, and the masculine.

We are always in a state of yin moving into yang and yang moving into yin. They cannot be separated as they depend on each other for definition. Chinese Medicine seeks to balance the yin and yang.

Lao Tzu sums up this way of viewing the intertwining of these two opposites:

“Being and non-being produce each other;

Difficult and easy complete each other;

Long and short contrast each other;

High and low distinguish each other;

Sound and voice harmonize each other;

Front and back follow each other.”

Nei Jing

The Nei Jing, or the “Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor,” is another classical medical text that contains the knowledge and theoretical formulations that form the basic foundation of the Chinese medical tradition. This text posits that diet, lifestyle, emotions, and environment all have impact on health and wellbeing. The Nei Jing text states:

“In treating illness, it is necessary to examine the entire context, scrutinize the symptoms, observe the emotions and attitudes.”

The Nei Jing suggests medicine should promote the cultivation of life force, or what is known as qi. The most important message in the text describes how to preserve, as well as create, more qi in our daily lives though healthy lifestyle. The text suggests that exercise, herbs, meditation, tai chi, acupuncture, acupressure, diet, and breathing exercises are the tools that promote longevity and vibrant health.

Breathing Arts

The ancient Taoist believed that “Breathing Arts” held the secret to longevity as well as the gateway to advanced knowledge and special powers.  The breathing techniques are passed down for us all to practice. One breathing technique is called the Microcosmic Orbit, which helps circulate energy (qi) through energy points, or meridians.

The flow of qi begins at the navel on the Ren Meridian (front of body) and then travels down to the perineum and up the spine on the Du Meridian (back of body). From there it travels to the head, down the front through the tongue, the throat, and then down to the navel again. These two channels carry a strong energy current that can have powerful effects on regulation of the body.

Learn the Microcosmic Orbit

To begin the Microcosmic Orbit breathing practice sit upright with your feet placed firmly on the floor, hands relaxed on your lap. Once comfortable, bring your focus to your "dantien" (energy center) just below your navel, and visualize a light of energy beginning to grow at your dantien. Next, focus and make your breath smooth, even, and flowing deeply into your dantien. Now you are ready to start the circular breathing pattern. 

Exhale a breath of light and qi into your "Hui Yin," the pelvic floor or the genital and anus area, and then into your coccyx.

Next inhale and draw the breath of light and qi up into your spinal column. Use one single inhalation to bring the energy all the way up to the center of your brain.

On the next exhalation feel the flow of qi come down the center of your face like a waterfall, down through the heart center, and begin the next cycle of breathing.

Try completing ten cycles and built your practice from there.

Enjoy cultivating greater qi, energy, health, and mental clarity. 

More about Meridians

The meridian system in acupuncture is the very foundation of Chinese Medicine, and was mapped out more than 2,000 years ago. The meridians represent the principal pathways that qi, blood, and fluids are circulated throughout the body, tissues, and organs, providing them with nourishment and energy. These pathways are vital in the communication among the organs, muscles, glands, and digestive and endocrine systems, as well as the brain. It is this communication that makes the body a unified whole.

Acupuncturists believe that when qi flows freely, there is no pain or disease. But when there is stagnation of qi, pain, disease, or disfunction shows up in the body. It is up to the acupuncturist to maintain this free flow of qi, blood, and fluid in the body. This is where the knowledge of meridians is most important, and most helps patients maintain abundant health.

How Do They Work?

Meridians are complicated to understand, and take years to fully comprehend. I’ll try to simplify the theory here to illuminate the process. There are twelve paired yin and yang meridians, and two unpaired channels. Each of the twelve meridians are bilateral and are associated with an organ of the body.

The two unpaired meridians are the Governing or Du meridian, and the Conception or Ren meridian. The Governing meridian runs along the center of the spine, along the back of the body, and represents the yang or the masculine aspect of the meridian system. The Conception meridian runs along the center of the front of the body, and is the yin or feminine aspect of the meridians.

These two opposite channels represent the yin and yang at the center of the body. Balancing the yin and yang of the body is fundamental for life’s vitality and these two meridians are very important and useful in regulation of these energies. The Conception (yin) meridian can be used to increase fertility, regulate the menstrual cycle, and treat impotence. The Governing (yang) meridian can treat all the organ systems of the body, regulate the hormones, and increase stamina and adrenal functions.

The Points Involved

Each meridian has its own specific acupuncture points that regulate the body. It is the work and artful practice of the acupuncturist to choose the most effect point prescription that will balance and regulate a patient’s imbalances. Each acupuncture point has its own unique influence on the body and its own function.

There are 361 points along the traditional meridians and then hundreds of extra points, like the auricular (ear) points and the scalp points, just to further complicate learning this vast network of intersecting points. In the West we learn acupuncture points as numbers, but for the Chinese speaker the points often have poetic names that give insight about the acupuncture points themselves.

For example, acupuncturists learn that Stomach 36 is a great point for increasing stamina, immunity, and regulating digestion. The Chinese name is “Leg Three Li” meaning that by stimulating Stomach 36, one can relieve fatigue sufficient to allow one to walk three more miles (li is miles in Chinese).

Acupuncturists also learn that qi circulates in each meridian at specific times of the day. For example, the Stomach and the paired Spleen meridians receive their most abundant qi from seven to nine a.m., and nine to eleven a.m., receptively. The morning hours are one of the strongest digesting times of the day, one more great reason to eat a good breakfast. This flow of qi begins with the Lung meridian and ends with the last point on the Liver meridian, and then once again this flow of qi begins anew through the meridian system.

The Science Behind The Needles

This flow of qi circulating through our bodies is what connects us to the universal life force. We now have exciting stereo-microscope photographs and images that show tubular structures 30 to 100 mm wide that overlay the acupuncture meridian system, called Bonghan channels. This may be the empirical evidence necessary to explain how acupuncture works.

In “Mind and Nature”, Gregory Bateson states that this could be the very system that controls growth at the embryologic level of development. Charles Shang, MD also noticed the physiological similarities between acupuncture points and the embryological organizational center. He found both are areas of high electrical conductance, high density of gap junctions, and cellular organelles that facilitate cell-to-cell communication. This points to the Eastern knowledge that meridians are the information super-highways of the body.

The acupuncture meridian system is a unique system of organization that is capable of carrying an enormous volume of information throughout the body. It is by regulating and keeping these systems balanced that health is kept at its optimal level.

For more information about Bonghan Channels, take a look at my previous blog post here.

How Acupuncture Works

How does acupuncture work?

This question has been plaguing me since my first experience receiving acupuncture over thirty years ago.

When I was a patient, I was just satisfied that it did work. I treated it like a strange magic that made me well again, and left it at that. I had a blind faith in the Chinese way of healing people. 

It was only when I decided to become an practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine that my burning desire to really find out the truth about how it really works was set into motion. Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in NYC had accepted me into their four year Master’s program, and I was embarking on a journey to find out the hidden knowledge of this 2,000 year old ancient medicine. 

Finally the mystery behind the medicine that heals on so many levels would be unveiled for me to know and understand! All I needed was to pay my tuition and the truth would then be revealed.

Well, nothing could have been further from the truth.

In the four years of the Master’s program I took all the classes I could to unlock the mystery: fundamentals of Chinese medicine, Chinese philosophy, fundamentals of acupuncture, and herbology, to name a few. There was not one explanation offered in any of the classes that could satisfy my western scientific mind. This, after all, was not in my culture; the talk of qi (life force), meridians (paths through which qi flows), and yin and yang was an exciting foreign language and way of viewing the world. But I still lacked an explanation of how acupuncture treatments could have such a transformative effect on my patients.

I was looking for some sort of scientific account of how the meridians, qi, and acupuncture points were able to heal the body. However, in all my exhaustive studies there was no such explanation that really made sense. 

But as time went on, my emersion and indoctrination into this new world of healing lead me back to blind faith in the work that I was doing. As my practice grew, as well as my ability to help my patients heal, my need to know how this medicine really worked became less important. I simply knew and saw that it did work, and that was all I needed to understand.

But...

Just recently, I have discovered the work of Kim Bonghan, a scientist from Korea that published research on physical duct-like systems that appear to be the anatomical basis of the meridian systems. He found that these threadlike microscopic structures correspond to the layout of the acupuncture meridian system.  These channels have been found inside the blood, lymphatic vessel, and form networks that overlay the internal organs as well as the brain.

These transparent tubular structures contain a flowing liquid of hyaluronic acid, small granules of DNA, and chromosomal material. These structures are like fiber optic channels in the body that are able to carry an extremely high density of information beyond the limited one-way signals of the nervous system, activating a unique communication network that can restore normal functioning in the body. After 40 years of work, the Bonghan research is using stereo-microscopic photography to photograph and identify these thin, almost transparent, tubular structures. 

A stereomicroscopic image of the lymphatic vessel around the caudal vena cava of a rat. The photograph (left) and its illustration (right) show the novel threadlike structure (solid arrow) that passes throw the lymphatic valve (open arrow). The photograph was taken in vivo and in situ, and a piece of black paper was put under the lymphatic vessel to exhibit the target clearly. The scale bar is 100 mm.

Trypan blue staining of a Bonghan duct (BHD) and a Bonghan corpuscle (BHC) in tissues inside the small intestine.

In a separate study in 1992, Russian researchers found that acupuncture channels conduct light. The study found that this ability exists only along the acupuncture meridians, and can enter and exit only along the acupuncture points.

This research is starting to shed light on how and why acupuncture can have such diverse and unique ability to heal on all systems and levels of the body. I find this information to be so exciting, and hope that research continues to majorly impact our understanding of this fascinating system of healing.

David Milbrant. "Bonghan Channels in Acupuncture". Acupuncture Today, April, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 04

Byung-Cheon Lee, 

Kyung-Hee Bae, 

Gil-Ja Jhon, 

Kwang-Sup Soh. 

"Bonghan System as Mesenchymal Stem Cell Niches and Pathways of Macrophages in Adipose Tissues". Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2009, Pages 79–82