Table Of ContentPrinciPles of
chinese
medicine
what it is, how it works, and
what it can do for you
second edition
Angela hicks
London and PhiLadeLPhia
This edition published in 2013
by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.singingdragon.com
First published in 1996 by Thorsons, an imprint of HarperCollins
Copyright © Angela Hicks 1996, 2013
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84819 130 3
eISBN 978 0 85701 107 7
conTenTs
Author’s Note 10
Acknowledgements 11
introduction 13
The differences between Chinese medicine and Western medicine 14
Treatment using Eastern and Western medicine 17
The principles of Chinese medicine 18
1 The Theory of chinese Medicine:
The linking Thread 20
What is the theory of Chinese medicine? 20
What is meant by yin and yang? 21
What are the four aspects of yin and yang? 21
How are yin and yang useful for Chinese medical practitioners? 23
How can Chinese medicine be used to balance yin and yang? 24
How do yin and yang affect our life cycles? 25
What are yin and yang Organs? 27
What are the Vital Substances? 28
How do the Vital Substances and the Organs interact? 28
What is Qi? 29
What does Chinese medicine mean by Blood? 32
What is the Shen or Mind-spirit? 33
What is Jing-essence? 34
What are Body Fluids? 36
How do these Substances influence each other? 37
What are the Five Elements? 37
How do the Elements interact? 38
What are the Five Element associations? 40
2 how disease Arises and the Art of
staying healthy 42
So how does disease arise? 43
What are the internal causes of disease? 43
How do emotions cause disease? 43
How can climatic conditions cause disease? 45
How is knowledge of external causes useful to a patient? 47
What do we mean by the miscellaneous causes of disease? 49
How do balanced amounts of work and rest prevent disease? 49
How can exercise benefit my health? 50
In what way can sex become a cause of disease? 51
How is physical trauma a cause of disease? 51
Do I have to know the cause of my problem? 52
How are the causes of disease used in diagnosis and treatment? 53
3 Putting it all Together: diagnosis in
chinese Medicine 55
How long will the diagnosis take? 55
What should I expect at the diagnosis? 56
How does a practitioner diagnose using the pulse? 56
What is tongue diagnosis? 58
How is the theory of Chinese medicine used to create a diagnosis? 59
4 Acupuncture Treatment: Balancing
Your Qi 62
What is acupuncture? 63
What are the ‘meridians’ or ‘channels’? 64
Where are the channels and how many are there? 64
What are acupuncture points? 68
Tender points 68
Can the channels be felt? 69
What can acupuncture treat? 71
What is being treated like? 74
How long will each treatment take? 74
How does the theory of Chinese medicine apply to acupuncture? 76
What are the needles like? 77
How do acupuncturists ensure good standards of hygiene? 77
How does the acupuncturist know where to put the needles? 79
Can I still have acupuncture if I’m not ill? 80
How will I feel immediately after a treatment? 81
How much treatment will I need? 82
How does the practitioner know treatment has worked? 84
How is moxibustion used? 84
What is cupping therapy and how is it used? 86
What is guasha and how is it used? 87
When might electro-acupuncture be used? 88
What is auricular acupuncture? 89
Treatment using auricular acupuncture 89
Research into the effects of acupuncture 90
5 chinese herbal Medicine: remedies to
restore Your Qi 92
What is Chinese herbal medicine? 94
How does Chinese herbal medicine differ from Western herbs? 96
How are the herbs categorised? 97
What is meant by a herbal prescription? 98
How does the herbalist create a prescription? 101
How are the herbs prepared? 101
What is the difference between dried herbs, tinctures and powders? 102
What kinds of herbs are used in a prescription? 105
Are any animal products used in Chinese herbal medicine? 106
How are herbs regulated? 106
How is the theory of Chinese medicine used when a herbalist
diagnoses a patient? 107
What problems are commonly treated by herbs? 110
Current research into Chinese herbs 110
What do the herbs taste like? 111
What are the five tastes and what do they do? 111
What are the four energies and how are they used? 113
How often will I need to visit my herbalist and for how long? 114
6 Qigong exercises: Transforming
Your Qi 117
How has Qigong developed? 118
What is Qigong? 119
What are the benefits of practising Qigong? 119
How could Qigong improve or maintain my health? 120
How do people use Qigong for spiritual development? 123
Can Qigong really be used to heal people? 123
What do the different Qigong practices have in common? 125
How does the theory of Chinese medicine fit in with
Qigong practice? 126
Why is it important to activate the lower dan tian? 127
How do I activate the lower dan tian? 127
What are the different types of Qigong exercises? 130
Some important principles for good Qigong practice 136
How will I feel while practising Qigong? 138
How will I feel immediately after practising Qigong? 140
Do I need to have a teacher? 141
How do I find a good teacher? 142
How much do I need to practise? 142
Where should I practise? 143
7 Tui na – chinese Massage: feeling
Your Qi 145
What is tui na? 146
The roots of tui na 146
What is the difference between tui na and other styles of massage? 147
What will happen when I first come for treatment? 149
How is the theory of Chinese medicine used by a practitioner
of tui na? 149
What illnesses can tui na help? 150
What will I experience during the treatment? 152
What are tui na massage techniques like? 153
What areas of the body will the practitioner treat? 155
What skin preparations will the practitioner use? 156
Will the practitioner ever manipulate my spine? 157
How long will a tui na treatment take? 158
How often will I need to come for treatment? 158
How will I feel immediately after the treatment? 160
Can I use massage techniques on myself? 160
8 chinese dietetics: nourishing
Your Qi 163
How does the theory of Chinese medicine apply to diet? 165
What are the best proportions of grains, pulses, vegetables,
fruit and meat in the diet? 167
Is it better to be a vegetarian or a meat eater? 171
How is the temperature of food important in our diets? 174
Should we eat cooked or raw food? 177
How are the flavours of food important for maintaining
our health? 180
How can we ensure that the food we eat is of good quality? 182
How is it best to eat our food? 185
When is it best to eat? 187
What foods can I avoid for specific health problems? 188
Are there any foods that I can include in my diet for specific
health problems? 189
How should I go about changing my diet? 191
Will changing my diet be enough to restore my health? 192
9 Which one shall i choose? The right
Treatment for Me 194
How do I decide whether I need treatment? 194
So which treatment shall I choose? 196
We have a preference for one particular treatment 196
Choosing a therapy 198
What’s the best way to find a good practitioner? 198
How can I tell if my practitioner is well qualified? 199
How can I tell that this practitioner is right for me? 200
Should I consult my doctor before going to a practitioner? 201
What if I am already taking prescribed drugs for my condition? 202
How can I keep myself healthy? 202
A positive attitude 203
A final thought 204
References 205
Further Reading 207
Acupuncture 207
Herbs 207
Qigong 208
Tui na 208
Diet 209
General 209
Useful Contacts 210
UK 210
US 211
Europe 212
Australia 214
Canada 215
Index 216
AuThor’s noTe
This book is written as an informative guide to Chinese
medicine and is not meant as a self-help book for treatment.
I have capitalised Chinese medicine terminology in order
to differentiate it from standard English terms. For instance,
the Liver in upper case indicates the Chinese medicine term
(i.e., the Liver and its Chinese medicine functions). The liver
in lower case indicates the liver as it is described in Western
medicine.
10
introduction
The aim of this book is to give you a clear explanation about
Chinese medicine and its therapies – acupuncture, Chinese
herbs, tui na massage, Qigong exercises and diet.1
I have practised Chinese medicine since 1976 and since
that time the only Western medicine treatment I have taken
is one aspirin. I am now in my 60s and have stayed healthy
through having treatment from these five therapies.
This does not mean that I haven’t been ill. I have. But,
in general, Chinese medicine treatment has nipped any
problems in the bud and kept me well. My passion for
Chinese medicine has never left me and I feel privileged to
have been able to give treatments, teach and keep well for
all this time.
When I first studied acupuncture it was the main
Chinese medicine treatment available in the West. Reference
to ‘acupuncture’ all that time ago often met with a blank
look or possibly an expression of puzzlement. Many doctors
at that time showed hostility at its very mention.
Now there are many more qualified practitioners of
Chinese medicine. These treatments are better understood
and a realistic choice for many people who wish to use a
natural medicine with few side effects.
There is no need to make a choice between Chinese
medicine and Western medicine – we can use both and both
are useful in different situations. For example, if I broke my
arm I would certainly go to the accident and emergency
department first! Fortunately, practitioners of both Chinese
1 These are all described in the chapters that follow.
13
14 PrinciPles of chinese Medicine
and Western medicine are more mutually respectful than
they were in the past. They know that each has a completely
different, but valuable, perspective on treatment.
There have also been many misunderstandings in the
past, not least because of a difference in language. Chinese
medicine tends to use more ‘poetic’ terms when diagnosing
and treating. For example, a practitioner talks about ‘yin and
yang’, ‘Qi ’, and ‘Jing-essence’ or ‘Wind’ and ‘Dampness’. You
will read more about these terms in Chapters 1 to 3 and will
hopefully understand that they are quite practical and down
to earth in their usage and that Chinese medicine has its own
clear, although different, logic.
So let’s compare Chinese medicine with Western
medicine so that we can assess how each one is used in
treatment.
The differences between Chinese
medicine and Western medicine
Chinese medicine tends to do the following things:
Treat the person rather than the symptoms
We could say that Chinese medicine treats people while
Western medicine treats diseases. A Chinese medicine
practitioner will look at the whole person and the underlying
reasons for her or him becoming ill. In comparison, Western
medicine will pay more attention to treating the person’s
symptoms.
For example, when considering a symptom such as a
headache, a Chinese medicine practitioner looks for the
underlying cause and will ask patients about the nature
of their symptoms as well as observing their tongue and
feeling 12 pulses on the wrist. The cause may be a number
of different possibilities, including the functioning of the
