Jas Bansal Acupuncture

What Is The Modern View Of TCM ?

The human body is an amazing product of evolution with many views to how it works, e.g.

(a) a mass of vibrating atoms and molecules bonded together to form chemical structures, or
(b)vibrating energy of varying mass conveyed in complex systems that form the human body (e=mc2 or energy particles/waves)

The second view is a modern concept which parallels the concept of "qi" (pronounced 'key' or 'chee'). Qi is the term used in TCM to explain how energy behaves in the body and is used in TCM diagnosis to help treat disharmonies of the body. An aspect of qi is the electro-magnetic field of the human body and can be measured using a sensitive gaussmeter, and seen by taking a picture of the 'aura' of a person using special photographic techniques. It is the ability of qi to flow freely that governs good health and if its movement is impeded, disorders will eventually arise.

Using energy / qi, it is easier to visualise a healthy body with qi flowing smoothly and evenly compared to an unhealthy body where there will be areas of high / stagnant qi, and equally, areas of low / dispersed qi, i.e. an imbalanced body.

Symptoms seen and felt can be expressed as;

- areas of high / stagnant qi, e.g. red or bleeding eczema, ulcers, acute pain, migraine, IBS, tinnitus, PMT, endometriosis, hot flushes, arthritis, palpitations, stress, anxiety, insomnia, etc.

- areas of low / dispersed qi, e.g. dull knee / back ache, incontinence, nocturia, dry or peeled eczema, poor insulin production, sexual dysfunction, poor intestinal absorption giving diarrhoea, weak muscles causing constipation, anaemia, lethargy, depression, cold feet, etc.

In TCM, symptoms are seen as expressions of a deeper imbalance and often involves many systems,e.g. immune system imbalance, digestive deficiency, adrenal exhaustion, autonomic nervous system imbalance, blood pressure and cardiac problems, hormonal imbalance, structural imbalance, etc.

As an illustration, consider a person who has a tendency to have a 'weak' stomach giving symptoms such as 'often being bloated' and 'having irregular bowel movements'. The two main system imbalances could be a combination of, or predominately one of the following;

(a) Excess nervous activity in the digestive tract causing bloating ...

Autonomic nervous system imbalance causing excess nervous activity on the smooth muscles of the digestive system. This constant activity would result in the muscles being 'constantly tense' resulting in the 'bloated' feeling especially after a large meal, and creating a strain on the bowel movement (the 'tightness' restricting the movement hence forcing the body to work harder to moisten the stools even more for easier movement).

(b) Poor assimulation in the digestive tract allowing 'toxins' to be absorbed ...

Digestive deficiency resulting in poor cellular compaction in the digestive tract (also known as 'leaky gut syndrome'). This would result in a poor absorption process of the digestive tract. This would affect the body and the digestive tract by allowing toxins to enter the body (creating a strain on the liver to 'clean up' the toxins) and weaken the digestive tract further (creating irregular bowel movements and 'tight' areas of the digestive tract where the toxins are predominant).

Using TCM, we have an avenue to tackle these imbalances and to try restore good health. If these imbalances were left unresolved, in time the imbalance would become greater creating more symptoms such as anaemia, lethargy (from poor nutritional absorption), skin rashes / eczema (from toxins entering the body and being eliminated via the skin), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ulcers in the digestive tract, etc. A way of preventing deterioration of such imbalances is to try and live a balanced lifestyle thereby allowing your body to use its energy to try and control the imbalances. In TCM, we believe the body has a set amount of energy to use per day and if not replenished (i.e via sleep and diet), or if 'over used' (e.g by working too hard or through periods of extreme stress or emotional trauma) the body has to draw from its 'reserves of energy'. It is these 'reserves' that maintain control of the systems of the body and once depleted, the imbalances will become greater.

Which Branch Of Science Explains TCM?

Quantum Physics is the only branch of science that can explain why TCM works. The problem with statistical science is that it requires a "standard" to compare results with, and since each human is constitutionally different to one another and treated as such in TCM, it is very difficult to standardise results.

Further reading can be found at this website which introduces us to Quantum Biology