Study of nature from TCM perspective

​By: Dr. Tamara Ramirez

May, 2015

"I've heard that in the days of old everyone lived one hundred years without showing the usual signs of aging. In our time, however, people age prematurely, living only fifty years. Is this due to a change in the environment, or is it because people have lost the correct way of life? (Veith,1966)"

In order to perform a good Acupuncture treatment; one needs a good understanding of basic foundation that can be found in the classical books.  It is important to spread the knowledge acquired from books like the yellow emperor, so people can understand nature and how it can have a direct effect in their health. 

Excessive amount of stress, responsibilities, inadequate nutrition and lack of exercise and sleep leads to a pathological state of being.  Since we are part of universal energy, everything in our surroundings will give us a positive or negative effect.  Studying nature will provide a better understanding of disease and patterns of conflict.  Is essential for practitioners to look for disharmonies and patterns that can lead to unbalance individuals.  As physicians we need to find the best way to stimulate body’s natural curative power to give patients the opportunity to have a better quality of life while the body is working without the same amount of stress. 

Oriental Medicine is a complete health care system that studies the whole body and incorporates, emotions, environment, nutrition, physiology, herbology, exercises and meditations; among others.  It has the benefit to look for the disease in a different way as western medicine.  It looks for disharmonies and patterns that can lead to an unbalance individual.  Developed its own perception of health and illness looking at the human body as a microcosmic reflection of the macrocosm of the universe.  This medicine start by looking at nature, learning about the atmosphere, the rivers, the earth, moon and sun.  Studying nature was the key to treat a broad spectrum of diseases.  It emphasizes to maintain harmonious balance of the body, studying different patterns of disharmonies, giving the opportunity to see every patient as an individual.

In 2014, the island of Puerto Rico suffered from an epidemic of a virus called Chikungunya, transmitted from a mosquito bite.  Due to weather conditions prevailing in the Caribbean, viruses such as Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Malaria and others may repeatedly appear; people need to be prepared for these climatic changes, which can create vulnerability.  However, over time, understanding of the pathogeneses of these conditions has come to light and people learn to confront them and take preventative measures to protect the population from them.  By the end of summer Puerto Rico has more mosquitos and the infection with the Chikungunya virus has been enormous.  During the summer “Emotionally, it is important to be happy and easygoing and not hold grudges, so that the energy can flow freely and communicate between the external and the internal. In this way illness may be averted in the fall. (Veith,1966)”  If we follow the art of life through the four seasons we can understand why by the beginning of fall people immune system can be compromise and have more predisposition for a pathogenic factor to enters the body “Problems in the summer will cause injury to the heart and will manifest in the autumn. (Veith,1966).”  Using these words has a reference one need to prepare oneself for every change of season.  If patient does not stretch, relax the muscles or if violates nature causing injury to the liver during the spring season they might be coming to summer with a predisposition: “will cause cold disease, illness inflicted by atmospheric cold, during summer (Veith,1966)”

In order to obtain harmonious balance with universal energy is vital to incorporate meditation in a daily basis.  Similarly, practices such as Dao-in: an exercise combining stretching, massaging, and breathing, promotes energy flow.  Additionally, to maintain a well being of body and mind, people need to eat balanced diet at regular times of the day, arose and retired at regular hours, avoid burdening their bodies and minds, and abstained from overindulgence of all kinds.

References:

  1. Jackson S. (2014) Chikungunya Virus, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention.  Retrieved December 6, 2014, from http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public content/sa health internet/health topics/health conditions prevention and treatment/infectious diseases/chikungunya virus/chikungunya virus
  2. Macciocia, G. (1994). The Practice of Chinese Medicine: The treatment of disease with Acupuncture and Chinese herbs.  New York: Churchill Livingstone
  3. Veith, I. (1966). Huang Di nei jing su wen: The Yellow Emperor's classic of internal medicine (New ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.
  4. Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.).  Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
  5. Heng, X. (1999).  Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Rev. ed.).  Beijing: Foreign Languages Press