Paper introduction · published with the authors’ permission
Dr Ang’s introduction
This is the second part of what Dr Mikhail Teppone emailed me. I am helping him put it on my website so that more readers can see his paper.
Abstract
The terms and theories applied in traditional Chinese medicine are interpreted in this article. Qi can be imagined as a universal measuring and comparison unit, as well as a common managing parameter in a cybernetic sense. Heat and Cold are suggested as an evaluation of heat production by the patient’s body or organs, and Selye’s theory of stress is compared with Zhang’s theory of the Six Channels.
Finally, theories used in traditional Chinese medicine are explained as a mathematical model showing general physiological and pathological processes taking place in the human body.
Key words: traditional Chinese medicine theory, Qi, Tao, Yin, Yang, Five Elements, Heat, Cold, Excess and Deficiency.
Introduction
Do we need to preserve the original traditional Chinese medicine language, or is it possible to match its terms with equivalents in modern medicine? Can a Western physician apply such terms as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Excess or Deficiency, and Heat or Cold in daily acupuncture practice?
In this article, we attempt to answer these questions and suggest reasonable explanations of the main terms and theories applied in traditional Chinese medicine.