4-Eastern Therapies Flashcards
(114 cards)
Origin and development of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- TCM
- Originating in Chinese culture more than 3000 years ago
- propagated throughout other Asian countries (Japan, Tibet)
- rooted in the ancient philosophy of Taoism, and has evolved
- Today, widely used in the US as a complementary health therapy
List the Fundamental Concepts of TCM
- Qi
- Yin and Yang
- Five phases
- Five seasons
- Three treasures
- Viscera and Bowels
Qi
- The invisible “life force” or “vital energy,” (pronounced “chee”) is believed to circulate “through plants, animals, and people as well as the earth and sky”
- travels throughout all parts of the body along energy channels or meridians
- The process of maintaining balance and harmony in the circulation of qi is health
- Obstructions in this circulation can cause health challenges that range from illness to social difficulties (problems with work, fights with the family), depending on the individual’s unique qi
- There are 5 types
List the 5 types of Qi
- Ying
- Wei
- Jing
- Zang
- Zong
Ying
- Construction qi
- supports and nourishes the body
Wei
- Defense qi
- protects and warms the body
Jing
- Channel qi
- flows in the channels/meridians
- influenced by acupuncture
Zang
- Organ qi
- flows to promote the physiological function of organs influenced by acupuncture
Zong
- Ancestral qi
- responsible for respiration and circulation
The Yin and the Yang
- the natural world, and all life, is shaped by “opposing but complementary phenomena that exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium”
- always present simultaneously, dependent on one another, and a union of opposites
- ex: no light without dark, hot without cold
- ex: A gear (yang) that works too hard burns away the grease (yin) and builds up heat. If continued, this ultimately will overheat the gear and cause it to seize up and become damaged
- the goal is to maintain this balance between the yin and yang for optimal health.
Yin
- considered to be the vital function
- generally described as passive, cold, and heavy
- moistens and cools our body, and allows a restfulness so that we can slow down and sleep
Yang
- considered to be the vital essence
- characterized by aggressiveness and activity
- is energy that allows movement and animates the host body, with heat and circulation characteristics
Describe the Five Phases concept
- Refer to the movement of energy as it continues to cycle throughout birth, life, and death
- Everything changes over time, even seemingly static objects such as the oceans and mountains
- Connections between five major forces of nature (phases or elements) and various states within the body.
- The five phases are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
- Phases refer to a set of dynamic relations occurring among phenomena that are organized in terms of the five phases”
- The relationship between the 5 phases and of body organs are just one such correspondence.
- When referring to the internal sensory organ system the five phases would appear as:
- Wood = eyes
- Fire = Tongue
- Earth = Mouth
- Metal = Nose
- Water = Ears
- The interplay between each of these phases is known as a creation cycle where: burning wood feeds fire; from its ashes, fire produces earth; earth in turn gives up its ore, creating metal; from condensation on its surface, metal brings forth water; and water nourishes and creates plants and trees, creating wood

Fire phase
linked to the circulation of blood, hormones, and food. Its partner organs are the heart (yin) and small intestine (yang)
Earth phase
linked to digestion and is comprised of the spleen/pancreas (yin) and the stomach (yang)
Metal phase
linked to respiration and elimination and is made up of the lungs (yin) and large intestine (yang)
Water phase
linked to elimination and is comprised of the kidneys (yin) and urinary bladder (yang)
Wood phase
linked to toxic processing and is made up of the liver (yin) and gallbladder (yang)
The process returns back to Fire
The five seasons concept
- linked to the diagnosis and treatment of disease in TCM
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter correspond with compass directions; east, south, west, and north.
- 5th season of Late Autumn or a changing of the season which occurs each quarter
- compass directions are directly associated with the 5 phases (i.e., wood, fire, metal, water, and earth)
- It is interesting to note that the compass direction of south is of such importance in Chinese culture that historically maps were drawn with south at the top of their maps, as opposed to north as in our Western culture. modern Chinese maps have discontinued this practice

The three treasures concept
- qi, essence, and spirit
- body, mind, and spirit and the combination of these three are all considered forms of our life force
- ex: Water can look extremely different as a solid, liquid, or gas. However, they are all expressions of the same individual compound
Qi (three treasures)
- energy or life force
- several forms of qi as discussed earlier
Essence (three treasures)
- also known as jing
- most fundamental source of human physiological processes
- must be replenished by food and rest
- people are born with this gift from their parents (e.g., genes, DNA)
spirit (three treasures)
- also known as shen
- the “alert and radiant” facet of humanity
- representation of the spiritual and mental aspects of life, including emotional well-being, thoughts, and beliefs
Viscera and Bowels concept
- Traditional Chinese medicine uses a system where, “organs serve as markers of associated physiological functions rather than actual physical structures”
- Within TCM, 12 organs are identified as essential to function.
- These 12 organs are divided in two groups, with an equal number allocated to the zang (i.e., solid organs) of the viscera, and the fu (i.e., hollow organs) of the bowels.

