Chinese Medicine basics
Chinese Medicine is hard to understand for a few reasons. It’s like learning a new language and it has it’s roots in a time where people were much more zoomed out, big picture thinkers, in comparison to todays ‘micro’ thinking, when it comes to health. Chinese Medicine is a process of identifying the patterns of symptoms that occur in a person, and matching a remedy (herbs or Acupuncture) to that.
When you chat to your Practitioner, they’ll might ask you about things that don’t seem to relate to your health issue to get a sense of your symptom patterns.
What your practitioner is really asking is: Are you well resourced?
That’s where we need to get specific; Which resources need to be worked on, and in which system of the body is that occuring?
The Resources:
Qi - Pronounced Chee, is often translated as ‘Vital Energy’. I see it as the potential of an Organ-Meridian system to perform its function. The Circulation of Qi is accessed at Acupuncture points, on the meridians, to tap into the body’s self-regulating system. Qi is warming and Yang in nature.
BLOOD-XUE - Blood is seen as Nourishing & Grounding, calming the whole body and mind. It is essential to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and fertility. Qi is the driving force to help the Blood flow. Blood is Yin to Qi’s Yang.
Body Fluids are Yin in nature, lubricating the joints, and hydrating the tissues and organs.
Yin and Yang - are opposites. Yin is seen as the moistening, cooling, restful and structural aspect of the body. Yang is seen as the active, drying and warming functions within the body. You need yin and yang to be in-balance for the tissues of the body to be warm and hydrated.
The Organ-Meridian Systems include the internal organ, and a ‘meridian’ line that features Acupuncture points. Each organ-meridian system has basic expected functions:
Lung - Respiration (breathing), Qi production and immunity
Large Intestine - Elimination and immunity
Stomach - Digestion
Spleen - Digestion, Qi & Blood production and immunity
Heart - Sleep, consciousness, mind, emotions, circulation
Small Intestine - Digestion, separating ‘clear’ nutrients from the ‘turbid’, integration of emotional experiences
Bladder - urination, nervous system
Kidneys - urination, reproductive energy, the ovaries and testes
San Jiao - fluid metabolism, temperature regulation, distribution of yang, production of Qi
Gall Baldder - Bile, decicion making, movement
Liver - stress, detox, blood and Qi movement, regularity of the menstrual cycle
Symptoms, Signs and Treatment Principles:
Patterns in your symptoms may flag the involvement of a certain Resource (eg insufficient Blood) and Meridian-Organ System (eg Liver and Digestion)
Signs such as the tongue, pulse and Abdomen should support what the symptoms show us
Once we understand the Resource that is out of balance, and the Organ-Meridian involvement, we can formulate Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment Principles, to match.
Your symptoms should change over time, and treatment will change as your body does. Often, we will need you support with some lifestyle changes at your end to help support the treatment.