Basic Characteristics of TCM在线视频

Hello everyone

Today we’ll study the second section of chapter 1

As we have mentioned

during several thousands of years

TCM has made great contributions to the promotion of health

the proliferation and prosperity of the Chinese nation

and the enrichment and development of world medicine as well

We have getting to know about the history and development of TCM

Just as we talked about that the TCM evolved into a unique

integral system of medical theory through long clinical practice

And TCM is an important part of Chinese culture

Therefore TCM has its specific characteristics

which we are going to study for today

The basic characteristics of TCM

The formation of the theoretical system of TCM

was greatly influenced by ancient Chinese materialism and dialectics

The theoretical system takes the physiology and pathology of zang-fu organs

and meridians as its basis

and TDS as its diagnostic and therapeutic features

TDS is one of the two basic characteristics

It means treatment by differentiation of syndromes

The other one is holistic concept

Let’s start from the holistic concept

TCM has its own specific understanding both in the physiological functions

and pathological changes of the human body

and in the diagnosis and treatment of disease

TCM regards the human body itself as an organic whole

interconnected by zang-fu organs

meridians and collaterals

And TCM also holds that the human body

is closely related with the outside world

The human body is composed of various organs and tissues

each having its own distinct functions

which is a component part of the life activities of the whole body

There are 11 main organs inside our body

including five zang organs and six fu organs

The details about the organs we will

study in the part of visceral manifestation

Except for the 11 organs

there are 12 large meridians along our body

The meridians are the major trunks

and run longitudinally within the body

while the collaterals are the branches of the meridians

and are distributed as a net over the whole body

Therefore the meridians and collaterals

make all the body's organs and tissues an organic whole

by connecting the zang-fu organs with the extremities

connecting the upper part with the lower part

and connecting the internal part with the external part of the body

So the first aspect of holistic concept

is that each part of the body (zang-fu organs tissues and orifices)

is connected through the meridians and collaterals

forming a structural network

One side TCM regards the human body itself as an organic whole

interconnected by zang-fu organs

meridians and collaterals

On the other hand

TCM also holds that the human body

is closely related to the outside world

Human live in nature

and nature provides the indispensable conditions

to human's survival

The human body is bound to be affected directly

or indirectly by the changes of nature

The natural world constantly influences the body

The body adapts to conform to variations

in the natural and social environment

Human need to take measures to adapt the nature

For example when farmers plant crops

they need to plant the seeds in spring season

then the crops can grow in summer season

and farmers harvest their crops in autumn season

and store their grains in winter season

This a very good example that human being

obeys the natural rule to adapt their working in the field

However if someone plants seeds in winter

that would be a tragedy I think

And the changes of nature would affect our body

for example

our pulse condition always changes with the change of seasons

For most of people

the pulse may have a little tight in spring

a little surging in summer

floating in autumn and deep in winter

All the changes with seasons are physiological phenomena

Holism is the most basic guiding principle

in the clinical practice of TCM

For example

见肝之病 知肝传脾 当先实脾

This sentence comes from

jinguiyaolue (or which is called Synopsis of the Golden Chamber)

a classical book which was written

by Zhang zhongjing about 2000 years ago

It refers that for a good doctor

when he knows the disorder of the liver

he should know the transmission of liver to the spleen

then the strategy of tonifying spleen should be considered

The author of jinguiyaolue was

the most famous ancient Chinese doctor

he reminded us to take the patient

as an organic whole when we treating disease for the patient

TCM on one side is characterized by holism

on the other side

is characterized by treatment by differentiation of syndromes

Differentiation means comprehensive analysis

while syndrome refers to symptoms and signs

So differentiation of syndromes implies

that the patient's symptoms and signs

collected by the four diagnostic methods

are analyzed and summarized so as to identify the etiology

nature and location of a disease

and the relation between vital qi and pathogens

thereby determining what syndrome the disease belongs to

After the analyzing and diagnosing

the corresponding therapeutic method should be selected

The treatment such as herbs

acupuncture scrapping cupping etc

can be decided

The whole processing is called TDS

treatment by differentiation of syndromes

Based on the principle of TDS

two unique therapeutic methods

are broadly used in clinical practice

Different disease same treatment

Or same disease different treatment

Specifically

same therapeutic method

may be used to treat the different diseases

However

different therapeutic methods

may be used to treat the same disease

It sounds confused

Let me explain this

For example

patients having a cold may have symptoms

like fever aversion to cold cough headache etc

however

the TCM diagnosis for the patients

who have the same cold disease may different

such as external wind syndrome

external heat syndrome or external cold syndrome

Therefore the patients with same disease

would be treated in different ways

The reason for this is the principle of TDS

treatment by differentiation of syndromes

That means the treatment would be selected

based on syndrome not by disease

Other cases

there are some patients with different disease

like cold cough or headache

They may have the same syndrome

for example external cold syndrome

These patients would be treated in the same way

Here still because the TDS principle

Briefly we go through the two basic characteristics of TCM

One is holistic concept

the other is TDS

treatment by differentiation of syndromes

These two characteristics are very useful principles

for the clinical practice

OK That’s all for today

See you next class