Articles
All of the following are works in progress and subject to amendment from time to time.
Preface: an introduction to Integrated Chinese Medicine: A discussion of Classical Acupuncture, especially the teachings of J.R.Worsley.
East/West: The worldview of the east and west have long been thought to be different. Richard Nisbett in The Geography of Thought has identified these differences. These are applicable to understanding Chinese medcine and especially Classical Chinese medicine.
Numerology and Traditional Oriental Medicine: a brief synopsis of the principles of numerology in particular reference to Chinese Medicine. Understanding the underlying cosmology and numerology can help resolve some of the apparent contradictions within Chinese medicine and reveal its cohesiveness. And even lead us to understand why the differing models and viewpoints within Chinese Medicine can all be true (as with the proverbial elephant and the blind men).
Chinese Characters applicable to Chinese Medicine: One thing that distinguished Classical Acupuncture and systematized Chinese Medicine is the interpretation of Chinese characters as having multi-layered and metaphorical meaning in the former and more technical and circumscribed meaning in the latter.
J.R.Worsley and the Classics: A look at the origin of many non-TCM principles and practices, especially those of J.R.Worsley, in the classic texts of the Nei Jing and Nan Jing.
Diverging traditions in Chinese medicine: An examination of the history of Oriental medicine especially the divergence between China and Japan that may account for the main differences in modern approaches.
Diverging traditions in pulse examination: An examination of the development of the two main traditions of pulse examination (especially in relation to the pulse positions) that distinguish modern TCM and Five Phases. One model is derived from the Classic Nan Jing, the other was developed later. These differences in some ways represent the different emphasis of the two models.
Mind and Spirit in Classical Chinese Medicine: An examination of the mind and spirit in modern TCM and Classical Chinese Medicine.
Discussion on the Emotions as described in Chinese Medicine: Different traditions have differing descriptions of the main emotions, and even TCM texts vary in their understanding of these. In particular J. R. Worsley and others have described the specific emotion of Earth as sympathy. This article looks at the classic texts of the Nei Jing and Nan Jing and attempts to clarify the understanding of this.
Chinese Medicine and Systems Theory: Chinese medicine's understanding of the body-mind is a wholistic inter-relational model. This explains some of the differences between the Chinese concepts and modern anatomy.
Twelve Officials and Five Zang & Six Fu: An examination of the different traditions of acupuncture in relation to the main functional units of the body-mind. In Five Phases greater emphasis is based upon the broader non-physiological aspects of the 'officials' and in modern TCM the more pragmatic functionality is emphasized. The TCM model also divided internal organs into 'viscera' and 'bowels', with the latter having a more secondary or mundane role than the former. In Five Phase understanding the so called 'bowel' actually represents a broader range of 'yang' aspects of the Phasic attributes.
Orbs and Organs: Although the functional components of the body as described in Chinese medicine are transliterated into the name of an organ as understood in Western medicine, these are by no means equivalent. For this reason, Manfred Porkert has coined the term 'orb' to refer to the Chinese concept. My main criticism of (my own) Five Element training would be that in the absence of Zang-Fu theory the tendency was to equate the Western understanding of the organ to the 'orbs' assigned to the phases, rather than the Eastern. I am told that this important distinction is not necessarily taught or understood even within TCM training.
What's in a Name?: The functional entitiy known as the Pericardium in modern TCM has the distinction of being referred to by various names in the classic texts: Xin Bao Luo, Xin Zhu, Dan Zhong. In European texts including the teachings of J. R. Worsley this was referred to a Circulation/Sex. Examining the implications of these various names Pericardium would appear to be a poor translation, and also represents a simplification and limiting of the understanding of this function.
Aggressive Energy and Evil Heat: TCM writers often comment on the apparent complexity of the average patient in a Western acupuncture practice. One of the most common complexities is the presence of heat signs and symptoms in many patients. Two theories serve to explain this, Law of Similar Transformation and Yin Fire Theory. The close connection of these theories to J.R.Worsley's concept of Aggressive Energy is very clear.
The Law of Husband Wife: This is a discussion of the teachings of Felix Mann and J. R. Worsley and the foundations of this concept in the classic texts.
Element within Element: Emphasized within Constitutional Five Element diagnosis. This article is the author's suggestion of a way that this can be understood at least intelectually as having a shared underlying idea with syndromic diagnosis.
The Medical Masters of the Jin-Yuan: Important changes took place in the Jin-Yuan dynasty. Including: The Attacking School, The Supporting the Yin school, Supporting the Earth School, Yin Fire theory, Law of Similar Transformation, Six Depressions (stagnations). Some of these are central to understanding the diverging approaches within traditional Chinese medicine. Some are important developments especially in understanding fire and heat pathology.
The Direct and Indirect methods of Needling: The basic principles of needling appear to be defined differently in the Su Wen to modern ones. And indeed a change in definition of these terms can be seen in chapters of the Su Wen that are known to have been added at a later date than the main material. The difference between the minimalist approach to needling found in Japanese and especially Five Element practice and more forceful mainstream practice can be understood by the classical principles.
The Windows of Heaven (Windows of the Sky): The Windows of the Sky or Windows of Heaven are a category of points that are thought by many to be largely a modern invention; this article describes the source and the clinical validity of this category.
