You may know various Chinese therapeutic practices such as zhongyao herbal medicine, zhenjiu acupuncture, tuina manual therapies, qigong and taiji physical and mental health training, and various meditative breathing exercises. All of these practices are healing and have been derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They are credited by many as medicinal treatments, but others are still leery of the practice because it takes time to understand. TCM is now considered a complementary or alternative medical system in much of the western world, while remaining a primary form of care throughout most of Asia.
The healing principles of TCM differ from the western anatomical model as it is more concerned with function, rather than dividing the physical body into parts. Much of the philosophy behind TCM is derived from the same bases as Taoism and Buddhism, reflecting the classical Chinese belief that the life and activity of individuals have an intimate relationship with the environment on all levels. This also coincides with the belief that the human body is a small universe with a complete set of sophisticated and interconnected systems that work in balance to maintain the healthy function of the human body. There are significant regional and philosophical differences between TCM practitioners and schools. However, the main concept is that of qi, which remains relatively consistent throughout all practice. The sources of the subtle life energy qi include prenatal and postnatal components such as nourishment and air. The qi circulates along certain pathways in the body, the so-called meridians, where the acupuncture points are found. Each meridian is related to the function of a specific organic system. Xue, the blood, jing, the sexual essence, shen the mind and jinye, all further liquid substances, form the five elementary substances. These have an effect on all inner organs.
The two polar, yet interconnected forces in which the universal energy is released are known as the yin and the yang. For optimal
health, a well-balanced level of these forces must be maintained. Each of these two principles can be either too weak or too strong at a particular point in the system, resulting in different pathological symptoms. Each yin contains yang in either a smaller or larger proportion and vice versa. The vital connection of the functional system forms a chain where each meridian with its acupuncture points is linked to one another.
The interaction of this functional circuit of organs in relation to its qi is regulated according to the teachings of wuxing, the five element-dependent transformation phases. There are two different physiological and two pathological relations. These are found in the zang organs (yin character) with storage function, the fu organs (yang character) with a processing function, the structural and locomotor apparatus and the sensory organs, emotions and psychophysiological conditions.
The meridian or pathway system called jingluo connects the circuit of organs. Damage occurs within the circuit due to one-sided influences, known as the six adverse external causes or liuxie: wind, cold, burning heat, humidity, summer heat and drought. The internal causes are qiqing, the seven emotions: joy, anger, sadness, pensiveness, grief, fear and fright. Aside from the aforementioned
Traditional Chinese Medicine
and its Healing Promises
Five Elements Wood Fire Earth Metal Water
Wuxing mu 木 huo 火 tu 土 jin 金 shui 水 Zang Organs
(Storing) Liver Heart Spleen Lungs Kidneys Fu Organs
(Processing) Gall Bladder Small Intestines Stomach Large Intestine BladderUrinary
Tissues Tendons Vessels Muscles Skin/Hair Bones/Marrow
Face Eyes Tongue Mouth Nose Ears
2010 August - September
81
www.china.ahk.de
A Universal Connection
influences, there are situational disturbances such as dietary lapses, excessive sexual activity, over exertion, injuries, parasites, poisoning and congenital factors.
The bagang, the eight basic principles, confirm whether or not an illness has outer or inner symptoms, is cold or hot, or shows emptiness or fullness. This information can determine if a yin or yang illness is present.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been modernised to some degree by transforming the plants and ingredients that correlate to the inadequate function of the body into soluble granules and tablets. Modern formulations in pills and sachets use 675 plant and fungi ingredients and about 25 from non-plant sources such as minerals, reptiles, bees, and earthworms.
Investigation of the active ingredients in TCM is continuous; however some mainstream western-style drugs have already incorporated TCM ingredients, for example Artemisinin that is now widely used in the treatment of malaria. There is something to be said about the body’s response to the active ingredients in proven forms of effective Traditional Chinese Medicine. Maybe the universe is more connected than we think?
About the Author: Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Heise
Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Heise became a Professor of Western Medicine to learn the basic concepts of diagnosis and treatment of internal medicine and psychotherapy. He then travelled to China in 1985 as a Sinologist to study TCM for two years and practiced nature medicine in Germany for many years to follow. As the Chief Doctor of a hospital first in Germany and now in Shanghai, he continued his research and combined the results and technology from Russian space medicine with his own TCM practice, creating the ‘elektrobio Transcultural Nature Healing®’. Now he is cooperating with top level doctors in China to treat the body, mind and soul and invigorate the self-healing power to overcome health issues and strengthen the body for a vivacious future.
About his Modernised TCM Practice
In a space-medicine programme, the Russians developed a way to measure the skin resistance at acupuncture points. This has been purchased by Germans and connected to other nature heal- ing methods like homeopathy, Bach remedies, Schuessler salts, cell therapies and bioresonance principles, but is now further applied using knowledge of measuring specific biofunctions & bioregulations via heart rate variability. This provides a basis for preventive medicine, which can predetermine approximately when a heart attack will occur or what kind of damage is taking place due to daily stress.
On my first visit to the scruffy little horse club in a remote corner of Chang’an, Dongguan, I took a class, my horse bucked, I fell – and the teacher administered the animal a good beating as a consequence. On my second visit to the stable, it had relocated, and the once grungy Chang’an Horse Club had transformed into the upscale star-rated Cam- elot Country Club and Riding Resort. It was the masterpiece of owner and head coach Li Zhen Qiang, a Dongguan native, Olympic equestrian and China’s star showjumper.
At the posh resort, we were taken on a full tour of the expansive deluxe premise – first to the Italian restaurant, then the gym, the spa, the en- tertainment area with a movie theatre, tennis courts, a pool, the confer- ence centre and a lake with imported white swans. There was a look of surprise and dismay on the face of the guide when we carefully implied whether we could skip this part and just see the horses, for which we had come in the first place. But we could have never afforded the all- inclusive annual membership anyway.
A horse-lover in China exploring the local equestrian scene needs to be prepared for a range of emotions; it is a country in which the idea of a horse whisperer produces a healthy laugh and the animals are more of- ten than not held under inappropriate conditions, but a one-hour riding class can still cost more than in Europe or even Hong Kong, easily reach- ing RMB 500 and over in Beijing.
As other fields in China, modern horsemanship only looks back on a short history. “The interest in horses is driven greatly by status rather than the animal or sport itself,” a Dongguan friend and true horse lover, Liu Wen Quan, describes. “A horse is first and foremost considered a sophisticated sports tool for the exclusive upper class.”
Liu is most likely the only person in Guangdong province who can ride a horse, smoke a cigarette and use a cell phone at the same time. He belongs to a small group of genuine horsemen who are starting from the hooves up in their mission to bring horses and the lifestyle connected to them closer to the people.
Sometimes it is nice to have a place in the city that completely lets you forget that you are in Beijing. The Garden Stable just south of the Sun He River is one of those places. Friendly wandering puppies and kittens are playing in the sun, and an ornery threesome of geese is honking in defense of their ter- ritory, the little pond. The roofed patio invites to linger in one of the wicker chairs and enjoy a cup of tea while a horse whinnies from the stable and a skewbald pony is enjoying a coltish time out in the open paddock.
Once you have made it here where the air is fresher and the grass is greener somewhere between Chaoyang and Shunyi, the thought of returning to the city results in a major internal conflict. A black Jeep Cherokee parked on the gravel lot indicates that Li Wei is around somewhere, puffing his signature pipe, checking up on things or discussing horse issues in fluent Hungarian with the young Hungarian Bakaigy, another indispensable fixture at the stable. Li is the soul of Garden Stable and a co-owner – unfortunately of several who do not share his vision of casual summer BBQ or Goulash eve- nings on the patio with other horse and nature lovers but are rather eyeing a second, more profitable ‘Camelot’.
Li was 14 years old when he rode his bike to a horse ring south of the city, where one round on horseback cost five yuan. He bought three rounds, and with the remaining five yuan a snack and a drink. But it wasn’t until he arrived in the ‘hometown of horses’, as he dubs it, that he developed a true love and appreciation of horsemanship. When he turned 18, his father wanted him to see the world – and as far as his father, a Professor of Hungarian History and Language at the Beijing Foreign Language University, was concerned, the nicest spot in the world was Hungary. So Li attended university there and later worked as a translator for the Hungarian government – with every weekend spent on horseback. When he returned to China, his job prospects were bleak; he struggled selling high-quality German mortar for a while until he fi- nally decided to join forces with fellow horse enthusiasts and establish a little club with 1.5ha of land, seven horses and five people.
The club quickly outgrew its original location and is now split up between the Garden Stable with 25 horses, and the bigger sister club Yue He Wan a bit further up the road towards Jingmi with about 55 horses. The two clubs