traditional chinese medicine and modern medicine

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

AND MODERN MEDICINE

--- WHEN EAST MEETS WEST

BY MK Sastry


(TCM)

Simplified Chinese: 中医学

Traditional Chinese: 中醫學

Pin Yin: zhōng yī xué

HISTORY OF


TCM

Several Thousand Years

MODERN MEDICINE

Several Hundred Years

Summary of the medical experience and theoretical

knowledge including yin-yang, the five elements, zang-

fu, meridians (channels and collaterals), qi (vital

energy) and blood, etiology, pathology, dignostic

methods, differentiation of syndromes,

As well as basic knowledge of acupuncture points and

needling methods

Huang-di Nei-jing (Canon of

Medicine): Suwen and

Lingshu

The earlist medical classic in

China

Compiled between 500 – 300

B.C.

PRACTICES OF


MODERN MEDICINE

Internal Medicine

Surgery

Immunotherapy

Radiotherapy

Chemotherapy

1. Chinese Herbal Medicine 中药

2. Acupuncture and Moxibustion 針灸Cupping

Gua Sha 刮痧

3. Chinese Massage – Tui Na 推拿Die-da or Tieh Ta – 跌打

THE BASIC THEORIES OF


MODERN MEDICINE

Anatomy

Biology

Physiology

Biochemistry

Immunology

Microbiology

Genetics

Pathology

Radiology

1. Yin-Yang Theory

2. The Five Elements

3. Zang-Fu Therory

4. Meridians (Channels and Collaterals)

5. Qi, Blood, and Body Fluid

THE THEORIES OF YIN-YANG

AND FIVE ELEMENTS

The theories of yin-yang and the five

elements were two kinds of outlook on

nature in ancient China

Chinese ancient physicians applied these

two theories in traditional Chinese

medicine, which have guided clinical

practice up to the present

YIN-YANG THEORY

The theory yin-yang holds that the every subject

or phenomenon in the universe consists of two

opposite sepects, namely, yin and yang

Yin

Female

Foot

Abdomen

Internal

Zang organs

Substances

Xu (deficiency)

Yang

Male

Head

Back

External

Fu organs

Functions

Shi (excess)

THE FIVE ELEMENTS

Wood

Liver

Metal

Lung

Water

Kidney

Earth

Spleen

Fire

Heart

Inter-promoting

Inter-acting

MERIDIANS

(CHANNELS AND COLLATERALS)

The body's vital energy, qi, circulates through

the body along specific interconnected

channels called Meridians (Jing-luo 经络)

There are 12 regular channels and 8 extra

channels, which connect 400 acupuncture

points

The twelve regular channels1. Hand or foot

2. Yin or yang

3. A zang or a fu organ

The small intestine channel of hand-taiyang

The spleen channel of foot-taiyin

ZANG FU THEORY

Six zang organs: heart, liver, spleen, lung,

kidney, and pericardiumTo manufacture and store essential substances

including vital essence, qi (vital energy), blood, and

body fluid

Six fu organs: small intestine, gall bladder,

stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder,

and sanjiaoTo receive and digest food, absorb nutrient

substances, transmit and excrete wastes

ZANG FU THEORY

Each zang organ is linked with a fu organ

by a channel, a situation known as

external-internal relation

Heart - Small intestine

Liver - Gall bladder

Spleen - Stomach

Lung - Large intestine

Kidney – Urinary bladder

Pericardium - Sanjiao

Each zang organ opens into a sense organ,

indicating a close structural or physiological

and pathological relationship between the

internal organs and the sense organs

Heart – Tongue

Liver – Eye

Spleen – Mouth

Lung – Nose

Kidney - Ear

ZANG FU THEORY

THE ZANG ORGANS

Heart

1. Controlling blood and vessels (blood circulation

and nourishment of the whole body)

2. Housing mind (governing mental activities, i.e.

spirit, consciousness, thinking, and sleep)

3. Opening into the tongue: the tongue is the

mirror of the heart (colour, form, motility, and

sense of taste of the tongue)

Liver

1. Storing blood (regulating the volume of

circulating blood)

2. Maintaining patency for the flow of qi

(promoting functional activities of the human

body including all other zang-fu organs, and

regulating emotional activities, especially

depression and anger)

3. Controlling the tendons (the yin and blood of the

liver nourish the tendons)

4. Opening into the eye

Spleen

1. Governing transportation and transformation

(digestion, absorption, and transmission of

essential substances, and normal functioning of

the spleen is required for good appetite)

2. Controlling blood (keeping blood circulating

inside the vessels and preventing it from

extravasation)

3. Dominating the muscles (maintaining muscle

thickness and strength)

4. Opening into the mouth

Lung

1. Dminating qi (air) and controlling respiration

(inhaling clean qi to supply the body’s functions

and exhaling waste qi)

2. Regulating water passages (promoting water

metabolism by turning one part of the body fluid

into sweat to be excreted, also sending other

part of the body fluid down to the kidney to be

excreted as urine)

3. Dominating the skin and hair (regulating the

opening and closing of the pores on the entire

body surface)

4. Opening into the nose

Kidney

1. Storing essence and dominating reproduction,

growth and development (essence in the kidney -

the yin of the kidney, either inherited from the

parents or acquired from the essential substances

of food)

2. Producing marrow, dominating the bones, and

manufacturing blood

3. Dominating water metablism (one part of the bod

fluid sent down by lung is divided by the yang

function of the kidney into clear and turbid parts)

4. Opening into the ear

QI, BLOOD AND BODY FLUID

Qi, blood, and body fluid are fundamental

substances in the human body to sustain

normal vital activities

Qi, blood, and body fluid, together with the

zang-fu organs and the meridians (channels

and collaterals), constitute the theoretical

basis of human physiology in traditional

Chinese medicine

Qi

Qi is involved in physiology, pathology, and

clinical treatment

Qi implies both substances and function:clean qi, waste qi, and qi from essence of food are

material qi

the qi of the zang organs, and the qi of meridians

are functional qi

Source qi (yuang-qi) – the qi of the kidney

Essential qi (zong-qi) – nourishing the heart and

lung

Defensive qi (wei-qi) – defending the body against

exogenous etiological factors

Blood

Blood is constituted of nutrient qi, body

fluid, and essence of the kidney, and its

formation requires the co-ordination of the

zang organs including spleen, kidney, heart,

and lung

Blood and qi are closely related. Clinically, xu

(deficiency) of qi often leads to xu (deficiency) of

blood, and xu (deficiency) of blood, in turn, often

results in xu (deficiency) of qi

THE ETIOLOGY OF


ETIOLOGY

Six Exogenous FactorsWind, Cold, Summer heat, Damp, Dryness, and

Heat (fire, mild heat)

Seven Emotional FactorsJoy, Anger, Melancholy, Meditation, Grief, Fear, and

Fright

THE DIAGNOSIS OF


MODERN MEDICINE

Physical Examination

Standard Laboratory Tests

Special Examinations

METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS

Inspection (wàng 望)

Smelling (wén 聞)

Inquiring (wèn 問)

Palpation (qiè 切)

Observation of the tongue

Tongue proper

1. Pale - xu in qi and blood, or cold syndrome due

to weaknee of yang qi

2. Red - heat syndrome of either shi (excess) or xu

due to consumption of yin

3. Deep red - xu due to exhausted yin

4. Purplish – stagnation of qi and blood

5. Flabby – larger than normal and whitish, xu in

bth qi and yang

6. Crached – xu of yin and loss of the essnce of

the kidney

Tongue coating (thin or thick, sticky or dry)

1. White – thick white coating indicates

retention of food (xu in spleen), white sticky

coating invasion of cold damp

2. Yellow – yellow sticky coating indicates

accumulation of damp-heat in the interior; dry

yellow coating indicates accumulation of heat

(damage to the yin)

3. Peeled (geographic tongue) – long illness

and gross xu (deficiency) in the yin

Observation of the tongue proper is to

differentiate xu (deficiency) or shi (excess)

state of the zang-fu organs, qi, blood, and

body fluid

Whereas observation of the tongue coating

is to judge the condition of pathogenic

factors

PALPATION - RADIAL ARTERY PULSE

Abnormal pulse

1. Superficial pulse

2. Deep pulse

3. Slow pulse

4. Rapid pulse

5. Pulse of the xu (deficiency) type

6. Pulse of the shi (excess) type

7. Wiry pulse

8. Rolling pulse

9. Thready pulse

10. Short pulse

11. Knotted pulse

12. Intermittent pulse

Long clinical experience is required to correctly

identify the different types of pulse

DIFFERENTIATION OF SYNDROMES

BY TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

MODERN MEDICINE

According to the causes

According to the systems or

organs involved

According to the degrees or the

properties of the diseases

DIFFERENTIATION OF SYNDROMES

1. According to the eight principles

2. According to the theory of zang-fu

3. According to the theory of meridians

(channels and collaterals)

Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiates syndromes

systematically in three ways

Each of these three lays stress on a particular aspect,

at the same time connecting with and supplementing

one another

EIGHT PRINCIPLES

Exterior vs Interior – the depth of the disease

Cold vs Heat – nature of the disease

Xu (deficiency) vs Shi (Excess) – the opposing force

in the struggle between the anti-pathogenic and the

pathogenic factors

Yin vs Yang – the categories of the disease

Exterior vs Interior – the depth of the

disease

Exterior syndromes are mild and superficial

Interior syndromes are mostly severe and

deep, with damage of the zang-fu organs

Cold vs Heat – nature of the disease

Diseases caused by pathogenic cold and

damp are mostly cold syndromes

Diseases caused by heat, summer heat

and dryness are mostly heat syndromes

Xu (deficiency) vs Shi (excess) – the

opposing force in the struggle between the

anti-pathogenic and the pathogenic factors

Syndromes of xu type indicate function of the body

is weak, the anti-pathogenic factor is insufficient

and the co-ordination of yin and yang is impaired

Treatment – reinforcing (bu)

Syndromes of shi type indicate body function is not

to the point of impairment and the anti-pathogenic

factor is still sufficient

Treatment – reducing (xie)

Yin vs Yang – the categories of the disease

Yin and Yang are the chief principles among eight

Yin category – interior syndromes, cold

syndromes and syndromes of the xu (deficiency)

type

Yang category – exterior syndromes, heat

syndromes and syndromes of the shi (excess)

type

THE THEORY OF ZANG FU

To identify visceral diseases:

1. Syndromes of the heart, liver, spleen, lung,

kidney, and pericardium

2. Syndromes of the small intestine, gall bladder,

stomach, large intestine, and urinary bladder

THE THEORY OF MERIDIANS

(CHANNELS AND COLLATERLS)

Differentiation of diseases on the basis of the

physiology of meridians gives direct

guidance to clinical therapy by acupuncture

and moxibustion

PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT BY


TCM

Treats Humans

MODERN MEDICINE

Treats Diseases

The human body is endowed with the ability to resist

the invasion of different pathogenic factors. This ability

is called anti-pathogenic qi (factor)

Traditional Chinese medicine attaches the great

importance to the anti-pathogenic factor

For example, well-balanced human bodies can resist

most everyday bacteria and viruses, which are

ubiquitous and quickly changing. Infection, while

having a proximal cause of a microorganism, would

have an underlying cause of an imbalance of some kind.

The traditional Chinese medicine would target the

imbalance, not the infectious microorganism

Equilibrium of yin and yang - Healthy

Preponderance of yin consumes yang

(Cold syndrome of the shi type)

Preponderance of yang consumes yin

(Heat syndrome of the shi type)

Weakness of yang causes preponderance

of yin (Cold syndrome of the xu type)Weakness of yin causes preponderance

of yang (Heat syndrome of the xu type)

traditional chinese medicine and modern medicine

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