前言 Foreword Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a vast treasure trove of priceless knowledge that has been built up over thousands of years by the Han people and other ethnic Chinese groups. The aim of TCM is to cure diseases and alleviate suffering. To do this it focuses on the harmony between people and nature. It is based firmly on the traditions of the past, and draws on ancient philosophical concepts for both its theoretical framework and its unique diagnostic and treatment methodologies. TCM emphasizes the close ties between individuals and society, stresses the unity of heaven and mankind and values a holistic view of the world. Its most important concepts, such as qi, yinyang and wuxing (five elements), highlight the unique understanding the ancient Chinese had of the functions of the human body, including their comprehensive knowledge of the interrelationship and interactions of the body’s viscera (zang and fu). TCM incorporates a deep understanding of both nature and human beings. For example, TCM practitioners can produce medical resources from plants, animals and minerals to provide the basic means of treating diseases. TCM practitioners can also identify the mechanisms that causes disease, make diagnoses based on a patient’s symptoms and then treat them with herbs and other medicines or procedures. TCM also encompasses disease prevention and practitioners can recommend diets and other healthcare regimes that can effectively extend a person’s lifespan. Moreover, the magic of acupuncture and moxibustion also play an important role in TCM. Both are techniques that have won the recognition of people from many countries. The fascinating 2000-year history of TCM is closely linked with the names of many famous doctors from across the ages. Many ancient medical books and effective treatment approaches have been passed down from them. These provide a wealth of knowledge that later generations have benefitted from. Over time, TCM has made an enormous contribution to the health and longevity of the Chinese people. It still plays an vital role today. As a dazzling pearl at the heart of oriental medicine, TCM has also had a great influence on Japan, Korea, southeastern Asian countries and other neighbors. But how does TCM conceptualize the human body? How does it understand the causes and effects of illness? What are its major theories and ideas? What are the details of its herbal treatments and how do acupuncture and moxibustion therapies work? In this book, you will find the answer to these questions, and many more.
精彩内容 TCM on the Five Internal Organs (Viscera) The Monarch Organ – the Heart The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine compares the human body to a country where the king and ministers each performs their own duties. If each performs their duties properly and works in harmony with each other, the country will be able to resist aggression and evil and people will be able to live healthy and long lives. Of the five major internal organs, the heart enjoys the most important position. In TCM theory, the heart dominates all the vital activities of the human body and is the body’s supreme commander. As The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine states: “The heart is the monarch of the organs”. The monarch is the highest ruler of a country and master of all its citizens. The fact that the classic text refers to the heart as the monarch confirms the importance of the heart amongst the viscera. One of the major functions of the heart is to govern the blood and the vessels. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine says that the “heart governs the blood of the human body”, it also describes the relationship between the organs and the blood and states plainly that the blood is dominated by the heart. The book also points out that the blood “never stops running and circulates in the body”, meaning that blood circulates around the body from the internal organs to the muscles in a continuous flow. This, of course, has been proved by modern anatomy to be true. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine also explains several major aspects of the blood circulatory system. It shows knowledge of the different functions of arteries and veins and differentiates between “blood ejects” (arterial blood) and “blood bleed, black and turbid” (venous blood). It is interesting to compare this with developments in Western medicine: the Romans only recognized that the blood was like a tide in the 2nd Century and did not know that blood circulated at all. In the 13th Century, the Arabs started to recognize that blood circulated. However it was only in 1628 that the British doctor William Harvey put forward his more complex views on blood circulation. According to TCM, another function of the heart is to “govern mental activities”, This means that the heart controls the spirit, thinking and conscious activities (and the intelligence and wisdom reflected in such activities). If the heart is functioning normally in this respect, then a person is spiritually healthy and has “sound sense”. Conversely, if a person’s state of mind is abnormal, then they may suffer from palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, mania or functional disorder of the internal organs. The philosophers and thinkers of ancient China all believed that the heart controlled thinking, wisdom and the spiritual activities of the human body. This led to sayings such as Xin (heart), Xiang Shi Cheng (all wishes come to true) and Xin Ling Shou Qiao (quick-witted and nimble-fingered). The novel Dream of the Red Mansion praises how clever Lin Daiyu is by using an interesting remark, “her heart has one more hole than Bigan”. Where does this literary quotation mean? Bigan was a talented minister of the Shang Dynasty who first assisted his brother Emperor Yi and then Emperor Yi’s son Emperor Zhou. It was said Bigan’s heart had seven holes. In ancient times it was believed that if a person’s heart had more holes than normal, then he or she must be clever. So the sages, who were known to be very clever and sophisticated, were thought to have more holes in their hearts than the common people. It was also thought that if a person’s heart holes were confused, that person would be clouded in the mind and silly. Such thinking became absorbed by traditional Chinese medicine. As said above, the concept that “the heart governs mental activities” is an important basic TCM theory. It runs through the whole theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine, and is an idea that has been followed by most doctors for generations. How do TCM practitioners understand mental activities? One way to explain this is through the following metaphor: “A person’s body is like a car with well-equipped fully functional parts. But if there is no driver, the car cannot run no matter how excellent it is. Mental activities work like the driver.” <
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