Basic Concepts In Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine was established over two millennia ago. There is much of this ancient medical knowledge that has been preserved in the pre-Chin (221 - 207 B.C.), Inner Cannon (Nei Ching), and Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) eras. The Ming dynasty combiled one of the best-known Chinese medical works called the "Materia Medica" (Pen Tspao Kang Mu). This work brought about a new era in the world of pharmacology because it contained 1,892 different kinds of medicines. It was translated into several languages and had a dramatic influence on both East Asian and European countries.

The major philosophy behind Chinese medicine is that the human man lives between heaven and earth and is of himself a unique universe. A unique universe different from all others and must be treated as a whole concerning matters of health. The chinese believe that there are five centers of the body:

1. The heart, which is the command center of the body.

2. The lungs which are the respiratory system, which also regulates various intrinsic, functions and maintains the cybernetic balance of the body.

3. The liver, which in Chinese terms includes the limbs and trunk of the body and contains the emotional response to external factors and the actions of the organs.

4. The spleen, which regulates the distribution of nutrition for the body, as well as metabolism, strength and vigor of the physical body.

5. The kidneys are responsible for regulating the storage of nutrition, how energy is used.

The life force depends largely on the health of these five centers of the body.

Good health is also connected to external and internal factors that are affected by changes in the weather and changes in the emotional status of the individual. The external factors that influence the body the most are: wind (feng), cold (han), heat (shu), mosture (shih), dryness (tsao), and internal heat (huo). The internal factors that can affect the health of the body are: happiness (hsi), anger (nu), worry (yu), pensiveness (szu), grief (pei), fear (kpung), and shock (ching). If these internal factors are experienced to an extreme they can cause harm to the body according to Chinese medicine. There is an interaction between the external factors and the internal factors that then form a foundation for the health status of the individual. When these factors cause an imbalance, the Chinese doctor will prescribe a treatment to restore the balance, which may include acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

The past history of Chinese medicine has a profound influence on the modern day practice of medicine. The western world also utilizes Chinese medicine in the practice of acupuncture, and the use of herbs in cooking. Many pharmaceutical companies are manufacturing combinations of Chinese herbs for commercial distribution.