What I learn

wisdom in traditional chinese medicine

26. Chinese characters in TCM

1. Ai (in ai zheng, cancer) suggests a serious internal disease, caused by one’s emotions, thus, this disease is considered closely related to one’s emotions.  (ai used to be pronounced yan – the character is written as 3 rocks on 3 mountains)

When one cannot express emotions effectively, blood and Qi do not flow smoothly, one cannot discharge one’s metabolites, so metabolites will accumulate in the body and form bulges, which become malignant, i.e. then cancer.

2. Headache is a serious disease in TCM – the character headache has the passage character in it, which reflects a passage between two stone walls; it refers to the passage where Qi and blood of a person flow; where Qi and blood do not flow smoothly, there’s ache.  But to treat headaches, TCM doctors need to know if the headache is caused by cold, or internal injury, or deficiency of blood or Qi.

3. All characters relevant to both TCM and emotions contain the character xin (heart).  In TCM, human emotions are manifestations of internal organs.

4. According to TCM, a human has five major internal organs – liver, heart, spleen, lung and kidney which are associated with five emotions, namely, joy, anger, anxiety, grief and fear:
heart is related to joy (xi)

liver to anger (nu)
spleen to anxiety(you)

lung to grief (bei)
kidney to fear (kong)

e.g. 

(i) excessive anxiety damages the spleen/stomach; many intellectuals suffer from gastric ulcer because when they eat, they think about their problems, so blood flows to the head and not the stomach, thus, leading to stomach problem, i.e. Qi stagnation caused anxiety.
(ii) Qi will disperse when one bursts into excessive joy, causing spirit dispersion, affecting the heart as spirit is stored in the heart.

5. With development in society, the five emotions evolve into seven emotions, namely joy, anger, pensiveness (si), anxiety, grief, fear, fright (jing).

6. Difference between fear and fright in TCM – fright is related to heart. Unlike fear, fright is a kind of dread in the heart. In the bone oracle script, the character fear contains the pictorial of someone hammering the ground (gong) over the heart character – fear is associated with such a sound. If one is timid, scared all the time, he is short of kidney Qi, i.e. always scared for no reason, thus fear and kidney are closely related.

7. Fright is related to the heart (emotion that is caused by an external stimulation).
Fright (jing) shows a character composed of a lower horse character, thus, jing means a frightened horse; in TCM, it refers to being unprepared when an unexpected thing happens, one’s nerves are taxed.  (If fright persists it can become fear and moves to the kidney as fear (kong) is related to kidney.)

8. In TCM, diseases caused by the cold and summer are easier to treat but caused by the heart which is related to emotions are not so easy.  A person can stay healthy if he can control his seven emotions.  In TCM, all diseases come from the heart including those caused by exogenous pathogenic factors.

9. There are many radicals (of Chinese characters) closely related to TCM.

10. In TCM there are five emotions, there are also five secretions, namely sweat, tears, saliva, nose mucus and spit.
i. Saliva is different from spit as saliva is secreted by parotid gland while spit is secreted by sublingual gland.
ii. Tears are related to liver – liver can protect eyesight.  
iii. If a person drools excessively, his spleen and stomach have problem; if a baby drools, his spleen and stomach not fully developed yet – do not kiss the forehead or he will drool more.  
iv. Nose mucus is associated with lung because nose is the entrance of the lung.  Spit is associated with kidney Qi.  If kidney is weak, an old man goes often to the toilet at night; he needs to drink often too.
v. Sweat is directly associated with the heart – sweat is vital Qi, according to the Yellow Emperor Internal Canon.  It is part of blood.  Sweat is associated with blood veins, heart is also associated with blood veins.  Sweat is secreted by the body and blood veins, are closely connected by the heart.  
We should not sweat too much.  In TCM, “Those who lose a lot of blood won’t sweat and those who sweat a lot lack blood”.  Blood becomes thick due to excessive sweat.  Thick blood that cannot be discharged accumulates in the heart so causing metabolic imbalance, and one suffers from heart disease.  If one doesn’t sweat, Qi and blood do not flow smoothly; if one sweats excessively, Yang Qi and blood fluid are hurt.

 

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wisdom in traditional chinese medicine

26. Three Treasures of Mankind

Three treasures of Heaven – sun, moon and earth

Three treasures of mankind – Jing (essence), Qi (life force) and Shen (mind)

25.1. Jing

1. Refers to ‘selecting rice of the best quality’; refers to the most important part in the human body, the essence.

2. Jing is called the ultimate source of life, and includes the brain, marrow, bones, blood, body fluid, sweat.  Body fluids are sweat and saliva.  All these are manifestations of Jing.  These are tangible substances in TCM, summed up as Jing.  

3. In TCM, ‘sweat is the fluid of the heart’.  Blood and sweat are of the same origin.  When you sweat too much the blood gets thicker.  The heart Qi weakens in its drive of blood, unable to give impetus to it, thus leading to blood blockage.  It is important not to sweat excessively.  

4. Aging starts from the legs.  If you do not exercise them, stomach and spleen will not function properly.

5. The liver stores blood.  If you can’t sleep well, it is related to one’s essence and blood.  When you lie down, blood goes to the liver, Yin and Yang are in harmony, thus you can sleep.  If there is deficiency of liver blood, failure to restore positive Qi, you are deprived of sleep because Yin and Yang are not in harmony.  In TCM chronic insomnia is due to insufficient liver Qi.  Yin is a part of body fluid, a part of the essence and blood.  During 1.00am to 3.00am liver Qi is most active.  People who work night shifts are unable to care for liver, have not enough blood in liver, and may face problem of fatty liver.

6. During summer and winter solstice, Yin and Yang energy alternates.  If sleep well in summer, the body will be comfortable for the second half of the year; if sleep well in winter, the body will be comfortable for the first half of the year.

7. Consequences of insufficient Jing:  Jing is the source of everything tangible; if insufficient, the complexion, blood, bones, muscles undergo drastic changes.  

8. Why osteoporosis?  Because of kidneys where Jing is stored.  Bone marrow comes from kidney Jing.  The kidneys manage bones, produce marrow.  Deficiency in kidney Jing results in shortage of marrow, leading to bone loss, growth of spurs.

9. Why dementia in the old or intellectual impairment in children?  The brain is a sea of marrow.  In TCM to treat dementia, treat the kidneys, reinforce the Jing.

10. Therefore, important to protect kidney Jing by

i. no excessive sexual intercourse

ii. maintaining functioning of spleen and stomach because spleen and stomach are sources of Qi and blood, foundation of production of Jing.

iii. not dieting because you lose nutrition from grains, etc

iv. caring for lungs because lungs are characterized by dryness; lungs dread being heated by fire.  For example, in autumn dry air can impair Jing causing dry mouth, parched tongue.  Thus, need to sweeten and moisten lungs, relieve cough by taking water chestnuts, pears.

11. Do not drink too much water.  Water is Yin, can impair positive Jing, cause edema.

25.2. Qi

1. The character Qi in Taoist text has the character ‘wu’ (nothing) which does not refer to non-entity but to its invisibility.  The four dots below refer to a mass of tangible substance, an invisible existence.

2. In TCM ‘People live for a single breath (qi)’.  Qi is the life force, Yuan Qi (innate Qi) in TCM.  ‘Genuine Qi is endowed by Heaven’ according to Huangdi Neijing.

3. Innate Qi is made up of three parts.  The meaning of Heaven is twofold – it refers to parents as well as breath of nature.  The third is grain Qi in the grain and water we consume.

4. To preserve innate Qi, there are three things to do – breathe fresh air; consume grains and water for spleen and stomach; preserve kidney Qi from parents.

5. Spleen and stomach are like sons and the heart is mother.  The heart pertains to fire by nature, the spleen and stomach to earth.

6. To protect Qi, do not breathe in haze; avoid food too cold or too hard.

7. Overthinking and overworking are not good, leads to deficiency in spleen Qi which leads to undernourishment of the internal organs, failure of the heart and death.

8. In TCM, has stomach Qi will live, without it you perish.  Thus, spleen and stomach are most important, can cause impairment of Qi.

9. Qigong is good because it involves movement of blood and Qi versus non-movement like thinking which can be exhausting.

10. TCM does not advocate surgical removal of any body organ because all organs make up the machinery in the body – some functions are evident some hidden; all organs have a role, even tonsils.

25.2. Shen

1. Shen is the force that governs life.  Shen’s original meaning is god.  The unpredictable Yin and Yang are called Shen in I Ching.  Shen in Chinese culture refers to god.  Shen in TCM refers to the heart.

2. The heart is the most important organ, one that decides.  Shen resides in the heart.  If Shen and heart are unsettled, the result is emotional problem.  It can affect Qi and Jing.

3. Emotional tranquility is key to Shen cultivation.  Peace of mind is prerequisite to Shen cultivation.  Genuine Qi is created in tranquility and nothingness.

4. Health maintenance in TCM emphasizes frequent exercise of the brain and body, not the heart.  When the heart is unsettled, it affects the five organs, and fire arrives.

5. The most important thing to do is to maintain balance, not to be too happy, not to be too sad.

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wisdom in traditional chinese medicine

24. Heart

* According to The Inner Canon of Huangdi on mind cultivation, the heart controls the vessels/veins and the mind.

* It is the dwelling place of mind, moods and emotions.

* The four states of mind to attain to: calm, pleasant, relaxed, wise.

* The Inner Canon of Huangdi : "When one is indifferent to fame or fortune and has void inner world, unblocked principal Qi, and sound mind, how can one fall ill?"

* Bai Juyi (Tang poet, 772-846)

"I'll go to bed when I have dim eyesight and feel like sleeping.
I'll sit in meditation when I'm too feeble on walk on feet.
My body is the doctor and my mind is medicine.
I don't bother to invite Qin He and Bian Que to visit me."

* Sharing a nugget of vitality, not to be swallowed whole.

What I learn

wisdom in traditional chinese medicine

 23. Stomach and spleen

1. Besides hair and skin, the stomach and digestive tract are exposed directly to external things.

2. To protect stomach and spleen,

- “Don’t overeat when hungry.
Don’t overdrink when thirsty.
Soup added to rice don’t play nice.
Meat creates heat.
Oil creates phlegm.
Green vegetables and tofu are the safest of them.”

3. In addition, have moderate and bland diet.  Eat depending on own individual conditions.

4. “Moderation in all three meals, eat the proper amount on time, chew carefully, swallow slowly and your stomach will be healthy.”

5. Grain, meat, fruit and vegetables should be in balance.

6. Bad for stomach:

- lemon 
– good as alkaline food but on empty stomach, sour and acidic for stomach
– bad for stomach – helicobacter pylori medicine; NSAIDS for cardiovascular ailment; anticoagulant medicine

- sweet potato 
– sweet but can stimulate acid in stomach
– do not eat on empty stomach, cause acid reflux

- garlic 
– representative of spicy food
– raw garlic is bad because stimulate stomach acid but not cooked garlic

- raw and cold food – e.g. raw blended fruit and vegetable juice

- fried food

7. Good for stomach:

- porridge 
– millet because millet is yellow, sweet and salty
– yellow is good because goes straight to spleen
– sweet is good for stomach
– salty has kidney-nourishing effect

- raw ginger 
– disperse chill and cold pathogens
– overcome vomiting
– eat in the morning, not in the evening

- Chinese yam 
– is both food and medicine
– nourish stomach and spleen
– balance and nourish San Jiao acupoints
– boost bodily fluids
– nourish lungs and kidneys
– dry up excess bodily fluids

- fish 
– seafood that swim fast has less of a cold nature, unlike crab

- dates 
– goes directly to the stomach and spleen meridians
– nourish Qi and blood
– alleviate medicinal effects
– eat dried dates, not raw because raw is of cold nature

8. Mood is intimately related to stomach because in TCM liver governs distribution and dispersion, i.e. distribution throughout the body and dispersion outside of body, i.e. of Qi.  Qi flows upstream and downstream, and to the left and right of body, and is governed by liver.  Thus, liver governs mood and will.

9. Stomach and spleen, and gall bladder are in the middle Jiao, thus, all are brothers; when one is not well, the other is not well too.

10. Brain and intestines are related.  If there is mental problem, stomach and intestines are affected, and vice versa.  

11. “Follow your gut” can also mean follow your intestines, follow your heart.  Chinese idiom: “a bellyful of bad water” refers to bad intentions.

12. Stomach and intestines have corresponding reaction on brain.  There are three aspects that have effects on brain via intestines:

i. micro-ecosystem of the intestines

- have 1.5-2kg of different types of bacteria which have effects on digestive system, also cause reactions in our central nervous system so micro-ecosystem of stomach and intestines have reverse adjustment effect on brain

ii. hormones or gastrointestinal peptides have reverse adjustment on brain

iii. directly effect nerves, thus the brain

13. “If the stomach isn’t in harmony (wei bu he), your sleep will be restless.”

14. Atrophic gastric – symptoms are acid reflux, belching, bloating.  To prevent:

iv. have routine in life

v. have bland fresh diet, easily disgestible

vi. maintain good mood

vii. have regular examination, endoscopy

* Sharing a nugget of vitality, not to be swallowed whole

What I learn

 

wisdom in traditional chinese medicine

22. Lungs

i. The condition of the lungs is reflected in the hair and skin, e.g. aging spots, yellow spots.

ii. The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine: all organs can cause coughing and coughing need not be related to the lungs.

iii. The lungs and large intestine are related so bowel movements can also be affected if there is lung problem, e.g. leading to a few movements a day.

iv. Know how to cough so one does not hurt the trachea.

v. Pensiveness (one of the seven emotions related to the five organs) affects the lungs, can lead to coughing.

vi. Good for lungs:

- musical tones can relate to organs, e.g. certain organ likes certain tone, thus can use tone to heal organ, listen to music

- exercise, and breathing exercise

* Sharing a nugget of vitality, not to be swallowed whole.