Essay on Taoism and Nature In Chinese Medicine

When caring for Taoist’s patients, the most important thing to remember is their need to restore balance. For them, this may not be achieved through traditional medical practice; however, this does not mean that we should do nothing. Taoists do not believe in artificial or arbitrary healing. Healing must be natural and spontaneous (Tai, 2009). If we try to force medical treatments on them, it may in turn do more harm than good and cause great suffering. Taoists see artificial treatment as a source of evil; however, if the treatment follows the flow of Tao, it is regarded as natural and therefore allowed (Tai, 2009). For example, if a Taoist patient is in need of mechanical ventilation to sustain life, it is no longer natural. The only way to natural care for that patient, without disrupting the Tao, is to provide palliative care and ultimately let the

In Chinese culture, health and illness concentrates on the balance between body, mind, and spirit, expressed as Yin Yang. It symbolizes the idea that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There is a belief in part of the Chinese culture, that a physical illness is caused by an imbalance of Yin Yang.

life sciences and medicine drawn from the Taoist traditions of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements

Good health means the yin and yang is in balance and in harmony with each other. According to Jarvis (2012), foods are classified in this theory; yin foods are cold, and yang foods are hot; cold foods are eaten with a hot illness and hot foods are eaten with a cold illness. Chinese people have practiced acupuncture for thousands of years for the reduction of pain and for various disorders using fine needles at specific meridian points on the body (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The Chinese believe that when there is an imbalance in a person’s system is when a person has illness. For health maintenance, they use preventive measures such eating healthy. Chinese people enjoy drinking a variety of tea after meals for the cleansing effect. Health protection means wearing an amulet or jade, eat correctly and with compatible food (Jarvis, 2012). Chinese people use cupping, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbs such as ginseng roots, and usually will consult with herbalists, for health restoration.

Zhuangzi, a Chinese Taoist philosopher of the 4th century BC, developed evolutionary processes. He stated that species were not fixed entities but developed variable characteristics in response to changing environments. As mentioned in the book, Yin and Yang philosophy was developed in ancient China to describe the physiological functions of the human body. Medical knowledge was based on Ying and Yang. Religious beliefs in India also influenced science. For example, Ayurveda, a mind and body health system created in India thousands of years ago, is one of the oldest systems in organized medicine. Mesopotamians and Egyptians are also known for their achievements in science. There is evidence that Edwin Smith Papyrus, who was the founder of ancient Egyptian medicine, wrote about diagnosis and treatments on different diseases and about studies of the human

In ancient China, it was relatively rare to dissect or otherwise violate human bodies because of a teaching from Confucius that the human body is sacred and not to be cut with a knife^, therefore the knowledge of anatomy in ancient China weren’t often based on scientific knowledge, but instead assumption and reasoning.^ Thus many, if not all, of Chinese medicine are considered pseudoscience because it lacks scientific evidence for its effectiveness.^ Any effects from following traditional Chinese medicine are most likely to be psychological, as opposed to any actual biological healing taking place. And so, it’s still important to advise caution when using conventional medicines and go to the doctors as opposed to relying solely on alternative

The Yin Yang is one of the primary principles of Taoist teachings. The concept of two forces present everywhere, completely opposite to each other yet balancing and enhancing each other. They cannot be separated because they exist together in comparison, and splitting one apart will only create the other anew. Although one force can take prevalence over the other for a short time, anything that is in a state of imbalance for long will cease to exist. The universe is composed of and held together by the tension of these two forces, and this concept is in Taoist writings on Abstraction. (A2)

Even with these significant similarities among the three healing systems, there are many differences. According to their respective models, “the Chinese and the Ayurvedic systems believe that everything in the universe - including man - is created from five elements or primary matter, versus Greek medicine only four primary elements are identified” (Brienski 24). This concept of creation is the

The balancing of yin and yang is an integral and fundamental aspect of Chinese medicine as well. It believes that everything in the universe can be classified into yin or yang. When a person becomes ill, physically or mentally, Chinese medicine looks for imbalance of yin and yang within the person. After those are established they use treatments aimed at replenishing what is missing. If a practitioner diagnoses a yin deficiency, they will prescribe yin treatments to bring the body back into balance. This is a minimal explanation as this medical practice is highly complex and

Early China was governed by nature’s laws and was seen in the people learning how to gain increments over nature, such as hunting learned from Fu Xi. The bipolarity of nature led way for the concept of Yin and Yang to emerge. Yin and Yang represents two opposing forces that collaborate with each other to form a whole. This, however, is not limited to good and evil and can have many different interpretations. Yi Ching used Yin and Yang to help him interpret Divination results. Nature’s importance is also seen in the thought of Tao, as Tao was likened to a righteous path to exist in the bipolar universe and functioned through the use of Yin and Yang. The Chinese people also believed in a heaven that existed with the entity, Ti, at its ambiguous center. Emperors claimed to have the “Mandate of Heaven” in order to show that they were righteous and justified in their rule. Many stories dictated that Chinese ancestors dwelled in the heavens and interacted with the living realm of existence. The early Chinese, however, believed that the human soul could turn into different entities based on the condition of burial and the notion of Yin and Yang. It was customary for people to follow the practice of Feng Shui to bury their ancestors. Feng Shui was used to have burials harmonize with the surrounding landscapes. Feng Shui, however, differed from teacher to teacher and was tricky to determine which method was the correct one. Family worship, before and after death, was crucial to the Chinese culture. Reverence for one’s family can be seen as far back as the myth of Shun and continued for centuries afterwards. As ancestors were believed to influence everyday life, spirit mediums were commonly used to communicate with the dead. Medium’s specialties ranged from receiving information, to having the ancestral deity bless an amulet. Spirits, however, weren’t always benevolent and often

These beliefs motivated the Chinese people to develop medical techniques that could treat or prevent Qi stagnation. They developed a medical technique/art called Tao Yin that involved coordinated exercises that focused on full-body movements and regulated breathing. The art of Tao Yin dates back to ancient times where practitioners would imitate the motions of certain animals in order to pursue good health and ultimately, immortality. Due to the high illiteracy rates and family self-interest, the art of Tao Yin was a well-kept privilege available only to the wealthy and influential. This greatly halted the advancement and propagation of Tao Yin as a medical

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.

TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be traced as far back as 1000 BC, where stone acupuncture needles were believed to be used. Texts from that period also talked of Yin and Yang and other concepts. The first written work on TCM is titled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Huangdi Newijing (Gascoigne 11). This book was written in 300 BC, but entries date back to the early 2700’s BC. The book is still used in universities of Chinese Medicine around the world and is often called the bible of TCM. Today, TCM is still thriving in China and all of Asia. In recent years, information on TCM has become available to people in the United States. The United States has several schools of TCM, and it is now much easier to buy the necessary

One important aspect of Chinese culture is Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM. Chinese medicine has been around for quite awhile, and is still around today. In the United States, we see it as acupuncture and massage. TCM is still widely popular in its home country where it is still practiced as it was a few centuries ago. Chinese medicine is evolving to our modern day times, but it is keeping close ties to its roots. Chinese medicine is also becoming more affluent in different parts of the globe. It is a major part of Chinese history and culture, and the people who participate in it do so with great respect. With Chinese medicine, there is great history, procedures, risks, and how it lives in the modern world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a collection of theories and practices that work together to restore harmony to the body. The two main ideas are a holistic view and treatment based on a differential diagnosis. To utilise those principles there are a number of theories to understand how the body functions so we can understand its pathology. Theories such as yin yang theory, five element theory, vital substance theory, and basic knowledge of qi are the basis for the treatments in TCM. Treatments including acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion,