Classical Chinese Medicine
Physiology
In acupuncture, there are 12 regular meridians; these, along with the 2 extraordinary channels known as the governing and conception vessels, are the ones most commonly depicted on acupuncture charts and models. There are, however, 73 channels in total, and include the cutaneous, musculo-skeletal, divergent, extraordinary, transverse luo, longitudinal luo, and internal channels. I will […]
The Chinese medical concept of indications and contraindications has no real equivalent in Western biomedicine. Pharmaceuticals are often contraindicated relative to specific conditions, such as avoiding anti-coagulants when there is risk of bleeding. However, in Western medicine there is no fundamental concept of physiology that describes a person’s overall make-up, and that includes treatments that […]
The Spleen manufactures Qi from the transformed essence of food and drink. In the Heart, this mixes with the extracted Qi of air and is transformed into Blood through a process known as red transformation.
The word “shen” means spirit in Chinese medicine. There is a global concept of Shen which reflects the quality of a person’s vitality and life force. Each organ also houses a particular Shen, such as the “zhi”, or will, for the Kidneys, and the “shen”, or spirit, for the Heart. Heart Shen is physiologically an […]