Chat #31~Chat #40

Chat #31

Five Kinds of People: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water

Contracting Illness has its Differences

In the last chapter, we discussed that among the internal environment factors, both the strength and weakness of the body constitution as well as the fatness or thinness of the body has an influence on health. In this chapter, we will continue to analyze other aspects of the body constitution factor.

The third factor is body shape. We previously mentioned that Chinese medicine is based on the Five Elements theory and it takes body shapes and divides them into the five kinds; wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This is called the ‘Five Elements person.’ Let’s take a look at the special characteristics of each kind.

The wood element person. From our discussion we learned that wood corresponds to what organ? The liver. What color is under the liver’s control?

The liver governs green, which includes bright green and blue. In that case, the chief characteristic of a wood element person is a face with a green hue. In the famous Chinese novel, Water Margin, there is a character named Yangzhi and his nickname is ‘green faced beast.’ Of course, we can surmise that this was some kind of a birthmark. This reference to a green face refers primarily to the fact that the face seems to have a green hue. Aside from a green facial hue, the wood element person’s body shape is oftentimes; ‘small head, long face, large shoulders and back, straight posture.’ The outstanding personality characteristics of a wood element person is; ‘a person of talent, labors mentally and seldom physically, and worries about getting things done.’ This kind of person’s response to climate changes; ‘is enabled in spring and summer and unable in autumn and winter.’ If an illness comes in spring or summer, relatively speaking it would be light and easy to cure. However,if an illness occurs in autumn or winter, oftentimes would be very serious and relatively difficult to cure. The wood element person is more susceptible to liver illnesses than others. Please note that all the phrases in quotation marks are from the classical sourcebook of Chinese medicine, The Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor, a book that was published and disseminated at least two thousand years ago. Phrases in quotation marks below are from the same source.

The Fire element person. Fire corresponds to what organ? The heart. What color is under the heart’s control? The color red. Therefore, the chief characteristic of the fire element person is a face with a red hue. Aside from a red facial hue, the fire element person’s body shape is oftentimes; ‘intelligent face and small head, excellent shoulders, back and hips, small hands and feet, walks with a steady gait and a quick pace.’ The outstanding personality characteristics of this kind of person are; ‘seldom trusts people, worries profusely, sees the truth in a situation, gets angry easily, gets things done hastily.’ This kind of person’s response to climate changes is as follows; ‘is enabled in spring and summer and unable in autumn and winter.’ If illness occurs during the spring or summer, then relatively speaking, the illness will be light and easy to cure. However, an autumn or winter illness oftentimes will be very serious and relatively difficult to cure. The fire element person is more easily susceptible to heart ailments than others.

       The earth element person. Earth corresponds to what organ? The spleen. What color is under the spleen’s control? The color yellow. Therefore the chief characteristic of the earth element person is a face with a yellow hue. Aside from a yellow facial hue, the body shape of the earth element person is oftentimes; ‘round face, large head, well formed shoulders and back, large abdomen, excellent thighs and calves, large hands and feet, and an abundance of flesh.’ The outstanding personality characteristics of this kind of person are; ‘steady nature, enjoys helping others, doesn’t find joy in power and influence, good at listening and obeying.’ This kind of person’s response to climate changes is as follows; ‘enabled in autumn and winter, unable in spring and summer.’ If illness occurs in autumn or winter, the disease will be relatively light and easy to cure. However, a spring or summer illness oftentimes will be very serious and relatively difficult to cure. The earth element person is more easily susceptible to gastrointestinal illnesses than others.

Metal element person. Metal corresponds to what organ? The lungs. What color is under the lungs control? The color white. Therefore the chief characteristic of metal element person is a face with a white hue. Aside from a white facial hue, the metal element person’s body shape is oftentimes; ‘small head, shoulders and back, small hands and feet, small abdomen, light weight bones.’ The outstanding personality characteristics of this kind of person are: ‘body is clean and pure [doesn’t covet wealth], anxious heart and mind, holds tenaciously to serenity, [guards serenity vigilantly], skilled at social service.’ This kind of person’s response to climate changes is; ‘enabled in autumn and winter, unable in spring and summer.’ If an autumn or winter illness comes, it will be relatively light and easy to cure. However, a spring or summer illness oftentimes will be very serious and relatively difficult to cure. The metal element person is more easily susceptible to lung ailments than others.

The water element person. Water corresponds to what organ? The kidneys. What color is under the kidneys control? The color black. Therefore the chief characteristic of the water element person is a face with a black hue. Aside from a black facial hue, the body shape of the water element person is oftentimes; ‘uneven facial features, large head, small shoulders, large abdomen, large hands and feet, a swaggering gait [when moving likes to swing to and fro], a long sacrum,[long buttocks], an extended back, [long back], and light bones.’ The special personality characteristics of this kind of person are; ‘does not venerate, [not fearful of authority], skilled at taking advantage of people, [good at criticizing others].’ This kind of person’s response to climate changes is; ‘enabled in autumn and winter, unable in spring and summer.’ If an autumn or winter illness comes, it will be relatively light and easy to cure. However, an illness in spring or summer oftentimes will be very serious and relatively difficult to cure.

       Dear Reader, if you’d like to take another step in gaining deeper insight, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #32

Blood types are not just A, B, O, AB

There is Equilibrium, Weak and Injured, and Stagnation from Hematoma

In the last chapter, we discussed body shape among the body constitution factors, the ‘Five Elements Person’ question. We already mentioned that the body constitution factors include; the question of strength and weakness, fatness and thinness, body shape and blood type. Here we will examine the question of blood type.

You might laugh and say blood type is known as A, B, O and AB, isn’t it? You are correct, however, here we are looking from the perspective of Chinese medicine to discuss the question of blood types.

Chinese medicine takes the material foundation for the most basic life activities sustaining the body as blood and qi. Qi is formless, it is manifested through the body’s functional activities, such as moving, using hands to do something, turning of the eyeballs, breathing through the nose, etc. These are all manifestations of qi. What is the material foundation of qi? What protects qi’s normal functioning? That is the blood.

Blood is qi, or said another way, it is the material basis of the body’s functionality. How do we know the status of blood circulation in the body? We know it from skin and overall condition.

If skin color, especially face color, exhibits a red glossiness then this expresses that the body’s blood flow is normal. Someone might ask about the case of a black person. Please realize that the term red and glossy, refers to both color and moist glossiness. In any kind of person, if the skin manifests glossiness then we can evaluate it as brimming with blood.

Since we can determine the degree of abundance of blood from expression on the skin, then at the same time we can make a definitive diagnosis. This is the standpoint of Chinese medicine on the distinction of blood types. Concretely speaking, blood types can be divided as; in equilibrium, weak and injured and stagnation from hematoma.

The equilibrium type. With this kind of blood type, the face is red and glossy, the lips are shiny red, the eyes glow with spirit, the skin on the body is red and glossy. There is also a fairly stringent judgment standard, that the finger and toenails are full of red gloss, bright and clear. Everyone knows that in Chinese medicine diagnosis, there are two kinds of important measurements; one is the condition of the tongue, and one is the condition of the pulse. The condition of pulse is hard for the average person to grasp. We’ll concentrate on talking about the condition of the tongue. For the most part looking at the tongue can be divided into two sections; the tongue coating and the tongue form. In a person with blood in equilibrium, the tongue coating is thin and white, the tongue form is red and moist and the pulse is steady, unhurried and strong.

The weak and injured type. This blood type includes those prone to weak qi, those prone to weak blood and those prone to both weak qi and blood. For those who are prone to weak qi, face color is white and lacks glossiness. It carries with it a fatigue and malaise, a loss of breath with movement, a tongue coating which is white and thick, and a tongue form which is fat and big, with teeth marks on the sides. As for pulse, it is lingering [floating feebly] and lacking strength, or slippery like pearls rolling and sliding smoothly on a round plate. For those prone to weak blood, face color is also white and without glossiness, but even more important is the fact that the lips and eyelids are pale white, as well as the finger and toenails. The pulse is delicate, like strands of silk. The level of blood cells is also an important index sign, that is, as in the case of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, there is a diminished number of white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and red blood protein, etc. These are all incorporated into the category of what Chinese medicine calls weakened blood. In the case of weakened qi and blood, at the same time both kinds of conditions present.

The stagnation from hematoma type: A person with this kind of blood type is most closely linked to diseases of the heart and brain blood vessels, hardening of the arteries and cancer. Concretely speaking, the stagnation by hematoma type can be divided into those prone to stagnant qi, those prone to stagnant blood and those prone to both.

Those prone to stagnant qi have a face color which is difficult to discern because there are no outstanding signs, however there is an obvious symptom which can be detected, for example one section of the body, especially the two flanks of the trunk, the abdomen, or the chest can all exhibit feelings of swelling, stuffiness, and fullness from indigestion. If there is pain then it will be swelling pain, moreover often the pain will not be in one set area, it can be mobile and belching can emerge, as well as meiheqi.

As mentioned above, these symptoms can change emotions especially sparking an increase in anger. In addition, there will be a tongue coating which for most part is thin and white or slightly smooth. The pulse will be extremely predictable having a definitive and deliberate rhythmic pulse. It can also be said that this kind of pulse feels like the strings of a musical instrument.

Those prone to stagnant blood have a face color with a distinctive dark cast, the lips are dark or purple, especially outstanding is the essential color of the tongue which is dark or purple. As far as symptoms go, this is also very predictable. If pain occurs in any section of the body, especially the two flanks, abdomen, chest or brain, etc. the nature of the pain is like prickly needles, moreover oftentimes the pain is stationary and easily occurs at night. As for pulse, it is also a typical case of ‘rough pulse’ with the feeling of uneven choppiness like knives paring bamboo. Please be aware that research reveals that on one or two sides of the tongue, strands of twisted shaped blood stigma show up, this is called ‘liver swelling line.’ The liver swelling line is the ancient name for liver cancer, and had definite reference value in the early period for diagnosis of liver cancer.

Clinically speaking, we can also identify a pulse that emerges wriggling like a snake, we call this the ‘snake form pulse’ and it reflects blood flow blockage, perhaps a kind of pre-cancer or already cancerous condition. If this kind of pulse is discovered and preventive therapies are selected promptly, then possibly the occurrence of a bout of cancer can be avoided.

       Finally let’s look at the hematoma and stagnation type with stagnation and hematoma of the blood. As the name suggests, this is a condition prone to stagnation of qi as well as hematoma of the blood, with both kinds of distinctive symptoms.

Dear Reader, we have already introduced the fact that the three aspects of internal environmental factors include; the body constitution factor, the gene factor and the chronic illness factor. Having discussed the body constitution factor, let’s continue with the question of genes. If you’d like to familiarize yourself with the clues, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #33

Genes Suddenly Change Causing Cancer

Tian Gui Suddenly Changes Causing Chaos in Qi and Blood

In the last chapter, we completed our discussion of the body constitution, one of the internal environmental factors. Now we turn to genes.

What are genes? Before answering this question, lets first look at what cells are. Speaking of cells, let’s look at the chicken egg. The chicken egg is composed of three parts; the shell, the albumen and the yolk. Everyone knows that a chicken egg is itself a single cell. In that case, in talking about cells, the cell is composed of three parts; cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. Those different parts correspond to the chicken egg’s shell, albumen and yolk. The cell’s membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus all have different functions. When we talk about genes, we are primarily involved with the nucleus.

How is it that we grow until we reach a certain point and then we stop growing? How is it that the human heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and other organs grow until they reach a certain size and then they stop growing? Taking a closer look, why do the cells inside the human body grow to a certain size and then stop growing? Why does the body’s cell metabolism from birth, growth, maturity, decline and death all proceed automatically according to laws. Who is directing them?

Speaking of who directs the family, that is our father and mother, scientifically speaking those are our heritor genes. Passing through the germ cells of father and mother, the hereditary genes are transmitted to the next generation. Where do the hereditary genes of the human body live? They live inside the cell nucleus.

In that case, how many hereditary genes are there inside a cell? The revelation is startling, it is approximately five thousand! Moreover, each gene has a blueprint which can create different proteinochrome shouldering different responsibilities. We can see that genes are the ‘directors of life’, a fully deserved title.

What kind of appearance do genes have? In order to understand what genes are about we must first understand the appearance of chromosomes. How is that chromosomes issue forth?

First let’s take a look at what chromosomes are. Chromosomes are a kind of matter inside the cell nucleus. At the time when fine cell division occurs, this kind of matter is easily dyed by alkalinity so it is called chromosome, ‘chrome’ meaning pigment. Altogether, humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, among them there is one pair called the heterosome, the other twenty-two pairs are called autosomes. The heterosome controls the defining hereditary characteristics of gender, the autosomes control all other defining hereditary characteristics. In every pair of chromosomes, one strand transmits the father’s hereditary code, one strand transmits the mother’s hereditary code.

Speaking of the appearance of chromosomes, they are elongated, very delicate, and shaped like the silk thread from a wriggling insect. What constitutes chromosomes? Chromosomes are primarily composed of DNA. Please be alert to the fact that DNA is an extremely vital question. Genes are primarily composed from DNA. Where does DNA reside? DNA is on the top portion of the chromosomes.

Imagine for a moment a rope ladder. The rope ladder is constructed of two sides which are vertically supported by rope and a horizontal path which treads across the ladder. The shape of DNA is like an open rope ladder twisting in such a way that its looks like a spiral. Therefore DNA’s shape is like a spiraled ladder. Of course, in actual fact, DNA exhibits a ladder shape with a double spiral.

       Having reached this point, some readers might ask what exactly is the relationship between genes and cancer, and how are Chinese medicine theories relevant? I will reach these topics incrementally. However, before ending this chapter, I’d first like to give a hint about the definite hereditary tendency of changes in genes or, said another way, the sudden transformation of genes which leads to cancer. Moreover, in Chinese medicine there is a kind of Tian Gui theory, which despite differences with modern gene theory shares the same level of excellence. If you’d like to unravel the clues, then please read on to the next chapter.

Chat #34

Hereditary Factor Transmits the Basis for Cancer

Deficient Kidney Essence Brews Tumor

In the last chapter, we talked about the appearance of genes shaped like a double spiraled ladder. What then are genes formed of? They are primarily the chemical components of DNA. Therefore, we know that the appearance of genes is that of DNA, and that they are more or less one system.

What constitutes DNA? It is formed from base pairs. In that case, how many strands of genes are there in the human body and how many base pairs? The human body has about a hundred thousand genes and about three billion base pairs.

If we take the constituent parts and organize them into a chart based on an alphabetized arrangement of each component, this is called the DNA alphabet chart. The resulting organizational arrangement on the DNA alphabet chart of four kinds of alphabetized letters; A, G, C, T, separately represent adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Their ordered sequence stores up every kind of hereditary information and life directive within DNA. Understanding its precise sequence, is referred to as surveying the sequence, analyzing the translation or unraveling the code.

We know that the history of natural science in the twentieth century had “Three Projects”; the Manhattan Project of the atom bomb, Apollo Project ascending to the moon, and the Human Genome Project. The core of the Human Genome Project is to determine the complete order of the human genome. If you think about uncovering the secret three billion base pairs, this is truly like poring over the mysteries of the Daoist Book of Heaven. Fortunately, this scientific research which is so closely related to humanity already achieved a spectacular breakthrough in June of 2000. The secrets of human growth, development, decline as well as pathological hereditary changes will possibly all be uncovered.

With an understanding of the fundamentals of genes, we can take another look at their relationship to the formation of cancer. When carcinogenic substances enters the cell nucleus and combine with its DNA, it can lead to the occurrence of abnormal changes called gene mutation. After the gene has undergone mutation, it is referred to as a cancerous gene. This cancerous gene not only can lead to the occurrence of cancer, moreover it is possible that its properties can be transmitted to the next generation. For example, if a woman’s mother or sisters were stricken with breast cancer, the chances of her contracting breast cancer are higher than the average person by two or three times. If the father was stricken with polyposis coli, then half of his offspring have the chance to contract it, and the proportion of those who contract it increases. In a family with a history of smokers, the proportion of those stricken with lung cancer is five to fourteen or more times higher than for those in a family of non-smokers.

Now let’s familiarize ourselves with ancient Chinese medicine’s cognition of hereditary genes. The quotations in the next three paragraphs are from the classical source of Chinese medicine Huangdi Neijing, The Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor. A comprehensive compilation of three thousand years of theories has important practical significance in the prevention and protection of health even today.

First let’s look at the initial condition of the human body. “When a person starts to come into being, first the vital essence is completed, once the essence completed then the brain comes into being.” This is to say that in the initial stage of a person’s development, the essential qi is first received from the father and mother as the innate essence. Then the embryo takes this vital essence and combines it with its own vital essence and the brain begins to develop. It is not hard to see that this vital qi of the parents has comparable significance to what is talked about in modern terms as hereditary genes.

Chinese medical science even makes gender distinctions in differentiating the process of growth, development, decline and old age. As for knowledge of women’s issues, we turn to this paragraph: “When a girl reaches seven years old, the kidney qi is abundant and the teeth then start to grow.” In other words, beginning at the age of seven, the innate essence given from the parents is already sufficient to promote the synthesis of one’s own kidney qi . When the body’s own kidney qi begins to brim with energy, the external sign is the beginning of changing teeth, and long hair growth. “At two-seven, the Tian Gui arrives, the Ren Mai flows, the Tai Chong is full, the monthly event is timely, therefore there are children.” That is to say, at two times seven, age fourteen, after the internal body already has innate essence and enough of its own kidney qi to promote whole unity, a kind of extremely important matter is formed in one’s body which has hereditary properties, moreover it threads through one’s whole life from beginning to end, and is called Tian Gui. When Tian Gui forms, it indicates that a person has the hereditary capability to pass to the next generation. At this time, the body’s two lines of Ren and Chong channels and vessels are full, menstruation occurs and along with it childbearing ability.

“At three-seven, the kidney qi is evenly distributed, therefore the true teeth emerge and grow to the maximum.” That is to say three-seven, at age twenty-one, one’s own body has reached complete kidney qi capability and responds to the developmental need for equilibrium. The sign is the full growth of wisdom teeth, marking the successful completion of the teeth.

“At four-seven, muscles and bones are sturdy, reaching maximum growth, the body is fully robust.” Four-seven, at age twenty-eight, all parts of the body, organs and tissues have reached their pinnacle stage, marked by sturdy muscles and bones, luxuriant head hair and a body full of vigor.

“At five-seven, the yang vessel is weakening, the face begins to wither, issuing forth the beginning of decline.” This is to say that at five-seven, age thirty-five, the Yang Ming vessel starts to age and decline, and this first begins from the stomach.

“At six-seven, the Three Yang vessels decline at the top, the face is all withered, hair begins whitening.” This is to say at six-seven, forty-two years old, the Three Yang vessels which are the Tai Yang [small intestines and bladder], the Yang Ming [ large intestines and stomach], the Shao Yang, [ Three Burner and the gall bladder] all have declined. It is signaled by a face which already lacks glistening luster and the emergence of white hair.

“At Seven-seven, Ren Mai vessel is weakened, Chong Mai vessel is reduced, Tian Gui is used up, the road path is blocked, therefore the form has broken and there are no children.” This is to say at seven-seven, age forty-nine, governing the body’s Yin Channel’s Ren vessel is also extremely weak, and the Chong vessel, acting as the body’s ‘sea of blood’ has also declined. At this time, the Tian Gui has reached the point of depletion, the body can no longer get pregnant and the ability to pass heredity down to the next generation has been lost.

Consequently, the whole life of a woman cannot be separated from the innate essence given from the parents which also follows the prosperity and decline of kidney essence. Thinking about this makes us realize that if the innate essence given by the parents is inherently weak, or if there is one or another kind of defect, including tumors and many illnesses, there will necessarily be a compelling influence.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to go a step further to deepen your understanding, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #35

Women 2x7, Men 2x8

Women 7x7, Men 8x8

In the last chapter, we began to discuss ancient Chinese knowledge of hereditary genes in Chinese medicinal science. We talked about the fact that for Chinese medicine, the source of hereditary genes is from the parents and is called the innate essence. Moreover, Chinese medical science considers that after the innate essence from the parents has combined with the body’s own self produced postnatal essence, a matter of extremely pure essence is formed during infancy, a kind of matter which can once again be transmitted through genes to the next generation, moreover it can tip the scale in influencing growth, development, decline, illness and death. This kind of matter is known as Tian Gui. The reason for differences in the process of growth, development, decline and old age come from Tian Gui.

We can see that although Chinese medicinal science has a broad view towards hereditary gene cognition, yet it has its area of expertise. For example, it considers that hereditary genes from the parents combine with postnatal self produced essential matter and forms yet another hereditary transmission to the next generation containing those special genes of the new generation. Moreover, genes of men and women play different roles throughout their lives in addition to following the body’s age, growth to peak and decline. From the point of view of hereditary and physiological science, are there not places of valuable reference material which we can benefit from here? Hopefully, scholars in this field will have the interest to research it.

Lady’s first, so we have already discussed the process of growth, development and decline of women. Now let’s turn to the process of growth, development and decline for men. Please note that all quotations are still from the classic writing on Chinese medicine, The Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor.

“A man at eight years, kidney qi is flourishing, hair begins to grow, teeth are changing.” In other words, starting from the age of eight, the innate essence given from the father and mother is already sufficient to promote synthesis of one’s own kidney qi. When one’s own kidney qi begins to brim with energy, it is signaled by the beginning of growing permanent teeth and long hair.

“At two-eight, kidney qi is flourishing, Tian Gui i has arrived, vital essence is overflowing, yin and yang are united, therefore there are children.” In other words, at two times eight, sixteen years old, after the body is already able to promote conformity between one’s innate essence and one’s own kidney qi, the formation of crucial matter occurs within one’s own body. This kind of matter is transmitted by heredity and threads throughout one’s whole life from beginning to end, and it is called Tian Gui. When the Tian Gui forms, the sign is hereditary transmission capability to the next generation. At this time, the body’s kidney qi is prolific, there is ejection capability and if there is sexual intercourse with a woman, the woman can become pregnant.

“3-8, kidney qi is in even distribution, tendons and bones are tough and strong therefore the true teeth emerge and grow to the maximum.” In other words, 3-8, at age 24, one’s own kidney qi has already reached complete mastery in coping with the developmental needs necessary to reach a condition of equilibrium. The sign is the body’s steel-like power in tendons and bones, the full eruption of the wisdom teeth and the perfection of all the teeth.

“4-8, tendon and bone cavity is at its prime, muscles are full of strength.” In other words, at 4-8, 32 years old, each and every part of the body’s organs and tissues are in a vigorous stage. The sign is that the tendons and bones are bulky, ample and hard, muscles are plentiful and sturdy.

“5-8, kidney qi declines, hair falls, teeth decay.” In other words, 5-8, at age 40, the kidney qi starts to decline and age. Please note that this point differs from women at 35 years old whose decline and aging starts from the stomach. At this time, the hair thinning begins to appear for men, teeth start to dry out and lose their glistening moistness.

“6-8, yang qi declines to exhaustion, face is darkened, hair is speckled white.” In other words, at 6-8, 48 years old, yang qi is clearly insufficient and is failing in strength. The sign is a face already devoid of vigor and hair which has begun to show white strands.

“7-8, liver qi is weakening, tendons are unable to move, Tian Gui is exhausted, essence is reduced, kidney organ is declining, all forms are at the limit.” In other words, at 7-8, 56 years old, the liver function is weakening and since the liver governs the tendons, therefore the mobility of the limbs has reached a limit. Another aspect upon reaching this stage is that the Tian Gui has been depleted and ejection of sperm is very few. Concerning kidney function, please note that the 6-8 stage describes “kidney qi weakening”, and reaching the 7-8 stage describes “the kidney organ weakening.” What then is the difference? Since the kidney has kidney-yin and kidney-yang, the kidney-yin is the kidney’s essence, blood and water. The kidney-yang is the kidney’s qi, yang and fire. In the 6-8 stage, it is only that the kidney qi has weakened, and that the kidney’s function has weakened and been reduced. Whereas at the 7-8 stage, the weakening and reduction of the kidney includes both function and matter. The kidney matter is represented by the kidney essence, therefore we say “essence reduced.” At this time, the body constitution whether it be external or internal, are both clearly failing. However, please note that reaching this stage, we have still not mentioned the question of losing reproductive capability.

“8-8 consequently teeth come out. Five organs are all declining, tendons and bones are loose and sunken, Tian Gui is completely exhausted. The body is heavy, walking motion is not upright and there are no offspring.” In other words, at 8-8, 64 years of age, even the kidney is included in the decline of the five organs. The Tian Gui is almost completely depleted therefore, looking at external proof, teeth are falling out, head hair is gone, the body is heavy, walking is unsteady and the ability to propagate children is gone.

For these reasons, the whole life of a male cannot be separated from either the innate essence given by the father and mother or the kidney essence in its stages of prosperity and decline. At the same time, if the innate essence given by the parents inherently lacks strength, or has this or that kind of defect, including tumors and many kinds of diseases, this will necessarily have a very serious impact.

We have now discussed the influence of genes on health which can lead to cancer from both the Chinese and Western medicine perspectives. In the next chapter, we will take up the last question among the internal environmental factors.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to deepen your understanding, then please read on to the analysis coming up.

Chat #36

Chronic Diseases Divide into Two Categories:

With or Without Symptoms

In the last chapter, we discussed the understanding of genes in traditional Chinese medical science. In this chapter, we will look at the factor of chronic diseases.

In my clinical experience, I regularly encounter many cancer patients who all ask the same type of question: In the past I have always enjoyed good health, why was I stricken with cancer?

A recent case was a middle-aged patient who had always been in good health and several days before developed a cough. X-ray examination revealed there was an area of dark shadow on the lung and follow-up examination verified it to be lung cancer. He was completely stunned and couldn’t understand how he had never had any symptoms to indicate that something was wrong and then suddenly lung cancer occurred.

Lately another case concerned a vibrant thirty year old woman who had inadvertently brushed against the side of her breast and found a small, round lump. The resulting examination proved it to be breast cancer. She was also utterly devastated. Why had she who had enjoyed perfect health, exercised regularly, had been admired by her friends for her healthy lifestyle, ate and drank carefully, and maintained a healthy and beautiful body, had become so unlucky now.

My Ph.D. dissertation research concerned stomach cancer in its pre-pathological stage. Clinically speaking, chronic gastritis is a very commonly seen disease. It is divided into superficial and atrophic gastritis, etc. If superficial gastritis continues on for a long time, it cannot be cured and a period of changes follows which can lead to the stomach attaching to the membrane of the body of the gland causing atrophy. Following this is the occurrence of atrophic gastritis. Of those with atrophic gastritis, ten to fifteen percent can develop stomach cancer.

       In the previous examples of lung and breast cancer, inquiry into the history of illness showed that both of them had experienced a serious injury many years before. Moreover, among the cases of stomach cancer in the pre-pathological stage, from superficial gastritis to atrophic gastritis, then progressing from atrophic gastritis to stomach cancer, the process was really not a brief period, often reaching as far back decades to as much as forty years. As a result of this, I think that so-called chronic diseases in relationship to the formation of cancer should include two types; one type that has clinical symptoms which are easily identifiable and can give an unequivocal diagnosis. The other type has practically no symptoms whatsoever, yet surprisingly occurs stealthily within the body. They are both referred to as pre-cancerous pathology.

As the name implies, pre-cancerous pathology is the condition before the disease of cancer actually occurs. What already exists can possibly develop into cancer or it can lay concealed in a pre-cancerous condition. For example, breast cancer often occurs from normal breast gland enlargement, from enlargement to atypical enlargement and then developing into a primary cancer site and finally developing into infiltrated cancer. For stomach cancer, the formation and developmental process is the same as for breast cancer. It can also go through a period of over ten to thirty years.

A short time ago, I also had a patient who had been bitten by a mosquito on his right ankle over twenty years ago. At the time, he casually rubbed some external medicine on it and that was all. However, the skin where the insect had bitten him repeatedly flared up and all along he neglected to take care of it and get it completely resolved. Not long ago, the localized area where he had been bitten suddenly turned black and the surface area expanded. After undergoing examination, the diagnosis was malignant change and almost his entire right leg was amputated.

Previously we analyzed that even sun exposure can lead to skin cancer. Evidently, chronic diseases including chronic injuries can potentially lead to malignant changes as well.

One point of research by Japan’s Dr. Tian Lin Chang Xiong, Ph.D. was to take existing cancers which do not have cures or ways to be detected or cancers which are difficult to detect and identify them as ‘micro-cancers.’ Moreover he considered the weight of these micro-cancers to be less than one gram, with a diameter not reaching five millimeters. The time for these micro-cancers to form required approximately ten years. If it develops until it is detectable, then it is referred to as clinical cancer. Therefore, ordinarily when we speak of cancer usually we are referring to all clinical cancers.

Another Japanese researcher, Dr. Guan Ye Qing Fu, Ph.D. has taken small samples from the stomach, thyroid and the prostate gland, etc. of those who had died of ordinary diseases and was astonished to discover that they had micro-cancers within their organs; in the stomach, one to two percent, in the thyroid, twelve percent, in the prostate, ten percent. He went a step further in the examination of corpses and made the startling discovery that approximately half of the elderly had micro-cancers.

We have used the entire chapter thirty six to discuss the question of cancer’s causal factors. We can say that looking from the perspective of Chinese medicine and combining it with appropriate and related theories from Western medicine advances our analysis.

It should be pointed out that the reasons for cancer are an extremely complex problem and up until now, there are still no definitive conclusions. However, the four main factors of emotions, food and beverages, lifestyle habits and environment play a very important role in the development of cancer. We can clearly see that in the prevention and cure for cancer, they have important guiding principles.

As for the question of the origin of cancer, we now have a firm grasp. Nevertheless, what about the factors which lead to illness and their after effect on the body? Once inside the body, how does cancer occur and how do cancerous changes occur?

Dear Reader, if you’d like to deepen your understanding, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #37

Cells Mutate to a Carcinogenic Principle,

Promoting the Factor of Free Radicals

In the last chapter, we discussed the chronic illness factor and its influence in the formation of cancer and this brings to a close our investigation of the causal factors for cancer. We move on to contemplate another question: After the cause of illness invades the body and carcinogenic changes occur, what exactly happens inside the body? In other words, what is the pathology mechanism in cancer? In fact, when we discussed the origin of cancer, we already introduced several aspects pertaining to the question of the pathology mechanism. This chapter will begin to focus solely on the analysis of this question.

From our previous discussion about genes, we saw that the cells of the body develop to a certain extent and they know when to stop growing moreover, they will not continue to grow without limit. This kind of outcome is primarily brought about by the function of genes. The genetic code of the parents is passed through in the form of genes and transmitted to the next generation. The genes then can automatically tell the cells in the liver, spleen, heart, bones and muscles, blood and red blood cells how big they should grow, etc. Therefore life activities are set according to regulated developmental advancement.

As far as illness factors are concerned, including the impact of emotions, harmful eating and drinking, unhealthy life-style habits, internal and external environmental factors, whether they occur singly or in combination, they launch a large scale invasion into the body. In a mild case, then ordinary diseases like colds or gastroenteritis etc. occur. However, gradual accumulation over a long period of time, whether it be an overt or covert encroachment, can then develop into a serious illness.

       We know that genes inform the cell to stop growing according to their hereditary secret code, then what do they do after that? They stop their activity, lie in the warm embrace of the chromosomes and sleep soundly. Suddenly, just in midst of a sleepy dream, a gene is awoken by a boisterous noise outside. Opening its eyes and looking all around it exclaims, ‘What on earth is this? What is this collection of things with red eyebrows, green eyes, purple necks, black tongues?’ Originally, these are all the cancer- causing factors coming to attack the inside of the cell. The gene is terrified. It thinks, ‘What a disaster! The cell I live in is about to be torn into shreds by this band of demons. No way! I have to fight back and defend my family and my homeland!’

Everyone knows that in order to defend oneself, family and homeland, the most important thing is to strengthen oneself and only then can the enemy be destroyed. The gene is also very ‘smart’ in understanding this point. Thereupon the gene’s breath sinks into the lower abdomen, and then furiously stretches out its upper arm and shouts out ‘Right on target!’ At the same time in high spirits it gloats in triumph, ‘This time, my cell swelled up, it had the power to fight off the invader.’

The story of the attacked gene, having fought hard with fist and feet, causes the cell to begin shaking. The cell’s desire was to follow the gene’s directive and take its own armed strength moving back and forth until ‘Pow!’, can you guess what happened? The cell exploded. In scientific terms it is referred to as cell segmentation or fission. This process is the so-called gene mutation, or cell mutation. A gene that has undergone mutation is a cancerous gene.

       What is the outcome when mutation occurs? At this point, genes have long ago forgotten the teaching given by the parents, a directive now beyond the far reaches of the sky. They follow their own way, in a carefree way sweeping the length and breath under heaven. Thereupon, the cell according to the abnormal directive of the abnormal gene, from one becomes two, from two becomes four, from four becomes eight, from eight becomes sixteen, from sixteen becomes thirty-two, from thirty-two becomes sixty four, moreover following this pattern, it doubles again and again without limit increasing and advancing.

When this kind of doubling and growth reaches twenty times, the number of cancer cells in the body can reach a million. One million sounds like a big number, but in the human body, a million cancer cells is not sufficient to form a lump, so usually there are no symptomatic signs, and current medical scientific methods are unable to detect them.

When the cancer cell segmentation reaches thirty times, the number of cancer cells in the body reaches a billion. Only at this time can a lump emerge. When segmentation reaches forty times, do you know how many cancer cells there are in the body? A trillion. At this time, the trillion cells formed into a cancerous lump has the weight of approximately two pounds, or about one kilogram. If segmentation continues from forty-one to forty-three times, the body will immediately die.

In that case, why is it that the cell segmentation of the cancer cell is so relentless? Originally, the cancer cell has an extraordinarily destructive function, it seizes the body’s nutrition to the greatest extent and uses it as the cancer cell’s military force, providing it expansive protection. Cancer cells are very skilled at establishing nutritional passageways, creating a multitude of small blood vessels around them securing the vessels to import a continuous and constant flow of nutrition. Some people stricken with cancer are fuming with anger in their hearts when they read to this point and then think, ‘Okay cancer cell, you want to rob my body of nutrition, then I won’t eat, I won’t eat anything nutritious and I’ll starve you, you evil demon, I’ll starve you to death.’ Who knew that this cancer cell as soon as it sees that the source of nutrition from the mouth has been cut off, then like a crowd of hungry ghosts, will eat whatever they see. If they see the liver, then they eat it, if they see the lungs then they eat them, if they see the hard bones, then they soar up to devour and gnaw them. As a result, the body’s own choice to starve as a method of cutting off nutrition, further enhances the cancer cell’s proliferation.

       During my lectures, I regularly encounter the same kind of question; ‘What is the internal mechanism that spurs on cell mutation?’ Actually, up until now, there is no definitively accepted argument on this question. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning the theory concerning free radicals.

       The theory of free radicals is one of most influential discoveries of the last half century. What then is a free radical? Let’s first do a small experiment.

       If we take an iron rod and place it outside the house, then after a few days what will happen to it? The iron rod will begin to rust. Moreover as more time passes, the rust will become even more severe. We know the reason why the iron rod rusts is because it has oxidized.

In the case of the iron rod, we know the reason is the free radicals which spur on oxidation. Because of this, in the medical world, free radicals are considered to be a serious factor in the cause of illness. They exist widespread throughout all parts of the body, and have a great influence on the occurrence of heart, brain and blood vessel illnesses, lung and blood diseases, the process of decline and old age as well as the formation of tumors.

Since free radicals are a kind of oxidizing promoting element, or, said another way, an element which leads to super oxidation, then by evaluating on the free radical level, one is able to judge the illness as it leads to changes of decline as well as predicting the occurrence of a crisis. Along the same lines of thinking, clearing out the free radicals from the body can protect it and cure illness. Of course, these matters are still under investigative research.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to deepen your understanding even further, then please read on to the next chapter.

Chat #38

Qi, Blood, Water and Thermo Toxins, Mutually Combine

Qi, Blood, Yin-Yang, Correct Qi are all Vacuous

In the last chapter, we discussed the question of the pathological mechanism between genes and cancer. Now let’s look from the perspective of Chinese medicine to acquire an understanding of the pathological mechanism of cancer.

Previously, when we talked about the origin of cancer, many times we mentioned the problem of qi stagnation and blood stasis. Here I can clearly state that at the core of cancer’s pathological mechanism is the problem of qi stagnation and blood stasis. According to research and clinical understanding, I conclude that an understanding of the pathology of cancer from the Chinese medicine perspective is first based on the foundation of qi stagnation and blood blockage developing into eight major pathological environments; qi stagnation, blood stasis or blockage, water obstruction, thermo toxins, vacuous yin, blood, qi and yang. Please note that among the eight pathologies, the central mechanism is blood stasis and thermo toxins, abbreviated as ‘blockage toxins.’ I will address blockage toxins in following chapters. Here I will talk about the eight pathologies in sequential order.

Firstly, let’s look at the problem of qi stagnation. Chinese medicine considers that when cancerous changes occur in a section of the body, the very earliest occurrence would be qi stagnation in that area. Why is this?

We know that qi represents the body’s energy system. If qi is sufficient, then the body’s energy is sufficient. If the qi is insufficient, then it is designated as vacuous qi and the body’s energy is insufficient. Qi needs to flow through and circulate around the body and only then is it able to be present in all parts of the body. As a result, it causes every part of the body to have the energy for activity. In that case, if you think about it, if the qi does not flow through, what kind of situation will occur? The qi will of course stop and not move. If the qi is not flowing or it has stopped, this is called qi stagnation.

Qi cannot be seen or touched, yet it can be felt, just like air. Inside the body, when the qi stagnates, although there is no way that we can see it, yet we can intuit it. That is to say, we use symptoms to evaluate it. The most commonly seen symptom with qi stagnation is a feeling of swelling. If the qi stagnates in the stomach, then the gastric cavity is swollen. If qi stagnates in the intestines, then the abdominal section is swollen. If qi stagnates in the liver, the flanks will be swollen. If qi stagnates in the lungs, then the chest will be swollen. If it occurs in the brain, then the head will be swollen. If it occurs in the throat, the larynx will seem to have something stopping it up, which can’t be spit out or swallowed, this is know as MeiHe Qi, ‘Plum pit Qi’, etc. Among concrete descriptions, commonly used are; ‘full’, ‘stuffy’, ‘blocked up,’ ‘constipated’, all of which are grouped in the category of ‘swollen’. In Chinese medicine, when judging whether or not qi stagnation with pathological changes has occurred, in addition to the symptoms of fullness, oftentimes the emotional state of the person in distress is included in the analysis to determine whether or not they are easily angered and agitated, since fluctuations of emotions can aggravate the situation. Without a doubt these symptoms belongs to the category of qi stagnation. If one was to take pulse at this time, the pulse wave would be like a bow string or a lute string, referred to as a ‘bow string pulse.’

In terms of tumors, stagnant qi is like a pre-cancerous condition or the stage when the number of cancer cells cannot yet form a tumor. We know that qi inside the body must propel the circulation of blood and only then is the qi itself able to reach all parts of the body, allowing the body to maintain functional activity. At the same time, blood is also propelled by the qi, carrying nutritional components to every part of the body. It is because of this that qi and blood are often spoken of together.

Qi stagnation is a functional maladjustment and if it continues for a long period of time, there is no way for effective propulsion of blood circulation to take place. Blood flow then slows down even to the point of being blocked from movement and this type of situation is called blood stasis.

Qi is formless, without a definitive shape or location. Blood has form, a definitive shape and it occurs usually in a definitive location. Due to these factors, the special characteristic of blood stasis is pain. Since qi stagnation is the stage preceding blood stasis, therefore in the early period of blood stasis, oftentimes qi stagnation and blood stasis occur jointly. In terms of symptoms, there is the emergence of swelling and pain in a certain part of the body, the swelling is from the qi stagnation and the pain is from the blood stasis. Sometimes the swelling and pain is not in a definitive location. When the stage of blood stasis is reached, no longer are the symptoms only swelling and pain but now has turned into ‘stabbing needle pain,’ which is to say that the pain seems to feel like the body is being pierced by needles. Qi is categorized with yang, and blood with yin. Daylight is categorized with yang, and because of this qi stagnation triggers swelling or swelling pain which primarily emerges in the daytime. Moreover, blood stasis triggers pain which can also occur during the daytime, but in classic cases it will occur at night because night is categorized with yin. In sum, blood stasis pain qualities have special characteristics are are sharp, piercing pain in definitive location and occurring at night.

The four special characteristics of blood stasis are: pain, tumor, ecchymosis and bleeding. We have already discussed pain, now let’s take a look at tumors. Since blood stasis has form, then this form can pile up to become a tumor. Tumors are divided into benign or malignant properties, the malignant ones are cancerous. Therefore, we can conclude that whenever tumors occur, then necessarily there is the existence of blood stasis since tumors are the resulting build up of blood stasis.

The third special characteristic of blood stasis is ecchymosis. What exactly is ecchymosis? Hematoma is the internal pathology, and speckles are the external manifestation. This kind of external manifestation can be green and purple skin, but speaking from the perspective of Chinese medicine, even more important is the appearance of green and purple coloring with ecchymosis speckles on the tongue.

The fourth characteristic of ecchymosis is bleeding. At first this seems strange since blood stasis forms tumors and certainly blocks up a certain location in the body. How then could it lead to bleeding? If you imagine a small river blocked in the middle with large rocks, the river water has no way to pass through and then there is build up, causing the water level to rise. Once the water level rises up to a certain height, the water below is still constantly gushing inward, until the water above has no recourse but to climb over the riverbed, flushing outward. Blood stasis triggers the same principle inside the body. Hematoma blood clumps are like the big stones blocking up the middle of the riverbed, they block the blood vessels. The blood flows with great difficulty and can only collect causing the blood level to rise until finally it climbs over the blood vessels which leads to bleeding. From this kind of blood flow, since it has been stored up for a period of time before it overflowed, oftentimes it has a dark color. Because of this, all bleeding with a dark color can be considered as evidence of blood stasis. For example, the appearance of asphalt looking stool, purple-black menses, coughing up coffee colored blood, etc. are all manifestations of blood stasis.

There is still one other very important concept worthy of discussion. Blood stasis is divided into two kinds: dominant and recessive types. The dominant type has the four main characteristics of blood stasis; pain, tumor, ecchymosis, bleeding. The special characteristics of the recessive type do not have any of these symptoms, moreover there is only one sign and it comes before any of the other symptoms occur. Evaluation of blood circulation is of optimum importance and early prevention and early treatment of tumor is also critical. What then is the sign? In what way is it important?

Dear Reader, if you’d like to know the details, then please read on to the next chapter.

Chat #39

Recessive Blood Stasis, Dark Texture of the Tongue

Seeking Out Root causes of Qi, Blood, Water Pathologies

In the last chapter, we discussed pathologies related to cancer which from the Chinese medicine perspective are comprised of the eight major links; qi stagnation, blood stasis, water blockage, thermo toxins, vacuous yin, vacuous blood, vacuous qi, and vacuous yang, etc.

We have already covered qi stagnation and its four major characteristics which are; pain, tumor, ecchymosis and bleeding. When matching up these distinguishing features whether it be one or more of the four, we refer to them as dominant blood stasis.

Here we will be talking about the concept of recessive blood stasis which is of critical importance. When we speak of prevention of disease and the health of the body, nothing is more critical than discovering early stage symptoms and at the same time eradicating them. Evaluating recessive blood stasis is actually very simple but it requires knowledge of the color of the tongue. How then do we look at the color of the tongue?

If you look in the mirror and stick out your tongue, you will see there is a layer of mucous on the tongue called the fur of the tongue. Below the fur of the tongue is the body of the tongue which Chinese medicine refers to as tongue texture. When we talk about looking at the color of the tongue, we are referring specifically to the color of the tongue texture. Tongue texture can be divided into four kinds; red, crimson, purple and blue. Under ordinary circumstances, the tongue texture appears red and moist. If the red is excessive, this clearly indicates that there is heat within the body. If the color changes to dark red, this is referred to as crimson and unmistakably reveals an intense heat. If there is purple, the body is in the midst of an emergency heat illness, clearly showing that there is a thermo toxin reaching crisis proportions. In the case of a chronic illness, this signals that there is blood stasis present within the body. Blue color usually indicates blood stasis as well.

However, most commonly seen in the course of chronic illness or in a healthy body, there appears a color which has not yet reached purple, yet transitioning toward purple, or one could say is in the early stage of purple. This is named, ‘dark tongue’, which means the tongue texture has turned dark.

Dark tongue indicates that the blood circulation is not flowing without impediment and the darker the color becomes the more impeded the blood circulation is. In this stage, often there are no obvious symptoms and it is easily overlooked. However, if we have an understanding of the pathology of cancer, then we know that after qi stagnation comes blood stasis, and after blood stasis is the formation of tumor. The darkening of the tongue is actually a symbol of qi stagnation going towards blood stasis. From the perspective of prevention, when we see a dark tongue, we must begin to implement preventive measures to guard health, which may possibly stop cancer as well as circulatory blockage diseases of the heart, brain and blood vessels.

There is still another method to help in evaluating blood circulation blockage. If you stick out your tongue and lift it up you will discover that on the bottom of the tongue are blue colored blood vessels, those are veins. Under ordinary circumstances, the veins will appear even and smooth. If the veins are twisted like a snake, oftentimes the twisted path has the appearance of a small knot known as ‘twisted display of veins under the tongue’. This is an important sign for diagnosis of blood stasis.

Let’s combine our talk about the twisted snake-like veins under the tongue with a discussion about the distinctive features of pulse which identify the condition of blood stasis. There are two kinds of pulse which are critical signs; one kind is called ‘rough’ pulse. This kind of pulse feels like a small knife paring the outer skin of a bamboo tube, rough, blocked and difficult to move. The other kind has been understood intuitively through clinical experience as the ‘snake’ pulse. This kind of pulse is like the movement of a snake, although slippery yet it has twisting waves like a snake. The most outstanding clinical characteristic of snake pulse is that it is easily identifiable, expressing itself differently from other pulses. What then does that mean?

We know that in taking pulse of the left hand, three fingers pressing down can distinguish a measurement from the heart, liver and left kidney. The right hand then distinguishes a diagnosis of the lungs, spleen and stomach and right kidney. Therefore, when snake pulse emerges on the liver pulse point, this indicates the presence of blood stasis on the organ of the liver; if it occurs on the lung pulse point, there is blood stasis on the lungs, and the rest can be deduced accordingly. Isn’t this extraordinary?

We will leave our discussion of qi stagnation and blood stasis and move on to the third segment of the eight major pathologies of cancer; water obstruction.

In terms of physiological condition, the body’s qi propels the movement of blood, and when qi and blood circulate normally, the body is healthy. In addition to qi and blood, there is still another important factor, and that is the question of water. We know that seventy percent of the body is composed of water, and some readers might laugh and say ‘women are made of water’, but it turns are men are made of water as well. Actually, it is true that all living things on earth are composed of cells and the cells are in fact immersed in water and only then are they able to survive. Speaking from the point of view of Chinese medicine, qi propels the movement of the blood and at the same time also propels the movement of water throughout the entire body. If the qi is vacuous, then there is no strength to propel the movement of blood and water. If qi stagnates, then it obstructs the movement of blood and water. For blood, this becomes blood stasis, for water, this becomes water obstruction.

What exactly are the concepts of water obstruction? There are three: the first is cessation of moisture, the second is blockage of phlegm, and the third is the build-up of water.

Speaking from the perspective of Chinese medicine, water appears in the form of juices and humors, moistening all organs and tissues inside the body. When we speak of qi propelling the movement of water, in fact it is the propulsion of juices and humors. Speaking from the perspective of pathology, water also has three forms: moisture, phlegm, and rheum. How then do we interpret this?

Moisture is water’s permeation, water is moisture’s accumulation and phlegm is moisture’s gathering. This clarifies the relationship between moisture, phlegm and water. Before reaching a serious degree of water swelling with water in the chest or in the abdomen, etc., occurrence of pathological changes occurs with water storing up. This belongs to the category of the cessation of moisture and is also referred to as moisture obstruction. Clinically, most commonly seen is moisture stoppage in the spleen and stomach, liver, gallbladder and muscles. When moisture stops in the spleen and stomach, then food is tasteless and loss of appetite occurs with no desire to eat or drink. When the gastric cavity of the stomach is swollen and full, then the abdomen is distended and uncomfortable, the coating of the tongue is white and thick and the pulse is slippery. When moisture stops in the liver and gallbladder, then there will be distention of the two flanks appearing with sighing and belching, abdominal swelling and torpid intake. The coating of the tongue is thick with white or yellow, and the pulse is slippery like a bowstring. When moisture stops in the muscles, then the head and body feel heavy, weary with malaise and dispirited.

If moisture stops and there is no prompt solution, then progressing a step further it can develop into water obstruction. Water obstruction in the limbs results in puffy swelling, water obstruction in the chest water of the lungs, then produces water in the chest. Water obstruction in the stomach and intestines, then produces diarrhea. Water obstruction of the liver and kidneys, then produces abdominal water, and water swelling in the genital area of the scrotum.

What exactly is phlegm?

Esteemed Reader, if you’d like to unravel the clues, then please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.

Chat #40

Qi, Blood and Water Contend and Bind Engendering Heat

Thermo Toxins Spread and Convert to Cancer

In the last chapter, we discussed recessive blood stasis among the pathologies of blood stasis and the problem of moisture, water and phlegm among the water obstruction pathologies. Now let’s continue with an analysis of the problem of phlegm.

Chinese medicine considers the pathology of phlegm an extremely critical matter, thus the theory states: ‘the blame for strange illnesses lies with phlegm.’ This means that many bizarre diseases have properties which cannot be diagnosed according to standard theory, and when there is no way to figure out a treatment plan, oftentimes, following the theory of ‘phlegm’ makes it possible to seek a solution and surprisingly, reach effective results.

The so-called ‘phlegm’ is in fact comprised of two concepts: one with form which passes out from the mouth, the other is formless and cannot be expectorated. Some readers might find this odd; if phlegm isn’t spit out from the mouth, then how do you know that it is phlegm?

Before answering this question, let’s first clarify the concept of phlegm with form. Chinese medicine considers that although phlegm is spit out from the mouth, this is only an external manifestation. ‘Spleen is the original source of phlegm, lungs are the storage vessel of phlegm.’ That is to say the lungs are for storage and expulsion of phlegm, moreover it is the spleen that is the true generator of phlegm. Why is that? We know from the concept of the spleen, that eighty percent is digestive function and twenty percent is the production of blood function. When food and drink enters into the stomach, first it must pass through digestion by the spleen and its essential components are only afterwards are they transported throughout the entire body. If the spleen’s function is below capacity, then digestion and absorption of food and drink will be obstructed. If there is a tendency towards digestive obstruction of food, then food will accumulate. If there is a tendency toward digestive obstruction of liquids, then water blockage can occur. If this kind of water property is sticky and viscous, it belongs to a condition of moisture ‘gathering’ which is in the category of phlegm.

Having reaching this point in our discussion, let’s return back to the question of form or formless phlegm. The phlegm stored up in the spleen and stomach is a kind of pathological by-product, which always wants to be expelled by the organism’s defense mechanism. In that case, the first path to expulsion must pass from the lungs out through the mouth and then we see phlegm with form. Let’s continue to reason this out. Why does phlegm with form get expelled from inside the lungs? This is certainly when the lung function is reduced and weak. The phlegm concealed in the spleen will seize the chance to make a sudden assault, expelling the body’s own phlegm, protecting itself. Of course, the spleen knows that the lungs will take hold of this relay baton. Therefore, when phlegm is expelled from the lungs, we are just then able to see lung disease, so we consider the phlegm to be coming from the lungs.

There was a man over eighty years old who came to me for treatment a year after undergoing surgery for stomach cancer, and now has anastomic stoma as the new focus for his next surgery. He had extremely bizarre symptoms, spitting up large quantities of white colored foamy shaped phlegm, like fluffy clouds, everyday expectorating tens of cups. This situation continued for over three months. However, in his lungs there was no discovery of a cancer site nor was there any type of coughing symptoms. Nevertheless, he was extremely depleted, every time he moved, this caused shortness of breath. This situation is categorized as a major vacuity of lung qi. After I diagnosed him according to the theory of ‘Spleen produces the source of phlegm’, and a healthy spleen transforms phlegm, I added some appropriate measures to protect the lungs and as a result there was a significant reduction in the quantity of phlegm and his illness was alleviated.

Now let’s look at formless phlegm. When lung qi is not vacuous, the phlegm is stored inside the spleen and cannot find a way out. Then it thinks...I have to find another route. I’ll quickly go in all four directions to attack...Thereupon, this phlegm can then rise up and create chaos. It travels to the knee joints, and then thinks…Why not stay here for a while…then the joints experience deep pain. The phlegm can then travel to the site of the throat and esophagus. One look and it thinks...that’s not bad, I’ll take advantage of this person’s depression, and the liver qi also rises up into the throat and esophagus binding both phlegm and qi together. Now that they are stuck there, swallowing and gulping can’t get it down. Feelings of agitation become exacerbated and this type of illness is called Meihe Qi .

Another person frequently had a raging liver fire and was easily angered. He had high blood pressure and if this phlegm joined with liver fire, it pressed the phlegm upward to the blood vessels in the brain and could cause the occurrence of apoplexy or partial paralysis. If the phlegm rolls in the bloodstream, and at the same time combines with the pathological by-product of thrombus on the blood vessel walls, it changes into an embolus and uniting with phlegm stasis, once again rolls through the blood vessels, and wherever it blocks then that becomes a site of disease. For example, speaking from the perspective of Chinese medicine, the chief pathology in coronary heart disease is from phlegm stasis obstructing the heart.

Now let’s look again at cancer. Just when that phlegm is roaming about in the body, it encounters a tumor formed from qi stagnation and blood stasis blocking the middle of the blood vessel passageway.The phlegm surges up and dashes against it but can’t pass and so it attaches and becomes a conglomerate of qi stagnation, blood stasis and clumped phlegm all tangled together. Now the mass is even more complex. From the clinical standpoint, if the tumor is hard to the touch like a rock, then it is primarily blood stasis. If it is soft to the touch like a sack, then it is primarily qi stagnation. If it feels attached and stationary then the phlegm component is primary. Of course at the time of actual diagnosis, all the symptoms need to be considered together including the coating of the tongue and the pulse, etc.

In the examples above, none of the patients had spitting phlegm symptoms, yet we diagnosed them as having a phlegm pathology. This kind of phlegm is formless which can’t be seen or felt yet in fact has significance in both diagnosis and in treatment.

We have completed a brief and concise discussion of the concepts of moisture, phlegm and liquids. Among the eight circumstances for tumor pathology, we have already analyzed three; the problem of qi stagnation, blood stasis and water obstruction. Now let’s look at the fourth culprit, the question of thermo toxins.

It should be stated that the question of thermo toxins in tumors is an extremely serious problem. Ranked as the top fighters against cancer for Chinese medicine are, for example: Baihua Sheshe Cao, Banzhi Lian, Shan Ci Gu, Ba Yue Zha, etc. All are used to clear out heat and disperse poison. These are medicines which quicken the blood and transform stasis and are indispensable in almost every location where Chinese medicine is fighting cancer. Accordingly, treatment and cure for cancer cannot lack the critical link of clearing heat purifiers and dispersing toxins. Why is that?

If you think about inside a malignant tumor, there is qi stagnation, blood stasis and water blockage all chaotically massed together, and like a marshy place, over a long period of time, its cloudy density can generate heat. Chinese medicine has an extremely important saying: ‘The place where the glomus is firm, certainly has hidden yang.’ This is to say that in general, things like formed tumors have hidden internal yang heat. Because these kinds of pathological qualities can lead to even more serious conditions as far as tumors are concerned, heat is a kind of fire with the power to steam up and spread thereby severely wounding the body as if it was an acute poison. Therefore it is called thermo toxin.

Dear Reader, if you’d like to go a step further in your understanding, please read on to the analysis in the next chapter.