System  Concept  in  Traditional  Chinese  Medicine

--A  View  form the point of  Macro

[Article Abstract]: System concept is the core (essence) of TCM. Base on system concept, we will much easier to learn TCM text book and successful clinical cases of 5000 years experience. It is the key to improve treatment effecting rate. When we study Two-dimensional world, we use coordinates with axes of X and Y. The relationship between these 2 coordinates is: X is perpendicular with Y. The same human system can be analyzed in some axes coordinates system. But human system is much more complicated, thus our ancestors found 2D, 3D, even 4D axes system are not enough to handle human system, they invented a special axes systems: axes of 5 elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) [18], and axes of Yin-yang. The relationships between these axes are quite complicated; it required a lot of study and practice to reach a good treatment result. As an individual treatment approach, this complementary medicine of convention medicine play more and more important role in our modern life. TCM treatment should be involved not only in our early treatment stage but also in our daily life. This can reducing national medical cost and improve resident health condition significantly.

Chapter  1,  system  concept  is  the  essence  of  TCM

Chapter  2:  How  to  use  concept  of  system  analyses  in  TCM? 

2.1  What  is  a  concept  of  system?

2.2 Human body is a huge dynamic open system, is an Complex adaptive systems

2.3.  What  kinds  of  inputs  and  outputs  we  use  when  our  ancestors  analyze  our  body? 

2.3.1 The inputs of human body

2.3.2  Outputs: 

2.3.3  TCM  treatments

2.3.4 TCM treatments are very easy to combine with inputs

2.3.5 Huge TCM treatments data are accumulated and documented in oriental languish like Chinese

Chapter  3    Two  samples  of  modules  of  Zang  Fu. 

3.1 Module of heart

3.1.1 Heart Yin deficiency
3.1.2 Heart Yang deficiency
3.1.3 Heart Qi deficiency
3.1.4 Heart Blood deficiency
3.1.5 Heart Blood stagnation

3.2 Module of Liver

3.2.1. Liver with hypertension
3.2.2. Liver with digest system related diseases
3.2.3 Liver with emotion related diseases 
3.2.4 Liver with pain related disease
3.2.4 Liver with reproduction system related disease

Chapter  4: Combination of  TCM  approach  and  Allopath  approach

4.1 What are Allopath contribution and shortness?
4.2 The advantage of TCM on healing:
4.3 The combination treatment 

Chapter 5: Combination of Individual treatment and group treatment 

[Key  words]:  Traditional  Chinese  Medicine  /  System  Concept  /  TCM  /  The  Yellow  emperor’s  Canon

TCM  is  short  of  Traditional  Chinese  Medicine.  In  a  broad  meaning,  Traditional  Chinese  Medicine  is  an  ancestry  science  which  studies  human  physiology    and  pathology  to  prevent,  heal  diseases  and  improve  health  condition.  It  has  5  categories:  Acupuncture  and  Moxa  (Moxibustion),  Herbology,  Qigong  (meditation),  Diet  therapy  and  massage.  In  a  narrow  meaning,  TCM  means  herbal  remedy or botanical medicine or Herbology,  a  branch  of  Traditional  Chinese  Medicine.  Acupuncture  is  the  most  common  known  portion  by  western.  It  is  so  common,  sometime  people  thinks  that  acupuncture  is  the  broad  meaning  of  TCM;  actually  it  is  only  one  branch  of  TCM.    What  we  discuses  in  this  article  is  the  broad  meaning  of  TCM.  TCM  is  a  very  special  approach  to  our  health,  it  is  not  only  base  on  anatomy,  it  is  mainly  base  on  a  system  analyzes. 

As  a  complementary  medicine  of  convention  medicine,  more  and  more  people  all  over  the  world  benefit  from  this  ancestry  science.  North  America  has  the  most  advance  medical  technology,  but  a  lot  of  people  there  seek  this  complementary  treatments.   

In  these  five  categories,  Herbal  medicine  is  a  most  major  portion.  There  are  much  more  people  use  herbal  medicine  than  any  other  TCM  treatments  in  China  and  South  Asia  where  the  TCM  Originally  started.  After  new  technology  applying  to  the  preparation  of  herbal  medicine,  more  and  more  people  have  the  chance  to  try  and  use  herbal  medicine.  We  get  a  lot  of  benefits  from  these  nature  products  almost  without  any  side  affections.

Chapter  1,  system  concept  is  the  essence  of  TCM

When  I  practiced  TCM  in  hospitals  in  China,  I  saw  very  strange  phenomenon:

In  the  same  hospital,  the  same  floor,  some  TCM  doctors  have  a  long  line  up  of  patients,  no  mater  how  long  these  patients  need  to  wait,  they  were  willing  to  wait.  Some  good  doctors  diagnose  more  than  100  patients  a  day,  average  the  doctor  only  has  less  than  4.8  minutes  for  each  patient.  Even  though  their  assistants  help  around,  like  writing  the  record,  writing  the  formulas.  Patients  still  have  good  response  to  the  treatment,  their  either  come  back  to  see  these  good  doctor  when  they  are  sick  the  next  time,  or  refer  to  their  family  and  friends!  We  have  to  admire  the  doctor  amazing  skill.

On  the  other  hand,  some  doctor,  he  might  just  sit  in  the  next  room,  having  their  quiet  time,  no  patients  at  all.

Adversely,  patients  are  not  stupid,  most  of  them  need  to  pay  by  themselves,  and  they  know  whose  effecting  rate  is  higher,  whom  they  should  trust.

My  question  is  how  come  so  much  different  about  effecting  rate  between  doctors?  How  come  good  doctors  can  heal  so  many  kinds  of  disease  and  heal  so  many  people?  I  had  asked  these  good  doctors,  why  they  can  have  so  good  effecting  rate?  They  answered  me:  To  be  a  TCM  doctor  is  easy,  study  a  few  years,  pass  the  exam.  But  to  be  good  one  is  not  easy.  Good  doctor  have  to  master  really  the  essence  of  TCM.

Now  I  have  to  ask  myself  do  I  really  master  the  essence  of  TCM.  How  can  I  really  master  it?

I  asked  my  tutor  about  this  question.  My  tutor  is  very  famous  in  China  and  he  had  healed  so  many  patients,  his  max  record  is  diagnosing  112  patients  a  day.  He  told  me  the  tips:  to  repeat  to  read  text  books  a  few  times;  In  particular  need  to  read  some  classic  text  books  and  the  history  of  TCM,  to  recite  some  important  chapters  or  paragraphs.

He  told  me,  no  matter  how  complicated  the  diseases  are,  in  overall  patients  can  be  classified  into  Cold  or  heat,  interior  and  exterior,  access  or  deficient,  classified  into  Yin  and  Yang  2  groups.  That  is  8  principles  diagnose.  Then  for  more  detail  to  locate  the  problem  we  use  other  differentiations  like  Zang  fu  differentiation,  meridian  differentiation,  Qi  blood  Jin  Ye  differentiation,  6  stages  and  4  levels  differentiations. 

Inspired  by  his  guide,  I  started  to  go  over  recent  text  book  and  especially  some  classic  text  book,  like  <<The  Yellow  emperor’s  Canon>>(黄帝内经),  <<Treatise  on  Cold  Damage>>（伤寒论）,  <<Golden  Changer>>  (金匮要略)),  <<Infectious  diseases  of  heat  or  warm>>  (温病学).

Spending  years  and  years  reading,  one  day,  my  grandfather  voice  came  to  me:  My  little  girl,  like  your  grand-grandfather,  to  take  care  our  body  is  like  to  take  care  a  country,  using  medicine  is  like  using  an  army.  I  feel  a  hit  in  my  brain:  The  essence  of  classic  text  book  is:  use  the  system  analyzing  way  to  analyze  human  body!  <<The  Yellow  emperor’s  Canon>>(黄帝内经)  says:  Top  expert  treat  a  country,  middle  one  treat  a  person,  the  lowest  one  treat  a  disease  （上工治国，中工治人，下工治病）. 

Chapter  2:  How  to  use  concept  of  system  analyses  in  TCM?

2.1 What is system theory?

System theory [1] is the interdisciplinary study of systems in science and society. It offers frameworks (modules) to describe and analyze groups of objects, that work together to produce result [1]. A system is like a black box. System theory is like black box theory.

In science and engineering, a black box is a device, system or object which can be viewed solely in terms of its input, output and transfer characteristics without any knowledge of its internal workings, that is, its implementation is "opaque" (black). Almost anything might be referred to as a black box: a transistor, an algorithm, or the human mind [2]. Human body is a system also. The ideal treatment would be without opening our body and reach our target directly. That means minimizing the damage (side effects) and improving health condition.

As a sample, we can apply System theory to an electronic system: When we want to know and control a complicated system or a system that is not allowed be opened (black box), we send them a series of input signals, and then collect the outputs from the system. After we analyze the relations between inputs and outputs, we get transfer characteristics. We make an equivalency system with some components; we call these equivalency components as “module”, and called the equivalency system as simulated system. We study and test simulated system, and analyze feedback, compare it with original system, refine the simulated system. We repeat the steps again and again until these 2 systems are very close, so that we can control the original system, and make the original system reaching the condition that we want.

In TCM, the simulated system is the all theory that we need to learn from textbook, these modules are Zang-fu organs, and the original system is our patients.

2.2 Human body is a huge dynamic open system, is an Complex adaptive systems

Let us to check the TCM history. In about 5000 years ago, with a very little anatomy knowledge, facing such complicated human body almost like a black box, without microscope or any modern instruments that we have nowadays, our ancestors can only use a method of system analysis to study human body. By collecting a lot of cases, they used abstract thinking method, refined modules of five Zang organs, six Fu organs and six extra organs, and used these modules in the practice of healing diseases. According to the therapeutic results, they refined the modules again and again. Thousands of years’ experience verified the science of these modules. If we want to follow these treasure medical records, we need to really understand what these modules refer to.

These modules are quite different from anatomical organs. If we try to use the view of anatomical organs to understand the human body physiology in TCM, and to make TCM treatment, we might find out the treatments with less effective rate. Before we interpret clearly between TCM modules and anatomical organs, we need to respect these modules. Those who can master the traditional TCM with traditional modules other than anatomical organs will be a good TCM practitioner. 

Human body is a huge open dynamic system. Anytime the body receives a lot of inputs which include signals, energy, and material, and never stop sending out outputs which also include signals, energy, and material.

2.3  What kinds of inputs and outputs we use when our ancestors analyze our body?

2.3.1 The inputs of human body

Anytime human body receives the following inputs:

1)  Food and drink:  These inputs have 5 categories. <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经)says that earth provides for people with five flavors [3]（地食人以五味）. The middle burner digests and then stores them into 5 Zang organs.

2)  Weather conditions: Wind, cold, heat, dampness, dry, and fire.

3)  Environmental changes: yearly, monthly, daily and hourly changes, even the changes during 60 years.

4)  Emotions: anger, joy, worry, anxiety, sadness, fear and fright.

5) Qi: << The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>says the heaven provide people by 5 kinds of Qi（天食人以五气）[4], and the 5 kinds of Qi go through lung and then store in 5 organs.

6)  Others like external force, accidents.

If these inputs cause or trigger an unbalance of human body, they will lead to a disease, and then we call them causes of disease.

2.3.2 The outputs of human body

Outputs include all information that we collect by using Four Diagnostic Methods. For example:

1)  The Vitality, the Color, the Appearance, Secretions of the Five Sense Organs, the Tongue

2)  Sound and Smelling

3)  Feeling of Chills and Fever, Perspiration, Appetite, Thirst and Taste, Defecation and Urination, Pain, Sleep, Menses and Leukorrhea.

4)  Feeling the Pulse, Palpation of Different Parts of the Body.

Only temperature and pulse will be discussed in details here:

a)     Palpation for the temperature in different parts: beside for asking the patient’s feeling cold and hot, feeling the temperature of patient’s different parts by touching is a good way to know the nature of a disease being cold or hot. 

b)     Pulse is the good output for us to know the condition of our body.  Heart beat is created by heart. When the heart beat goes along through our body and arrive to our wrist and other 8 positions, it will present different information of our body. By feeling the condition of pulse, we can guess the condition of our body. Twenty-eight kinds of pulse images tell us what is inside the body. For example slippery pulse hints dampness, rapid pulse hints heat and so on. You can see that good TCM practitioners pay more attention to feel the pulse and they are good at pulse reading.

2.3.3 TCM treatment

TCM Treatment is one kind of inputs. It is a special feedback of this huge opening dynamic system (i.e. the human body). It is based on the each individual—each person (a system), and based on data that we collect from four diagnostic methods. Its target is to keep the body in a balance of healthy condition, and for the optimization of this system.

That is why we need to pay enough attention to other inputs when we make treatment. That is why <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经) emphases the theory of union of human and universal [18].

1)  Human body is an integrated system and a huge open dynamic system. We view our human body as an organic whole, and we study how this organic Whole works and fights with the external environment and with the diseases.

2)  Human body is closely related to various parts of the body, the external environment, and society.

In one word, the treatment for the patients should be based on the correspondence between man and the universe, and should be determined with an overall consideration of the seasonal, geographical and personal conditions.

2.3.4 TCM treatments are very easy to combine with inputs

When we study Two-dimensional world, we use coordinates with axes of X and Y, any drawing can be broken-down as a function of x and y, like: F(x, y). When we study electronic system, we use coordinates with axes of V (controlled value) and T (time), any object can be described by a function of F(v, t). The same, when our ancestors study human system, they use coordinates with special axes: axes of 5 elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) [19], and axes of Yin-yang. Some input signal, like food and drink, weather condition, environmental condition, geography condition can be broken-down in 5 element axes. In geography, these axes correspond to east, south, central, west and north; in pathogenic factors, they correspond to wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness; in food, drink and herbs, they correspond to  5 flavors; In acupuncture points, they correspond to 5-element points (Wu-shu points); in season, they correspond to spring, summer, late summer, fall and winter. The advantage of using these axes is: input, human system,  output, and treatment are in the same coordinates system , thus the treatments are easier to be combined with input, our target (health condition) are easier to be reached.  The result of treatments would be smoother and less violent than other medicine

Natural products especial like herbs exit or grow in the same environment as human being,  after broken-down to the same coordinates, they equivalent to certain kind of inputs, some have certain “wood”, some have certain “fire” and so on.  Thus these treatments which have been carefully selected have fewer side effects and better effective results. Classic formulas are these treatments which has been selected by thousands years historical practice.

Besides the normal study, if we study convention medicine like herbs, find out their four natures five flavors, tropism and four curative effects, these medicines might work better. 

2.3.5 Huge TCM treatments data are accumulated and documented in oriental languish like Chinese

When we study a system, we need to collect lot information between input and output, and then analyze the relation between them. The same, when we study human system, we need to collect lots of successful cases. Huge TCM treatments data are accumulated and documented by our ancestor. We can use these value data. For really understanding these modules of TCM, studying and verifying these data are a very important step.

Chapter 3  Two samples of modules of Zang-Fu organs.

Heart and liver are 2 modules that are quite different from anatomical organs. A lot of people feel very hard to understand their functions. Here we will only discuss them as samples of modules which have been abstracted by our ancestor. More modules will be discusses soon in a coming articles. Liver is the abbreviation of module of liver and gallbladder in the rest part of this article.

3.1 Module of heart

In chapter 8, << The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> says: Our body is like a kingdom; the heart is the sovereign of all organs and represents the consciousness of one’s being. It is responsible for intelligence, wisdom, and spiritual transformation [5]（心者，君主之官，神明出焉）.If module heart works properly, all the functions of the other organs will be normal. If the spirit is disturbed and unclear, the other organs will not function properly [6]（故主明则下安，主不明则十二官危）.

In Chapter 10, << The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> says: The vessels correspond with the heart which manifests its essence in the facial complexion [7] （心之合脉也）. But here vessels mean module blood which is the liquid from middle burner, which is not only the anatomical blood that runs in the circulation system.

Thus, module heart is equivalent to partly anatomical nervous system, the whole anatomical blood circulation system,  parts of body fluids (like sweat), and partly brain. That is why we say that sweat is the manifestation of heart [8]（汗为心液）. 

We have a lot of successful case about heart disease treatment in TCM. Here is one sample: We call cerebral artery accident as wind stroke. “Wind Stroke” in TCM means “wind attacks the heart”. An emergency rescue for the tense pattern of wind stroke is: As soon as possible (within 3 hours after the accident), puncturing on Jing –(Well) points on both hands(LU11, HT9, PC9, LI1, TE1, SI1), needling Renzhong (GV-26, Shui Gou), and needling Taichong(LR 3) and Fenglong (ST 40). The treatment is for expelling wind fire and resolve phlegm [9]. The above treatment is very similar as injecting thrombolytic drug TPA in convention medicine. Compared with an ambulance team with 4~5 persons for emergency, TCM treatment is much faster, and costs less. We often hear complains from the family about lack of injection of TPA or missing the valuable rescue time which leads to the worse condition of stroke patients.  If more people know about TCM rescue way, we might have less people who have to stay in their wheel chairs for the rest of their life.

A brain disease in convention medicine is classified as “Heart” disease in TCM. That tells us if we can understand well about heart module, we will get a good therapeutic effect for the heart disease. There are a lot successful cases in our 5000-year ancient history that we can follow.

We can find more diseases related with heart module, for example:

3.1.1)  Heart Yin deficiency, if the anatomical nervous system overacts (deficiency of heart yin in TCM), we will see: Anxiety, Hyperthyroidism, Insomnia, Menopause, Palpitations.

3.1.2) Heart Yang deficiency: Angina Pectoris, Ascites, Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), Depression, Dyspnea, Edema, Hypoglycemia, Hypothyroidism, Myocardial Infarct (MI), Palpitations, Shock, Syncope, and Tiredness

3.1.3)  Heart Qi deficiency: Anxiety, Endocarditis, Hyperlipidemia, Hypoglycemia, Hypotension, Morning Sickness And Pregnancy Nausea, Myocardial Infarct – MI, Palpitations, Syncope, Tiredness, Varicose Veins.

3.1.4)  Heart Blood deficiency: Anemia, Angina Pectoris, Anxiety, Depression, Endocarditis, Hypotension, Insomnia, Iron Deficiency, Memory Disorder, Palpitations, Shock, Tiredness.

3.1.5)  Heart Blood stagnation: Angina Pectoris, Atherosclerosis, Chest Pain Or Discomfort, Hyperlipidemia, Myocardial Infarct (MI), Palpitations, Syncope, Toothache.

3.2 Module of Liver

Module of liver includes: Anatomical liver, Anatomical gallbladder, tendons, valves and walls of the vein, arterial and capillary vessels, two side of tongue, elastic portion in our body. The blood network is similar to a tree with a lot of branches, similar to a sponge for storing and regulating our blood. Not only the anatomical liver stores blood, but also a clam network of veins, and arterial and capillary vessels store blood.  And the anatomical liver and the network store more blood than it does when they are tight (overact). This huge sponge network is all over our body and it is intolerant of be depressed and prefer to be relaxed.

In chapter 8, <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经) says that liver is like a general in a country [10] （肝者，将军之官，谋略出焉）, and like a tree, the normal character of the liver is to “flourish” and to dislikes depression [12] （肝喜舒而厌郁）.

3.2.1  Liver and hypertension

We can easily find Hypertension usually with a pattern of liver yang blazing or livery yang rising.  Normally wiry pulse is shown in this pattern.  The wiry pulse means the walls of blood vessels are extremely tense or constricted. Use your imagination for this blood network: when all walls of vein, arterial and capillary vessels are tightened, and the anatomical liver is tightened, the pressure inside the pipe will be naturally higher, which explains why hypertension is classified into liver/gallbladder disease in TCM instead of the heart disease.

The therapeutic principle is to moisture and calm down the walls, in the words of TCM, tonify Kidney (water) and clam the liver. Prescription: (1) Acupuncture [11]: Taichong (LV3), Xiaxi (GB-43), Fengchi(GB 20), Taixi(KI 4), Shenshu (BL 23), Jingmen (GB25), Sanyinjiao(SP 6); (2) Herbs: Chaihu (柴胡, Radix Bupleuri), Zhishi (枳实, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus), and Baishao (白芍, Radix Paeoniae Alba), Chenpi (陈皮, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae); (3) Qigong or meditation, Yuga. These treatment need to be modified accordingly with each individual person.

3.2.2  Liver and digestive diseases and disorders [13]

Digestive diseases and disorders with the pattern of liver Qi invading spleen and stomach are shown as gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcer, ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcers, acid reflux (GERD). The therapeutic principle is to soothing Liver Qi.

3.2.3 Liver and emotional disorders [14]

Emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression are usually with liver Qi stagnation pattern. The therapeutic principle is to regulating Liver Qi.

3.2.4 Liver and pain related disease

Besides the pain induced by wind, cold and dampness accumulating in our body, We can also find pain problem related with liver: 1) Pain in top, middle and lower burner: pain in chest, in stomach, intestine, and uterine. 2) Pain in the joints and tendons. 3) Headache. If we use acupuncture only on Ashi points, the pain might rise very soon after the treatment. But if we add some acupoints on Liver and Gallbladder meridian, like Taichong(LIV-3), Yanglingquan(GB-34), Qiuxu(GB-40), the therapeutic effect would be much better. A combination of Taichong (LIV-3) and Hegu (LI-04) is called the gates of Qi, which is well-known for relieving pain. Ashi point is a choice of the beginner of practitioner, used for “pain transfer”.

3.4 Liver and reproductive system disease

Reproductive system disease with live Qi stagnation pattern or liver blood deficiency pattern are shown as amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis [15], ovarian cysts, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, and infertility  [16]. The therapeutic principle is to regulating Liver Qi and nourishing liver blood.

These samples listed above are only partial diseases related with liver and heart. In practice, you can find more. To understand and master the Zang-fu organs well is a key to improve the therapeutic rate. It is always said in China that senior TCM practitioners are easy to get famous. Only after collecting and studying enough successful cases, TCM practitioners can really understand the Zang-fu organs, master the core of TCM and get a higher effective rate.

Chapter 4  Combination of TCM approach and Allopath approach

4.1 What are Allopath contributions and shortness?

Allopath played an important role in the recent century. It used microscope and other advanced medical instrument to study our body at micro level and even at DNA level, developed various vaccines. Allopath nowadays is the mainstream medicine. It will still play an important role in the future. But to recognize the world, we not only should use micro way, but also use a macro ways. We can not deny allopath is good at studying human body and heal diseases in a micro level.

Healing diseases is like handling a country. There are lots of problems in a country, for example, economic problems, population problems, natural disasters. If we always try to find some bad citizens and put them to jail, we might have hard time to govern the country. If we couldn’t find them, does that mean there is no problem? Obviously not, coordination between departments, the relationship with other countries and a lot of other element might still be the issue. There is a saying: we don’t know the mountain Lu, just because we are in the mountain Lu（不明庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中）. We can’t see the picture just because we are too close to the picture. When we jump out of the mountain Lu, we might know it better. When we want to see a picture better, we should zoom in and zoom out. When we want to heal the disease, we should try macro-level treatment if we fail in the micro level.

Not all diseases have disorders at the cellular level, viral / bacterial level, chemical level, or DNA level. For those diseases have the disorders above, if we cannot find a solution at a micro level, we should work on macro level. That means some diseases can not be healed by convention medicine, and we can try alternative medicine, like acupuncture, herbs.

It might be too late if we always wait for a proof of micro level, because diseases might already do damage in our body. <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经) says, the highly developed physician, however, is able to detect illness in its infancy; he or she detects the tracks of illness. In this case, the nine pulses of the three areas have not yet displayed changes. But still, the superior doctor begins the treatment. He or she knows how to carefully “watch the door and the window in order to catch the thief.” The mediocre doctor, however, waits until the illness has taken hold to apply treatment [17].（上工救其萌牙，必先见三部九候之气，尽调不败而救之，故曰上工。下工救其已成，救其已败，救其已成）. We can see a lot of cases that patient already feel something wrong in their body before confirmed by the lab.

TCM focuses more on the overall activity of our body instead of the anatomical details.

4.2 The advantage of TCM for healing

On the other hand, like other alterative treatment, TCM is good at healing disease in a macro way. That is why the bible of TCM, <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经), emphases the union of human being and universe [18], and the selection of the best treatment based on each individual patients. It is to treat the person, not the disease. That means, different people suffer from the same disease, and some of them can be healed, but some cannot, which depends on the patient’s state and the doctor’s skills. There are many kinds of TCM treatment methods. An experienced TCM practitioner can find the best therapeutic method, but others might not. There is a saying: to be a TCM practitioner is easy, but to be a good one is hard（中医易学难精）.

Based on the macro approach and after thousands of years’ practice, TCM leaves us some formulas with little or even no side effect. These formulas not only refer to herbal formulas, but also acupuncture formulas.

4.3 Combination of TCM approach and Allopath approach

We are hard to compare orange and apple, because they belong to different category; we are hard to compare TCM approach and Allopath approach. It is not fair to criticize allopath approach by using the criteria of TCM approach; it is no good either to criticize TCM approach by using the criteria of Allopath approach. The best way to use both of them, the combination of both will bring benefit to our public. Between TCM approach and Allopath approach, which one will do better for us? This question has been bothered Chinese and other south Asian for decades. They choose to use both of them.

Chapter 5 Combination of Individual treatment and group treatment

TCM treatment is emphasized on individual treatment. We can not expect it works like group treatments. We can not expect a treatment can heal all of the patients who suffer from the same disease. If we evaluate the therapeutic effect of TCM by using group treatment criteria, we might feel confused or very frustrated.

The target of TCM is to optimize the best treatment for each individual by using a system analyzing approaches. TCM practitioner will not try to look for a cure to heal all of the people who suffer the same disease. That means, one treatment might heal some individuals, but might not heal the others. In other words, for any disease, it can be healed in some individuals, but not in the others. The effective rate depends not only on the skill of the practitioner, but also on the condition of the patient, and depends on cooperation between the patient and the practitioner.  

Generally speaking, for any functional disease, we always can find some effective TCM solutions. This is based on “Different Methods of Treatment for Same Diseases, and Same Method of Treatment for Different Diseases“, because the same disease may manifest with different patterns and the same pattern may give rise to many different diseases [20]. The key is to make the right differentiation. This solution include: completely healing the disease, improving the patient’s health condition, extending the life, or improving the quality of the life. TCM is used for treating a person, not the disease. TCM treatment is to optimize his or her health condition; it is not just focus on the disease. TCM treatment care about their life more. If a cancer patient can survive for 10 years without any treatment, while now only survive for 2 years after the treatment, shall the patient take the treatment?

TCM treatment is emphasized on individual treatment which focuses on each individual patient. It is hard to reach a good result if we treat the patient like a product in a production line. A tailored customized cloth always fits better than the one comes from the factory. One size is hard to fit all if we want it fit better.

That is the reason why it is hard to standardize TCM treatment. TCM treatment is mainly for an individual treatment, not a group treatment.

For some diseases not documented in history, or a new disease that we don’t know the disease at all, even their name, we still can find some TCM therapeutic methods. Collecting enough output information from the patient by using 4 diagnostic methods and making a correct differentiation is the key to obtain a good solution.

If you were a TCM practitioner, you are only good at relieving allergy and pain, or you only have less patients returning to you, or you are not recommended by your patients, I suggest you ask yourself, do I really master the core of TCM? If you were a patient, you need to understand that TCM can help you, but you cannot expect a miracle. The treatment results include healing your disease or improving your health. The therapeutic effect depends not only on the doctor’s skill, but also on the condition of the patient. The effective rate depends on both of the parties. And the response of TCM treatment sometimes is not as fast as other treatment, because a treatment with less side effects take long time to act on human body— a huge open system.

<<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经) says: person being sick for one day needs 3 days to recovery; Being sick for one 1 month needs 3 months to recovery（病一日，三日愈，病一月，三月愈）. Also there is a saying: when a person gets sick, health condition getting worse is fast like a mountain falling down, but when the person wants to recover, it is slow like pulling out a thread from a cocoon (病来如山倒，去病如抽丝). <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>> (黄帝内经) also says, top experts detect and treat people before the disease develops, middle ones detect and treat people when they just start to be sick, the last ones detect and treat people after patients are sick seriously（上工治未病，中工治将病，下工治既病）.

That tells us that recover is a long process or it is very time-consuming. This long process cost a lot of labor of patient, family of patients and practitioners. So preventing disease would be a good option. If a country wants to save budget on health care and the nation wants to be stronger, the education of basic knowledge of TCM is a good way.

That also tells us early TCM treatment is very important. TCM treatment should be involved as soon as possible, and we should not use TCM as the last option. The effective rate of TCM treatment depends on the constitution of patient too. If a patient has consumed a lot of their energy, how can we help him/her to fight with disease? If we let TCM involved in the treatment of SARS earlier, we might lose less life.

The same as late chapter, combination of Individual treatment and group treatment will bring us more benefits. We should give more attention to the one which has not been paid enough attention,

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References:

[1] System theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory

[2] Black box: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box

[3] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter 9, P40

[4] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter 9, P40

[5] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter 8, P34

[6] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter 8, P34

[7] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter10, P42

[8] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter23, P93

[9]<<Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion>>, Foreign Languages press Beijing, revised edition, ISBN 7-119-01758-6, written by Deng Lianyue, Gan Yijin, He SAhuhui, Ji Xiaoping, Li Yang, Wang Rufen, Wang Wenjing, Wang Xuetai, Xu Hengze, Xue Xiuling and Yuan Jiuling. Chapter 17, P 401.

[10] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter 8, P34

[11] <<针灸治疗学>>(Acupuncture Treatment), People’s Medical Publishing House, ISBN 7-117-04548-5, Editor Xueming Shi (石学敏)， Chapter 21, P565

[12] <<Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion>>, Foreign Languages press Beijing, revised edition, ISBN 7-119-01758-6, written by Deng Lianyue, Gan Yijin, He SAhuhui, Ji Xiaoping, Li Yang, Wang Rufen, Wang Wenjing, Wang Xuetai, Xu Hengze, Xue Xiuling and Yuan Jiuling. Chapter 3, P 30

[13] <<Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion>>, Foreign Languages press Beijing, revised edition, ISBN 7-119-01758-6, written by Deng Lianyue, Gan Yijin, He SAhuhui, Ji Xiaoping, Li Yang, Wang Rufen, Wang Wenjing, Wang Xuetai, Xu Hengze, Xue Xiuling and Yuan Jiuling. Chapter 3, P 31

[14] <<Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion>>, Foreign Languages press Beijing, revised edition, ISBN 7-119-01758-6, written by Deng Lianyue, Gan Yijin, He SAhuhui, Ji Xiaoping, Li Yang, Wang Rufen, Wang Wenjing, Wang Xuetai, Xu Hengze, Xue Xiuling and Yuan Jiuling. Chapter 3, P 30

[15]<<针灸治疗疑难病症的现代研究>>( Modern acupuncture treatment of difficult cases ), Shanghai Science and Technology Press, ISBN：7-5323-6705-3, written by Huanjin Wu, Jianqiao Fang, Qinqi Jian. P 378

[16] <<针灸治疗疑难病症的现代研究>>( Modern acupuncture treatment of difficult cases ), Shanghai Science and Technology Press, ISBN：7-5323-6705-3, written by Huanjin Wu, Jianqiao Fang, Qinqi Jian. P 360

[17] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter23, P104

[18] <<The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine>>, ISBN I-57062-080-6, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D. Chapter3, P 8

[19] <<The foundation of Chinese Medicine-A comprehensive Text for acupuncturists and herbalists>>，second edition. Written by Giovanni Maciocia, Chapter 2, P 19~p 39

[20] <<The foundation of Chinese Medicine-A comprehensive Text for acupuncturists and herbalists>>，second edition. Written by Giovanni Maciocia, Chapter 2, P 419

 Thanks common from Zhang, Xiaoping

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