AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES: A CHINESE MEDICINE VIEW Autoimmune diseases comprise a large number of diseases that are very different from one another. The most common ones seen in the clinic are: Multiple sclerosis Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) Rheumatoid arthritis Sjogren’s Syndrome Hashimoto Thyroiditis Graves’ Disease Crohn’s Disease Chinese medicine does not have a single explanation of … Read More
Tongue diagnosis, like the pulse, is one of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine. Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine, third edition is a thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue diagnosis by Giovanni Maciocia, one of the most respected teachers and practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West. A thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue … Read More
This article, first published in The European Journal of Oriental Medicine, Volume 7, No 1, 2012 discusses the origin of Blood Deficiency and its relationship with qi and jing, it works out the signs and symptoms of Blood deficiency and outlines the three main syndromes, Liver Blood, Heart Blood and Spleen Blood deficiency. “ When … Read More
Chapter 6 of the Su Wen introduces the concept of channels “opening onto the exterior” (or being the “opening”), closing onto the interior (or “being the door leaf”) and being the pivot (or hinge). In this chapter the order for the Yang channels is as follows: Tai Yang opens Yang Ming closes Shao Yang is … Read More
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), also known as cervical dysplasia and cervical interstitial neoplasia, is the potentially premalignant transformation and abnormal growth (dysplasia) of squamous cells on the surface of the cervix. Most cases of CIN remain stable, or are eliminated by the host’s immune system without intervention. However a small percentage of cases progress to … Read More
Rebellious Qi of the Chong Mai is a relatively common pathology; it is more common in women than men. In women, I have seen at all ages, from teenagers to women over 65. The first mention of Rebellious Qi of the Chong Mai is in chapter 29 of the Nan Jing: “The pathology of the … Read More
Pre-order The Practice of Chinese Medicine: The Treatment of Diseases with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs, 3rd edition. Textbook written by Giovanni Maciocia, describes the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory to the diagnosis and treatment of 48 diseases, conditions, and disorders, including common, chronic and acute conditions that clinicians may see in their practice. … Read More
I frequently hear that a Swollen tongue indicates Qi deficiency. It is not so! In my experience, a Swollen tongue indicates Phlegm. But let us start by describing it first. A tongue is “Swollen” when the whole body is larger than normal. Crucially, a Swollen tongue is also somewhat rounder than a normal tongue. In … Read More
The thinking about geriatrics in Chinese medicine has been dominated by Kidney deficiency for centuries. As Kidney-Jing declines as we age, the clinical approach to the treatment of the elderly has been based largely on tonifying the Kidneys. Many of the major causes of mortality in older adults, including cancer, heart disease and stroke are … Read More
Liver-Qi stagnation is one of the most “popular” diagnoses among Western practitioners. Liver-Qi stagnation is certainly very common but, in my opinion, it is over-diagnosed and over-emphasized. Besides that, it is hardly ever mentioned that practically every organ – not just the Liver – may be subject to Qi stagnation. For example, the following organs … Read More
