Systematic Yin-Yang Theory: Construction and Drug Classification Methods
One of the foundations of the Yin-Yang theory of systems is the relationship between various systems. We consider the respiratory, digestive, circulatory, urinary, hematopoietic, and nervous systems as the most basic systems, and their relationships are illustrated in the diagram, with each system sequentially generating and restraining the others. Each system has a relatively close relationship with the two surrounding systems, but in special circumstances, a system may not only have a close relationship with its surrounding systems but also with another specific system. Other systems besides the six major systems mentioned above are related to certain systems within the six major systems: the musculoskeletal system is related to the nervous, hematopoietic, and urinary systems; the endocrine system is related to the digestive, urinary, and nervous systems; the reproductive system is related to the urinary, circulatory, and nervous systems; the immune system is related to the digestive, hematopoietic, and nervous systems; the eye is related to the digestive and nervous systems; and the ear is related to the urinary and nervous systems. Modern physiological and biochemical research shows that excessive renin secretion by the kidneys can lead to increased blood pressure, and prostaglandin secretion can dilate blood vessels; the heart can secrete diuretic hormone. This indicates that the circulatory and urinary systems are closely related. The digestive system can secrete vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIp), which enhances myocardial contractility. This illustrates that the digestive system is related to the circulatory system.
In the systemic Yin-Yang theory, pathogenic factors include genetic factors, psychological factors, and environmental factors. Diseases caused by genetic factors include hemophilia and progressive muscular dystrophy. Diseases caused by psychological factors include schizophrenia and hysteria. Environmental factors encompass a wide range, including physical, chemical, and biological factors; for example, lobar pneumonia is primarily caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. In short, the pathogenic factors in this theory include those recognized by modern medicine.
The pathogenesis involves both Western medicine's understanding of pathogenic mechanisms and Traditional Chinese Medicine's concept of Yin-Yang imbalance. Pathogenic factors act on the body, causing a series of pathological, functional, and Yin-Yang changes. For example, in patients with fulminant hepatitis, extensive necrosis occurs in the liver parenchyma, reducing the liver's biosynthetic and detoxification functions. Imbalance in Yin and Yang within the digestive system, whether Yang deficiency or Yin deficiency, is reflected in clinical manifestations and various examinations. Symptoms such as aversion to oily foods, loss of appetite, liver shrinkage, jaundice, elevated bilirubin and SGPT levels, and hepatocellular necrosis all indicate Yin syndrome in the digestive system, which, from an etiological perspective, is due to a high viral load and strong antibody immunity. Due to hepatocellular necrosis, impaired metabolism of ammonia and aromatic amino acids reduces brain excitability, leading to neuropsychiatric symptoms such as lethargy, drowsiness, and coma; therefore, the nervous system is considered a Yin syndrome. Other systems can also be affected; here, it is crucial to grasp the primary contradiction.
Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, signs, and various examination results, encompassing all diagnostic methods in Western medicine and the Yin-Yang diagnostic methods in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is divided into etiological diagnosis, location diagnosis, pathological diagnosis, and clinical diagnosis. Etiological treatment is administered based on the etiological diagnosis; for example, bacterial dysentery requires antibiotic treatment. The balance of Yin and Yang in a particular system is determined based on the location, pathology, and clinical diagnosis, and medication is prescribed accordingly.
The Yin-Yang theory of systems categorizes six systems into five syndromes and corresponding medications: Taiyin syndrome, Shaoyin syndrome, neutral syndrome, Shaoyang syndrome, and Taiyang syndrome. For example, Taiyin syndrome in the respiratory system manifests as an upper respiratory tract infection with severe symptoms such as chills and runny nose. Taiyin and Shaoyin are simply different degrees and are relative terms. Neutral syndrome refers to the state before the Yin-Yang syndrome of this system manifests, or when the Yin-Yang syndrome has disappeared. Medications are categorized into five types based on Yin-Yang: Taiyin medications, Shaoyin medications, neutral medications, Shaoyang medications, and Taiyang medications. Medications and syndromes are relative to each other: Taiyin medications are used for Taiyang syndrome, Shaoyin medications for Shaoyang syndrome, neutral medications for neutral syndrome, Shaoyang medications for Shaoyin syndrome, and Taiyang medications for Taiyin syndrome. The aim is to adjust the Yin-Yang balance.
The Yin-Yang classification is based on the properties and flavors of Chinese medicinal herbs. Taiyin (太阴) is cool, cold, and extremely cold; Shaoyin (少阴) is slightly cool, slightly cold, and neutral; Shaoyang (少阳) is slightly warm and slightly hot; and Taiyang (太阳) is warm, hot, and extremely hot. The systemic classification we refer to divides drugs (both Chinese and Western medicine) into six categories based on the six major systems: respiratory, digestive, circulatory, urinary, hematopoietic, and nervous systems. Below is a rough classification of drugs; whether this classification is reasonable requires further research. We classify traditional Chinese medicine's exterior-releasing drugs, heat-clearing drugs, interior-warming drugs, wind-dampness-dispelling drugs, purgative drugs, cough-relieving and phlegm-resolving drugs, digestive drugs, dampness-dispelling drugs, astringent drugs, and anthelmintic drugs according to their meridian tropism into the four major systems: respiratory-Lung Meridian; circulatory-Heart Meridian and Pericardium Meridian; digestive-Liver, Spleen, Large Intestine, and Small Intestine Meridians; and urinary-Kidney and Bladder Meridians. For the hematopoietic system, the main treatments are blood-regulating drugs, while for the nervous system, the main treatments are tonifying drugs, calming drugs, wind-dispelling drugs, and orifice-opening drugs. The Yin-Yang classification of Western medicine systems has not yet been established.
Regarding the application of drugs, when a certain organ in a certain system is diseased, the Yin and Yang syndromes of this system are identified, and the corresponding drugs are prescribed. The drugs used are mainly those of this system, generally 2 to 4 kinds of drugs. Then, the Yin and Yang syndromes of the two adjacent systems are judged, and the corresponding drugs are prescribed. Generally, 1 to 2 kinds of drugs are used for each system. When the two adjacent systems are in a neutral state, 1 to 2 kinds of neutral drugs are used. If a certain syndrome of another system is prominent, the corresponding drugs are prescribed in the same way, using 1 to 2 kinds of drugs. If the skin, musculoskeletal, endocrine, reproductive, immune, eye, ear and other systems are diseased, the drugs can be prescribed in equal proportions according to the related systems, with 1 to 3 kinds of drugs for each system. If a sarcoma patient is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, the cause is unknown, so it is impossible to treat the cause. The patient may have severe pain, accelerated cell proliferation and other Yang syndromes. The nerve, blood and urinary systems are related to the musculoskeletal system. 1 to 3 kinds of Yin drugs are used for each of these three systems. Therefore, the treatment method in the theory of Yin and Yang of the system is relatively simple, with several principles (1) Yin syndrome is treated with Yang, and Yang syndrome is treated with Yin. (2) Divide into systems and administer medication according to the system. (3) Use the dialectical approach to guide medication use and focus on the main contradictions.
In my concluding remarks, I raise this question: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) consists of plants, animals, and minerals, whose chemical compositions are relatively similar to those of the human body. Using them to treat diseases is an ancient invention. Over the long course of human development, humans have categorized medicines for treating various ailments; this classification method is primitive, feasible, and continues to this day. Isn't there a more rational and modern classification system for medicines? Modern research on TCM suggests that many medicines possess bidirectional regulatory effects, which is the impetus for the development of the systemic Yin-Yang theory.
(Written in May 1984)
Reports on Qigong for weight loss
Sculptors of the beauty of the human body
------A Profile of Qigong-Based Weight Loss Physician Chunyu Jiaping
Published in the magazine "Qigong and Science" by He Tian
In today's world, perhaps apart from the island nation of Yuga, where obesity is considered beautiful, there is nowhere else that idolizes it. However, with the high degree of automation in modern life, nutritional intake is increasing while calorie expenditure is decreasing, leading to growing anxieties about one's belly. Especially after modern medicine linked obesity with cardiovascular diseases, "weight loss" has become a hot topic for many. As a result, "weight loss teas" and "low-calorie foods" have emerged; cases of people dying from anorexia due to the pursuit of beauty are frequently reported in the news; and there are even reports of people undergoing surgery to remove fat and saw off ribs in pursuit of a slimmer figure... But what we introduce here is Chunyu Jiaping, a naval doctor who uses traditional Chinese Qigong to sculpt beautiful physiques for people.
Dr. Chunyu Jiaping is a military doctor at the Guangzhou Naval Hospital No. 421. The mountains and rivers of Yimeng gave him the physique typical of Shandong people, while the beautiful Pearl River added a touch of southern elegance. Perhaps it was his own good looks and physique, or perhaps it was his concern for people's health as a doctor, but Dr. Chunyu's medical research led him to study Qigong for weight loss. Dr. Chunyu was born in Huangxian County, Shandong Province, the hometown of the famous Qigong martial arts master, Mr. Shan Xiangling. As a child, he accidentally fell, which ironically led to a stroke of good fortune and determined his future. His injured left arm, after treatment by surgeons, failed to regain its function. Mr. Shan Xiangling's acupressure massage quickly restored his mobility. Dr. Chunyu was amazed by Master Shan Xiangling's superb medical skills, which planted a seed in his innocent heart. So, while attending school, he studied Qigong under Master Shan Xiangling. Later, after being admitted to the Second Military Medical University, he conducted theoretical research on Qigong for healing, achieving a rational refinement. After working at the naval hospital for several years, he combined Qigong with ancient acupuncture techniques, based on modern medical theory, to create a unique treatment method called "Yi Qi Acupuncture Therapy," which has shown excellent clinical results. Over the years, countless patients have recovered thanks to Dr. Chunyu's treatment. According to statistics from 400 recorded clinical cases, the effective rate reached 98%, and the cure rate was over 50%.
However, Dr. Chunyu did not stop his research on Qigong medicine with a sense of satisfaction. As a great man once said, in the field of observation, opportunity only favors the prepared mind. Once, Dr. Chunyu saw a report in the Chinese Acupuncture Journal about a Chinese medical team using auricular acupuncture for treatment and weight loss. This report inspired Dr. Chunyu and opened up a new research field. He observed and studied various weight loss methods popular at home and abroad at the time. The reason why dieters could not stick to them and achieved little was twofold: firstly, they had obvious side effects, such as many foreign weight loss drugs containing drugs that stimulated thyroid function to increase the body's energy expenditure; secondly, they were too complicated, and patients often could not stick to them. Methods such as high-intensity exercise to increase energy expenditure or fasting were not something ordinary people dared to try. Dr. Chunyu, referring to the experiences of others and combining his long-term experience in Qigong acupuncture, summarized a comprehensive weight loss method that guided dieters to practice Qigong themselves, combined with massage and auricular acupressure. This method is characterized by its simplicity, ease of practice, rapid results, short treatment time, and ability to treat other diseases simultaneously, with a low recurrence rate. Those trying to lose weight only need to spend about ten minutes learning a set of "Xiangling Liuhe Gong" exercises, and then practice it for more than ten minutes every day. Another method involves applying medicinal granules to ear acupoints. Based on the four or five acupoints already identified by others, Dr. Chunyu discovered more than ten additional acupoints on the auricle. Through qigong and pressure stimulation of these acupoints, qi and blood flow through the meridians to the whole body and internal organs, correcting the imbalance of yin and yang in the obese individual's internal organs and the dysfunction of the meridian system, thereby "burning" body fat into energy, achieving weight loss without losing physical strength. This method only requires appropriate dietary restrictions, with almost no painful fasting, making it easy to implement.