Concepts in Chinese Medicine

1. Concepts in Chinese Medicine Rels 120 November 2013

2. Creation • The fundamental elements of all created reality are water, metal, earth, wood and fire • These are the 5 elements • All of creation is inclined toward the same harmony and balance of Yin and Yang • Yin and Yang are complementary, co-dependent, mutually nurturing, and represent a transformative energy and potential rels 120

3. http://www.csh.umn.edu/free-online-learning-modules/index.htmhttp://www.csh.umn.edu/free-online-learning-modules/index.htm rels 120

4. 5 Substances in the body • Life force, life energy – Qi • Blood(xue) • Essence(jing) • Spirit(shen) • Fluids(jin ye) Each element is part of a dynamic, nurturing, and balanced human organism. rels 120

5. Origins of Qi • Original Qi: Qithat is transmitted from your parents to you in birth • Nutritional Qi: Vital energy extracted from what you eat and drink; Cycle of ingestion, digestion, use and waste • Air Qi: Vital energy inhaled from good, clean air When the body is balanced it exhibits its own form of Qi– a positive vitality that protects it from pathogenic factors. rels 120

6. 5 aspects of Qi • Organ Qi (zang fu qi)– vital energy which animates each organ’s functioning • Meridian Qi (jingqi)– circulates vital energy throughout the body’s meridian pathways • Nutritive Qi (yingqi)– vital energy which moves along with the blood to absorb nutrients and distribute them throughout body • Protective Qi (weiqi)– vital energy which resists viruses and regulates (warms & cools) body temperature and perspiration • AncestralQi (zongqi)– vital energy within the chest which supports and regulates respiration and heart beat rels 120

7. Organ systems: zang fu YIN ORGANS YANG ORGANS gallbladder small intestine stomach large intestine bladder ( + sanjiao– 3 cavity areas) Also called fuorgans, they process food and excrete wastes. the 6 hollow organs • liver • heart • spleen • lungs • kidneys Also called zangorgans, they produce and store Qi, blood and body fluid. • the 5 solid organs rels 120

8. Pathogenic factors • The6 excesses = wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, fire • The7 moods = joy, anger, anxiety, obsession, sorrow, horror, fear • Intemperance or imbalance in eating, drinking, sexual activity, work, exercise Pathogenic factors are those that lead to disharmony in the human person. Once there is disharmony, disease will manifestitself in one way or another. rels 120

9. Avoiding deficiencies Maintain adequate levels of Qi: • good diet; clean, fresh air • mindfulness – quiet distractions, worries, stress factors; seek awareness and mental clarity • avoid excessive emotions, excessive physical activity, the 5 excesses, excessive food or sexual activity • guard against trauma, toxins, parasites and inappropriate medical treatments Seek and maintain harmony rels 120

10. Diagnosing illness 4 primary patterns of disharmony: • Yin excess • Yindeficient • Yangexcess • Yangdeficient Patient symptoms indicate that there is imbalance or disharmony. Until the “pattern” of disharmony can be established, it is impossible to treat the illness, restore the harmony and so relieve the symptoms. rels 120

11. The 8 parameters • Interior / exterior • Where is the disharmony? What is its location? • Cold / heat • Cold may indicate an excess of yin or a deficiency of yang • Heat may indicate an excess of yang or a deficiency of yin • Deficiency / excess • Insufficient level of vital substances (Qi) • Excessive levels of pathogenic factors • Yin / Yang • Overall pattern of disharmony (and therefore illness) rels 120

12. Interior and Exterior INTERIOR EXTERIOR Skin, superficial blood vessels Wei qi– the form of Qithat defends the body Excesses of wind, cold or heat, dampness or dryness Irritants and allergens External infectious agents • Flesh and bones • Organ systems • Vital substances • The mind • The spirit • Internal pathogens (e.g. excess of cold or heat, dampness or dryness) rels 120

13. Cold and Heat Cold • Feeling cold, pallor, cold limbs • Aversion to cold / preference for heat • Absence of sweating or thirst • Pain that responds to heat • Thin, clear, watery secretions • Copious, clear urination; loose odorless stools • Slow or tight pulse • Pale tongue coated with white rels 120

14. Cold and Heat Heat • Feeling hot, flushed • Aversion to heat / preference for cold • Sweating and thirst • Pain that responds to cold • Thick, yellow mucous • Scant, dark urine; foul odour, dry stool; constipation • Rapid pulse • Red tongue coated with yellow rels 120

15. DEFICIENCY EXCESS Deficiency and Excess • Of Qi • Inadequate level of vital substances for body requirements • Gradual onset and development; chronic • Low tone and strength • Weakness/fatique • Of pathogenic factors • Any element that is present in amounts greater than required • Acute, sudden onset • Foreign substances • Pain • Excess tone or function rels 120

16. Diabetes = yin deficiency rels 120

17. TCM – treating Diabetes “Unlike Western medicine, TCM is not concerned with measuring and monitoring blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. Treatment is individualized and geared toward assessing and treating the symptoms that compose patterns of deficiency and disharmony.” rels 120

18. What do you notice? • What is most characteristic of the elements of Chinese medicine? • Describe well-being in this system. • Describe illness in this system. • How do these definitions coincide with or differ from how you feel when you feel well or ill? “In Chinese medicine a human being is looked upon as a small universe . . . When everything coexists in perfect harmony, a person is in excellent health.” (Julia J. Tsuei) rels 120

19. Acupuncture • Promote flow of Qi through channels or meridians; clear out stagnant sections • Correct imbalances of vital energy in the body; remove blockages • Relieve pain • May affect neurotransmitter expression – suppress pain sensations rels 120

20. Acupuncture channels • Also called meridians • Symmetrical on both sides of the body • 12 major meridians correspond to the twelve organs • 8 additional (collateral) meridians – only 2 of these have their own acupuncture points on the surface of the body • Energy, strength, weakness, and illness travel throughout the body by means of these channels or meridians rels 120

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23. Acupuncture points • Stimulating acupuncture points on the surface of the body stimulates internal organs by travelling along the channels • Acupuncture trigger points can be stimulated by needles, pressure or heat • Inserted needles can be twisted or connected to low level electric generators to increase the stimulation • Goal of stimulation is to enhance the sensation of Qi - patients are asked, “Do you have the Qi?” rels 120

24. What does Qi“feel” like? • Pain, soreness, heaviness, fullness, distension, numbness, pins and needles, electric shock sensation • If neither the acupuncturist nor the patient “feels” the Qi, then the needle may be moved slightly to find the proper point on the meridian • The goal of acupuncture is to redistribute Qithrough the body by increasing the flow, removing blockages, and energizing any stagnation – pain = blockage of Qi rels 120

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26. Facial points • Interactive points and meridians • Bladder • Conception Vessel • Gall Bladder • Governing Vessel • Heart • Kidney • Large Intestine • Liver • Lung • Pericardium • Small Intestine • Spleen • Stomach • Triple Burner http://www.caoxuan.com/accu/ALL.HTML# rels 120

27. 1997 NIH Consensus Development Conference Statement on Acupuncture “Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States…However, promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. “There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma, in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. “Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.” rels 120

28. http://www.csh.umn.edu/free-online-learning-modules/index.htmhttp://www.csh.umn.edu/free-online-learning-modules/index.htm • “Life, it is said in the Chinese medical classics, is a collection of Qi.” • “When all of the yin and yang aspects of Qi are in harmony with one another, there is health and well-being, peace and contentment. When yin and yang are in disharmony, when there is too much or too little of one aspect or another, then there is illness, disease, pain and suffering.” rels 120

29. David EisenbergIntegrative Medicine & Public Health Current educational and research interests: • assess the safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of complementary and integrative medical therapies • systematic evaluation of herbal medicines using scientific research technologies • explore multi-disciplinary strategies to optimize lifestyle and self-care behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise and stress management) to prevent, treat and manage common & chronic medical conditions rels 120

30. Acupuncture in Canada • http://www.cmaac.ca/ • http://www.ccaom.com/ • http://www.acatcm.com/ • http://www.ctcmpc.com/ • http://www.ctcmpc.com/about-acupuncture-school-toronto.php • Acupuncture is already a regulated health practice in many provinces, with schools in Toronto and BC rels 120