Basic Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine

1. The Concept of the Organism as a Whole

The term “organic whole” means the unity of the human body and its surroundings. The human body is an organic whole itself and has close relations with its external surroundings. TCM is based on this relationship. This unity between the two is known as an organic whole.

a. The Unity Within the Body

Viscera, bowels, tissues, and other organs make up the human body. Each has their own physiological functions, which make up the life process of the body. The different functions are all related, supplementary, and conditional to each other, and therefore are unified with each other. These relationships are shared between the main five viscera through channels and collaterals: the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney

b. The Unity Between Body and Nature

As man lives in nature, he is influenced by the changes in nature. For example, as the climate changes within the four seasons, the normal pulse conditions change as well. With this fact, doctors have been able to relate certain diseases with the seasons. For example, epidemic febrile diseases are more likely to occur in the spring. People do physical exercises in order to avoid seasonal diseases.

TCM physicians have also observed relationships between diseases and the time of the day. Diseases may become milder or more severe depending on the whether it is early morning, late afternoon, or night. There are diseases that are mild in the morning and get worse by night. This is because the body has more vital energy, which overcomes the pathogenic factors. By nighttime, the body returns the vital energy to the organs, leaving the pathogenic factors to get stronger. There have been findings that show human pulse conditions, temperature, the amount of oxygen taken in, carbon-dioxide releases and the amount of hormone secreted have a pattern during the 24 hours of the day.

The theory of the circulation of Qi characteristics of TCM tells us that periodic changes of the climate, which come every 12 or 60 years, have an effect on the pathogenesis of the human body. In the cycle of sunspots, the radiation of sunlight effects the magnetic field, which in turn effects the physiology and pathology of the human body.

TCM believes that different geographical locations bring different effects on the human body. People living at a high altitude tend to live long lives, which may be due to the concentration of hydrogen anions at high altitudes.

c. The Guiding Function of the Concept of the Organism as a Whole

The concept of the human body as a whole and its relationship with nature gives TCM the basis for its development of medical methods of treating diseases. This lead to the belief that the appearance of the tongue can determine the health of the heart. A pale tongue indicates blood deficiency in the heart and a purple tongue shows blood stagnation of the heart. With this method, the key pathogenesis is determined. Acupuncture is another example of methods of treating diseases based on the theories of TCM. Points and time for acupuncture are determined according to the relationship between channels, pulse, vital energy, and blood of the human on two sides. Time is also an important factor when taking herbal medicines. For example, Ten Jujube Decoction (Shi Zao Tang) is best when taken in the morning on an empty stomach, and insulin is best when taken at 4 p.m. There are reasons why the human body has such a precise time rhythm and regularity. Scholars have found that the human body has adapted and accustomed itself to the earth’s rotation, which occur every 24 hours. It has been proved that the nucleus suprachiasmaticus (SCH), epiphysis, pituitary bodies, and adrenal gland are structures that control the time rhythm and regularity. This shows that the concept of Tian Ren Xiang Ying (or the relevant adaptation of the human body to natural environment in TCM) has a scientific backing.