The email goes on to state that everyone has cancer cells in their bodies  that may become active approximately six to eight times in a person’s lifetime. It suggests that “when doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.” But according to Johns Hopkins response, “Cancer is a genetic disease resulting from a variety of mutations and alterations either inherited from our parents or, more commonly, acquired over time due to environmental exposures and behaviors, such as smoking and poor diet. These alterations turn off important cell growth regulators allowing cells to continually divide unchecked,” explains Luis Diaz, a clinician-scientist at the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics.

The email continues to give credit to the immune system’s superb ability to “destroy (cancer cells) and prevent from multiplying and forming tumors.”  Immune system health is no guarantee if a person has poor lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking, and stress – the average American routine; in fact, “The immune system simply does not recognize cancer. In its complexity, the cancer cell has learned to disguise itself to the immune system as a normal cell.”  Infected cells send out danger signals setting the immune system in action.  Cancer cells do not, explains Elizabeth Jaffee, co-director of cancer immunology and a leading expert on cancer and the immune system, as written in the Hopkins article.

“When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.”  Yet dietary habits and lifestyle choices, such as smoking, contribute to the development of many human cancers, says Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson. “Our experts recommend a balanced diet as a way of reducing cancer risk.  In terms of supplements, Nelson points out that while they may help mediate vitamin deficiencies, taking doses above what the body needs provides no added benefit.”

With so many people stricken with cancer, and twice as many devoted to stopping it, it seems cruel to compromise hope with false data. Cancer has struck to close for comfort for millions of individuals, and to blatantly publish false information without care about the negative repercussions shows how limited our focus, as humans, truly can be.  “It has become such a problem, that the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and individual cancer centers like the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have posted warnings on their Web sites. Emails offering easy remedies for avoiding and curing cancer are the latest Web-influenced trend. To gain credibility, the anonymous authors falsely attribute their work to respected research institutions like Johns Hopkins”.

The ancient Chinese used to use the yin yang logic to explain the constant transformation and change throughout the universe, but later adapted the interpretations to a new theory called the five elements theory.  Various processes, functions and phenomena of nature defined the new theory.  It asserts “substances can be divided into one of five basic elements: wood, fire, water, metal and earth, which contain their own specific characteristics and properties” says Shen-Nong. The original yin yang theory has a very closely connected relationship to the five elements theory.  The ancient Chinese medical philosophers these two complementary theories into their practices and created a formalized system of medicine called TCM.

Table 1The Five Elements, their Relationships with Nature and the Body

The different vertical characteristics belong to the same element, and horizontally each characteristic interacts with another according to a specific order and element. Working within this system of thought, everything has a correlation in nature.

No pay attention, I really don’t want to lose you.  It gets kind of tricky here.  Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are not isolated, but instead work close together with their individual patterns and internal orders.  The rule that governs the five elements includes a mutual generation cycle, a mutual restriction cycle, over restriction, reverse restriction and balance between generation and restriction.

Mutual generation explains how the elements create each other. Wood burns, making fire, fire produces ash, creating earth;  earth contains mineral which metal is mined and extracted from;  heating and cooling metal forms water droplets as a result of condensation, thus, metal creates water. Water promotes growth of trees, which are wood. The cycle continues, giving rise to change and transformation.

In Chinese, the word “generate” translate to “sheng”, which also means to create, promote, nurture, support and enhance. This “generation” can also be applied to the human body as well, and is sometimes referred to the mother-child relationship (only a mother can give birth to a baby), ex. Fire is the mother of Earth because Fire creates Earth.  In the human body, the heart (fire element) is the mother of the spleen (earth element) because the heart supports and promotes spleen function.

Mutual restriction explains the manner in which the elements restrict and control one another. Wood breaks up soil and depletes Earth’s nutrients, thus controlling Earth; Earth mostly Water and as dam, prevents flooding, Earth controls Water; Water extinguishes Fire, controlling its spread; Fire controls Metal by melting it; Metal molds into an axe which cuts Wood into pieces, thus controlling wood, and so forth and so forth only to provide an opposite force to balance the generative power. The generation and restriction properties of the five elements hold each other in check, preventing over-functioning.

Over-restriction in Chinese is “ke” meaning inhibition or winning over.  In Nature, Wood controls Earth. In the human body, the liver (a wood element) controls the spleen (an earth element) and inhibits its functions in a balanced manner; becoming excessive will result in over-restriction of spleen function causing an imbalance in the body. This is because an excessive liver function produces fire, which in turns affects the smooth flow of qi; without good qi flow to start, the spleen cannot successfully transform food into more qi.

Naturally, if an enemy is too strong, then the “controller” itself, becomes the “controlee”, a reverse manner (insufficient original restriction), for example, when Wood is too strong and the controlling element, the ax (Metal element) is dull; it cannot sufficiently penetrate the Wood. This ill combination can even result in the ax breaking due to the rebound force from chopping the Wood. This example illustrates reverse-restriction because Wood restricts Metal, instead of the original (intended) way. In the body, excessive spleen function produce heat and dampness; not sufficient enough release in the body, in which this constrained, moist heat will in turn heat the liver and gall bladder, leaving gall bladder unable to regulate bile secretion; causing disease.

For a balance between generation & restriction, “the mechanism of creation cannot do without promotion, neither can it do without control; if there is no promotion, there will be no control. The unbalanced excitement will be harmful. It is necessary to have control inside promotion to have inside control, so that everything can operate continuously; in both a complementary and opposite way’, said Zhang JingYae (1563-1640 AD), a famous TCM physician.

This balance is vital for normal transformation of the five elements; each under the influence of the others in some form. Wood generates Fire and Water generates Wood (grows the trees), while Wood inhibits the Earth and in turn, inhibited by Metal; as the five elements establish an intricate homeostasis. The five elements theory is a very successful health maintenance strategy, used for thousands years in TCM.

Phenomena, occurring naturally throughout the world, are grouped according to their properties, functions, and appearances in relation to the five elements, however, correlation can be made amongst the group.

Using Wood, as an example,  we can relate its many relationships to those of the body. In spring, Wood is in season, the climate is warm, windy, young grass sprouts pierce the soil; trees begin to germinate and grow. The visual spectrum is now shades of green, all characteristics of Wood element, yet in a synergistic way. In the body, the liver (Wood element) is responsible for spreading and ensuring smooth qi flow, referred to as “sprinkling”, in Chinese terminology. Much like germination of grass, liver needs to be soft, light and gentle for a desirable healthy state. It physiologically and functionally relates to the eyes and gall bladder (jaundice – caused by gall bladder obstruction/liver malfunction with yellow eyes).

Diagnostic & Therapeutic applications in the kidney (Water element), which much like its controlee; the kidney supports birth, development, and maturation in humans. Storage of “jing”(substance essential for reproduction, development and maturation, as well as, provide vitality for performing daily life activities, which is the kidney’s main function; know as the “root of life”, and hence the reason it is considered the body’s center in yin yang theory. As a Water element, the kidneys control water, so disharmony of water in the body can be related to disharmony of the kidneys; including hearing disorders, like deafness, appear in the elderly who are kidney deficient. Kidneys are connected to ears and all Water elements.

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Diagnostic & Therapeutic application in the liver (Wood element) controls flow of qi; a person with angry emotions; liver will be affected and disharmony of the liver can manifest as a shady green shade on the face; also connected to the eyes, as with some types of dizziness and eye disorders, at least from a TCM view point.

Living a healthy lifestyle with the five elements play a vital role in maintaining a balanced lifestyle, as with the seasons; during spring (Wood element) we should avoid excessive anger in order to stay healthy; in winter (Water element)our bodies rather store energy, which makes resting very important – hence going to bed earlier during DST.  The trick is to understand the relationship between the elements to achieve a harmonious balance in nature and in life.

In Chinese medicine, the belief is that the organs & tissues, as well as the body and its natural environment are connected by an opposite attraction, and a united one.  This dynamic balance, in its perfect state, maintains the health of our bodies.  It regulates our immune system.  Once this balance is broken, or disturbed for whatever reason, it results in disease.  This is called etiological or causal factors.

Western medicine contributes physical factors for the cause of disease, such as bacteria and viruses, chemical factors, etc (foreign invaders). The Chinese, however view these symptoms of disease as factors caused by the weakened state of (affected) organ, rendering it unable to fight foreign invasions.  Destroying the foreign threat will eliminate the symptoms, yet qi (vital energy) is not sufficiently restored; without properly treating the cause (of disease), it will inevitably return.  This follows the yin-yang and five elements principles.

In TCM, external cosmological causes of diseases are called evils, and are ruled the four seasons r& climate, as the internal government is ruled by our emotions; seven to be exact; responses to different situations, and affect everyone in various ways.

The six climatic evils are Wind, Cold, Summer Heat, Dampness, Dryness and Fire; with infective features

Table 1

Unusual weather conditions are to blame for disease brought on by the six evils, as so much as the body is prepared for its current climatic environment only to be suddenly exposed to opposite climatic force.  Influenza, for example, is dominant during conditions such as cold-spells during mid-Summer weeks.

Pestilential evil is the reason TCM learnt about epidemic diseases earlier than other practices of medicine; as earlier as ancient times to be exact.  These infective, highly contagious factors attack during extreme temperatures and environmental aspects such as droughts, floods, high-heat or pollution.  Pestilential evils are considered high intensity epidemics.

Summarizing 6 Evils

• Related to seasons and working environment – Wind diseases in Spring, Summer-heat disease in Summer, Damp disease in late Summer & early Fall, & Cold disease in Winter
• Evils can work alone or in two or more combination when attacking the body – Wind-Cold type, Damp-heat diarrhea, Wind-Cold-Damp blockages
• While causing disease, any evil can transform to another under certain conditions – Cold evil enters body (orally) and then transforms to a heat evil; long persisting summer-heat with dampness can be transformed into dryness evil
• Six evils can enter body through spaces in skin and muscle or nose and mouth.

Table 2

The seven emotions (Joy, Anger, Anxiety, Pensiveness, Grief, Fear & Fright); are considered the major internal cause of disease, according to TCM.

Powerful emotions are uncontrollable, which then overwhelms or possesses a person, causing serious injury to internal organs, paving the way for foreign evil invasion (disease).  Emotional activities are viewed as normal, internal, physiological response to stimuli from external environment.  Within stable range, emotions cannot cause disease or weaknesses.  It is not so much the intensity of the emotion, but rather the prolonged experience or an extreme emotion which causes damage.

While Western practitioners contribute this fact to psychological aspects of psychometric aliments, the extreme damage to internal organs definitely exists and has been a primary concern amongst TCM practitioners.

E motional activity in excess causes severe yin-yang energy imbalance, uncontrolled aberrations in blood flow, blockage of qi (vital energy) in the meridians and impairment of vital organ functions.  Once physical damage sets in, it is useless to eliminate the offending emotion at this point. The prolonged emotional stress will also require physical action.

Joy – Excessive joyfulness  exerts spirit & it then scatters because it can no longer be stored, according to the Lingshu (The Vital Axis), but TCM defines joy as an “over excitement” vs. the more passive approach to “deep contentment”.   The heart organ is most affected by over stimulation of heart-fire, and can be shown in agitation, insomnia, and palpitations.

Anger – Encases full range of associated emotions, including irritability, resentment, and frustration.  Excess of rich blood makes one prone to anger, affecting the liver; resulting in stagnation of liver qi, which then rises to head, causing headaches and dizziness, stomach and spleen problems, and let’s not forget high blood pressure.

Anxiety – qi is blocked and stagnant, which affects the lungs, which controls qi through breathing.  Suffers can experience retention of breath, shallow, irregular breathing.  This can also harm the large intestines.

Pensiveness – Concentration, over-thinking, or excessive mental and intellectual stimulation, is the TCM definition. This emotion runs risks of causing disharmony. The spleen is mostly affected and results in lethargy, fatigue, and an inability to concentrate.

Grief – The lungs are directly involved in this emotion. Sobbing (crying) that originates in depth of lungs, with deep breathes and expulsion of air; usually unresolved grief and will cause chronic disharmony in lungs, and also weakens qi.  Lungs will then be unable to circulate qi around body.

Fear – Chronic fear, especially those that cannot be directly addressed, will lead to disharmony of kidneys.  Extreme fright makes kidneys unable to store qi (impaired), and leads to involuntary urination.

Fright – This emotion is distinguished from fear by its sudden, unexpected nature.  The heart organ is primarily the recipient of this disharmony.  Especially during the initial stages of fright; persistent fright becomes conscious fear and then moves to kidneys.

Table 3

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According to ancient Chinese, the Yin and Yang can describe two relative aspects of the same phenomena.

Yin- Yang Theory Table 1

This awesome duo coexists and cannot survive in isolation.  The theory permeates all aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It explains the organic structure, physiological function and pathological change of the human body, and guides clinical diagnoses of treatment and prevention. The physical form is yin while activities and/or function are yang, yet mutually complementary.

In TCM, the kidneys are viewed as the body’s Yin-Yang center; the place where nutrients are stored and physical functions take place.

• Kidney yin, or primordial yin, true yin or true water (essence), is the root of Yin fluid of the entire body. It moistens and nourishes our organs and tissues.
• Kidney yang, or primordial yang, true yang or true fire (qi), is the root of yang qi of our entire body. It warms and promotes the functions of the organs and tissue.

Kidney yin provides energy from physiological function while kidney yang promotes storage of kidney yin.  The Suwen: the Book of Plain Questions states that “when yin is stabilized and yang is well conserved, the spirit will be in harmony.  Separation of yin and yang will cause exhaustion of essence and qi, called disharmony or imbalance.

Imbalance of kidney yin and kidney yang leads to many disease of all organs in the body. Careful diagnosis can increase effectiveness of treatment, which consists of accurately identifying deficiencies as either yin or yang relation before finding which organs are affected.

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the human body has organic unity, based on opposing “complementary” relationship of yin yang.  Organs and tissues are classified according to yin yang theory, based on each individual function and/or site.  Upper body is yang while the lower body is yin.  The other pairs of yin yang in the body include interior (yin) vs. exterior (yang), front (yin) vs. back (yang), inside of the limbs (yin) vs. outside of the limbs (yang), and the five yin organs vs. the six yang organs.  Going even further, you can divide organs as heart yin and heart yang, and kidney yin and kidney yang.

Physiologically Aspect

According to TCM, health is achieved when yin and yang are in complete harmony. The body’s physical form and functions are dynamically balanced. This balance mutually restricts and depends on each other; they can’t function if it doesn’t have a physical form to carry out actions.

Pathological Aspect

Disharmony is caused by disease (outer evils) and physiological disorders, unequal and unbalanced. When one aspect is deficient, the other is excess.  There are many factors that cause this disharmony. All related to “evils” and the flow of qi throughout the body.  Normal qi flow (yang physiological & energy) means excellent immunity (I’m-Yunity), which allows body to recuperate easier. Yin fluid (physical form & physiological fluid) pernicious evils are composed of six evils (excess of yin evils or yang evils). The conflict between resuming normal qi and getting rid of the “pernicious evils” is what allows the disease to either progress or transform back to a healthy state.

TCM diagnostics is based on a disharmony pattern known as the “eight principal patterns”, which has “four pattern pairs”:  interior and exterior, cold and heat, deficiency and excess, yin and yang (most fundamental and essential pair).

Eight Principle Disharmony Patterns Table 2

Yin and Yang signs in the body Table 3

In TCM, the universal treatment goal is to restore yin yang harmony.

The Therapeutic strategy requires replenishment of deficiencies and removal of excess.  When one aspect is excessive and the other is normal, treatment aims to clear away excess, and vice versa, replenishing deficiencies when one aspect is deficient while the other is normal.  However, if both are excessive and deficient simultaneously, both removal of excess and replenishment of deficiencies is required.

Yang Excess

When yang is excess and yin is normal, this creates disharmony in the body, ex. A person with pneumonia (lung infection) may have high fever, red face, heavy respiration and a fast, full pulse.  The physiological signs such as the fever symptom are considered “heat” signals. Since yin aspect is still normal, the heat signals are an “excessive” type. The therapeutic strategy for this example would depend on cooling down “excessive heat” with “cold” herbs (nature of certain herbs that have yin properties). Once heat is removed, yin yang balance and health are resumed.

Yin Deficiency

With yin deficiency, yang excess develops; resulting in” excessive heat”, called “virtual heat” (because it’s caused by yin deficiency, not yang excess).  In these cases, “cold” herbs aren’t effective here. Instead, nourishing herbs are utilized.  TCM also refers to yin deficiency as deficiency of yin fluid (blood and body fluids) without sufficient nourishment; excitatory functions become dominant, leading to symptoms of low-fever and night sweat.

Signs of Yin Yang disharmony patterns Table 4

It is very important to distinguish the disharmony pattern. Remember, both “virtual and excessive” heat has “heat” symptoms, yet they are different in their presentation.  Excessive heat leads to high fever & rapid, full pulse while virtual heat causes night fever & rapid, thin pulse.

Herbs and their yin properties are classified in TCM according to “nature” and “taste”.

Table 5

It is vital, that when choosing different herbal treatments in TCM, one must first name disharmony pattern before continuing to select herbs based on proper nature, taste and effect. By following these simple steps, TCM can help support the body’s balance and health.

I can vividly remember Cancer being branded as an elderly disease.  Today, women as young as 20 years of age diagnosed with breast cancer, stage 4, and very aggressive.  So much so, it metastasize to the bones.  Or even a 19 year old male with aggressive Colon Cancer.  Current day proves that Cancer isn’t very selective when choosing targets, nor does it recognize the significance of race, gender or class for that matter.

With so many people, both young and old, affected to some extend by this mysterious beast, I’m-Yunity set out to find as much information as possible that is available, to inform our community members.  We found clinics in Tijuana, Mexico that specialize in Alternative and Integrated Therapies.  We are also building a database of health professionals who can further assist you and your family in the decision making process.  We will also start a NYC Chapter of the Cancer Control Society.  FYI…juicing, raw-organic-vegan diets, as well as nutritional supplementation can prevent cancer or just about any disease that threatens the immune system.  The key is to having a well balanced and functioning immune system and an overall health and wellness livelihood.

With the current turmoil of our economy, the last thing we the people need is to be misinformed about our health and options for health care.  No person should ever have a right to sentence or pronounce death (due to disease) to another.  If one has a “will to live”, then the next steps should be relatively easy.  Our mission is to supply credible information that contributes to the overall health, wellness and happiness to all.  Happy people have been proven to heal faster and live longer than unhappy people.

With our resources, you can definitely find something of interest, including those that embrace CAM and Conventional practices.  Tijuana had at least five major clinical facilities which strengthen the odds against the battle of Cancer & other auto immune diseases, and we visited each one.   Studies show that a positive and strong attitude lends to a solid “will to live”, which contributes to the success of beaten Cancer & other diseases.  Proven success stories and other vital resources are made possible through the Cancer Control Society & it’s affiliates/associates.  Each gives birth to possibilities  and beliefs that can indeed heal.  And the first place to starts is within.

Zang organs are part of the overall dynamic energy process of the human body.  Healthy energy is closely related to its physiology activities.  Human beings can actually learn a lot from the zang organs.  Despite their individual functions, they team up and act as messengers. They are responsible for transportation and storage, excess and wastes, controlling of internal communication, activating bodily functions, and making important decisions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine defines healthy energy as body’s natural resistance against diseases and its recovery and repair ability.  These functions are linked to the physiological activities of the five zang organs. In this description, you can safely relate the zang organs to the similarity of the Chakra system.

Here is a break down the organs and their functions:

1. Heart – to regulate
   

The heart controls and regulates blood flow throughout the body in vessels.   In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is considered the chief administrator of all mental and physiological activities.  It rules the spirit (shen) which is an important aspect of mind or spirit in Chinese medicine; it refers to thought, state of consciousness or mental health. The heart influences the organs through the monarch-fire (it cooperates with the prime minister fire to promote the functional activities of the organs), also called the heart fire. The prime minister fire (a yang-energy that originates from the vital gate and which is stored in the liver, gallbladder and triple-burner) assists the heart to promote the functional activities of the other organs.

The heart also possesses our Western understanding of the brain’s role in regulating the nervous, cardiovascular and endocrine functions.  In addition, meridians are the pathways of qi and blood circulation, as well as the channels where the immune functions take effect, the triple burner, which is actually a collective term for the upper, middle and lower burner, (the upper burner is located above the diaphragm and includes the heart and lungs. The middle burner is located in the region above the belly button and below the diaphragm and includes the spleen and stomach. The lower burner is located below the belly button, and it includes the liver, kidneys, large intestine, small intestine and bladder)  directs the various types of qi, and they act as the channel stations for body fluids to circulate. They have an important effect on immune activities.

2. Liver – to maintain

According to TCM, the liver  is responsible for part of the functions of the endocrine, digestive, circulatory and immune systems. The liver promotes flowing and spreading movements; by stimulating flow, the liver adjusts and ensures the smooth flux of qi, blood and body fluids throughout the body. The Chinese believe emotional activity(The five yin organs of the human body produce five kinds of essential qi, which bring forth joy, anger, grief, worry, and fear) is an outer manifestation of the physiological status of the internal organ system, and is considered the major internal cause for diseases (endogenous evils in extreme conditions). Normal emotional health depends on the balance of qi and blood flow. Once the liver is flowing, diseases are kept out.

3. Kidneys – at the basis/root

TCM say the kidneys are the “congenital foundation of life”, the root of healthy energy. The stored kidney essence (jing) is the material basis for the entire body’s yin and yang (Yin yang theory is a kind of logic, which views things in relation to its whole and is based on two basic components: yin and yang, which are neither materials nor energy. They combine in a complementary manner and form a method for explaining relationships between objects) forces, which make the body’s physical form and functions, become balanced. The modern understanding of TCM kidneys not only regulates the urinary system, they also exercise control over the reproductive, hematological, endocrine and nervous systems. The kidneys work closely with the neural-endocrine immune regulating network.

4. Spleen – to promote

Western physiology defines the spleen as a large, vascular, lymphatic organ. TCM’s regard it as the “acquired foundation of life”; the source of blood and qi (vital energy) production. The spleen is a multi- functioning unit. It covers functions of the western anatomical spleen and pancreas and promotes activities of the digestive, endocrine, nervous and blood systems. The spleen governs transportation and transformation of body fluids and nutrient essences (also referred to as acquired essence, it is derived from foods and is necessary for the constitution of the human body and the maintenance of health and physical activities. It can be converted to essence, an essential substance needed for reproduction that is stored in the kidneys) and also controls blood flow. The spleen determines the abundance and depletion of healthy energy, assuring the body’s protection against diseases.

5. Lungs – immune-barrier

The lungs administer qi (vital energy). They connect externally with the skin and hair and disseminate protective qi (kind of qi regulated by the lungs. It flows between the skin and the muscles in order to guard against invasion by exogenous evils) over the body’s surface. The lungs’ protective qi belongs to part of the healthy energy (zheng qi); because it forms the first barrier against the invasion of exogenous pathogens (Exogenous evils or environmental pathogens are the six natural climatic factors: wind, cold, summer-heat, dampness, dryness, and fire that represent the natural conditions within which all living things exist and are not harmful under normal conditions -  becoming pathogenic or disease factors when they are excessive or when sudden changes occur that cause an imbalance of yin and yang inside the body). Protective qi provides warmth and nourishment to the skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles; it also regulates opening and closing of skin pores. When protective qi is abundant, muscles are smooth, skin is tender and subcutaneous tissues are firm.

Today, in theory, our body’s self defense against various infections from bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites, is the immune system. Normal functioning of the immune system maintains the  body’s health. The malfunctioning of the immune system results in disharmony within the body, giving rise to illness.

In the history of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plague was a common term used by the ancient Chinese to refer to infectious diseases affecting mass population.  TCM already knew about the theory and practice of immunology and infectious diseases from prior dynasties. TCM regards immunology as the “healthy energy“  which is the general defense mechanism against infectious diseases.

Since ancient times, TCM harnessed holistic approaches. It sees the human body as an organic whole. The correlations between the organs and tissues, as well as the human itself and its living environments, are organized according to specific orders, which create a mutual balance between each physiological function. This fundamental balance is the root of disease defense and health maintenance.

Every part of the body,  such as qi (vital energy), blood, body fluids, organs and the meridians has its own particular function. These combine to build up the body’s natural defense system and also bring out their protective strengths, mutually. TCM concepts affirm that the body’s natural resistance against diseases is  described as a flow of energy that circulates the entire body. This is called the healthy energy (zheng qi).

Similar to Western medicine, TCM also holds that the body has its own disease defense ability due to the existence of healthy energy (zheng qi).  In fact, The Book of Plain Questions states that “when healthy energy is well stored inside the body, no evils can cause interference. Whenever the evils are gathered inside, a deficiency of healthy energy must be present”. So basically, healthy energy is the body’s natural resistance against disease, and disease is seen as the result of the imbalance of healthy energy within us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when healthy energy (zheng qi) is abundant, evil forces (disease and other imbalance) cannot prevail.

According to the  yin yang theory, the body’s yin and yang are regulated and adjusted continuously. Keeping yin and yang in balance, is an essential factor to channel normal life activities. Once this harmony is disturbed, disease will result.

Promoting the yin and yang harmony is the universal treatment goal of TCM. The overall therapeutic strategy is to replenish deficiencies and remove excesses of yin or yang. These approaches are usually focused on holistic regulation and possession of dual modulation effects; to remove excesses and replenish deficiencies, and are similar to Western medicine’s understanding of our body’s immune modulation effects.

Dual Modulation characteristic effects of TCM:

• TCM focuses on activating our own innate healing power; working mostly on the whole being, not just specific systems. Their healing powers are far beyond the physical level; they can also work on the level of qi (vital energy), which empowers us. Even when the body seems healthy and there are no visible or recognizable symptoms, our immune function can be affected by symptoms present within. According to TCM, herbal remedies can locate and regulate these imbalances even when they are not apparent to us.
• TCM uses different modulation methods (to balance the process), for example adjusting the body’s yin and yang, qi (vital energy), blood or organ functions.  These methods can rehabilitate the body from a hyper-functioning state to a normal state or from an under-functioning level back to normal. TCM has unique theories categorizing the regulating properties into four actions; “to depress when stimulated”, “to rise when collapsed”, “to subdue when overwhelming” and “to nourish when deficient.”
• Normal immune functions are enhanced and the internal pathogenic factors are eliminated with dual modulation effects. A complementary relationship is formed that reinforces healthy energy and repels evils.

All information and references are based on Integrated Chinese Holdings, Ltd (ICM) and affiliates.