Table of Contents

Contents
Disclaimer xvii
Introduction 1
Some Conventions Used in This Book: Pinyin, Capitalizations, and Italics 3
Overview: An Integrated Approach to Natural Healing 5
Branches of Chinese Medicine 6
Acupuncture 6
Herbal Medicine 7
Qigong, Taiji, and Other Physical Therapies 7
Dietetics 8
Lifestyle 8
Chinese Medicine Is Holistic 10
Chinese Diagnosis and Western Diagnosis 12
Integrating the Branches 13
Integrated Practices in Western Medicine 16

Part 1: Foundational Theories in Chinese Medicine
Chapter 1: First Concept: Qi, The Energy of Life . . . 19
Qualities and Functions within the Body 21
Biological Energies Used in Western Medicine 22

Chapter 2: Second Concept: Meridians, The Pathways of Health . . . 25
The Twelve Regular Meridians 27
The Eight Extraordinary Meridians 29
Meridians and Western Medicine 31

Chapter 3: Third Concept: Yin and Yang, Polarities, and Balance . . . 35
Yin and Yang in the Natural World 37
Four Primary Aspects of Yin and Yang Pairings 38
Yin and Yang within the Body 41
Western Correspondences to Yin and Yang 47

Chapter 4: Introduction to the Internal Organs . . . 51
Zangfu: The Internal Organs and Their Correspondences 51
Terminology 52

Chapter 5: Zang: The Yin Organs . . . 57
The Heart 57
The Lungs 61
The Liver 65
The Spleen 71
The Kidneys 75

Chapter 6: Fu: The Yang Organs . . . 87
The Stomach 88
The Small Intestine 89
The Gall Bladder 90
The Large Intestine 92
The Urinary Bladder 93
The Sanjiao 94

Chapter 7: Pathogenesis: The Origins of Disease . . . 99
The Causes of Disharmony 100
Overview of External Pathogenic Factors 101
Overview of Internal Pathogenic Factors 102
The Six External Pathogenic Factors 103
The Seven Emotions as Internal Pathogenic Factors 111
Miscellaneous Factors 115

Chapter 8: Introducing Patterns of Disharmony . . . 131
Many Patterns for One Disease; One Pattern for Many Diseases 131
The Lenses of Diagnosis 133
Criteria of TCM Pattern Identification 135
Eight Principle Considerations 136

Chapter 9: Selected Patterns of Disharmony . . . 139
1. Wind Cold Invading the Lungs 140
2. Heart Blood Deficiency 141
3. Liver Qi Stagnation 142
4. Spleen Qi Deficiency 144
5. Kidney Yang Deficiency 145

Part 2: Holistic Self-Care with Chinese Medicine
Chapter 10: Diagnosis: Finding the Root of the Problem . . . 151
Diagnostic Methods 151
Inquiry 152
Pulse Diagnosis 153
Tongue Diagnosis 157

Chapter 11: Tools and Practice of Chinese Medicine
Holism and Integration . . . 161
Acupuncture 161
Three Case Histories 164
Adjunctive Therapies 168
Western Perspectives on Acupuncture 169
Conditions Treated 170
Herbal Medicine 173
Physical Therapies 176
Diet and Lifestyle 180

Chapter 12: Acupressure Self-Care: Your Healing Hands . . . 183
Methods of Locating the Points 185
Acupressure Techniques 189
Selected Acupressure Points 192

Chapter 13: The Acupressure Points: Names, Locations, and Functions . . . 195
Lungs, Hand Taiyin 196
Large Intestine, Hand Yangming 200
Stomach, Foot Yangming 202
Spleen, Foot Taiyin 207
Heart, Hand Shaoyin 210
Small Intestine, Hand Taiyang 212
Urinary Bladder, Foot Taiyang 215
Kidney, Foot Shaoyin 219
Pericardium, Hand Jueyin 222
Sanjiao, Hand Shaoyang 224
Gall Bladder, Foot Shaoyang 226
Liver, Foot Jueyin 230
Du, Governing Vessel 232
Ren, Conception Vessel 235

Chapter 14: Chinese Herbs: Nature's Healing Allies . . . 239
Main Attributes of Chinese Herbs: Temperature and Taste 240
Directionality 241
Channels Entered 241
Categorizing Herbs 242
Herb Categories 243
Formula Basics 257

Chapter 15: Chinese Herbal Formulas . . . 259
Lungs: Common Cold with Variations 260
Lungs: Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis 263
Stomach/Spleen: Digestive Disorders 263
Heart: Insomnia, Anxiety 265
Liver: Detox, Stress 266
Kidneys: Low Energy, Urinary and Sexual Dysfunction, Arthritis 268
Qi Tonics 269
Blood Tonics 270
Yang Tonics 271
Yin Tonics 272
Pain: General, Traumatic, Arthritis 273
Topicals for Pain 275

Chapter 16: Introduction to Qigong: Harnessing the Energy of Life . . . 277
Defining Qigong 277
The Basic Standing Posture: The Side Channel Stance 278
General Breathing Guidelines 281
Working with Your Qi 282
Practice Times 283
Length of Practice 284
Ending a Practice Session: Storing Qi in the Dantian 285
Final Practice Guidelines 286

Chapter 17: Qigong Practices for Each Organ . . . 289
Qigong for the Lungs and Large Intestines 289
Qigong for the Spleen and Stomach 299
Qigong for the Heart 305
Qigong for the Kidneys 316
Qigong for the Liver 323

Chapter 18: Prescriptions: Restore and Maintain Inner Harmony . . . 329
Abscesses 332
Allergies 333
Arthritis 333
Breathing Disorders 335
Common Cold or Flu 338
Digestive System Disorders 339
Dizziness 341
Dry Hair, Nails, and Skin 342
Eczema 342
Edema (Generalized) 343
Emotional Distress 344
Eye/Vision Problems 344
Fatigue 346
Fever 346
Gall Bladder, Inflammation and Stones 347
Headache 347
Heart Conditions 348
Hemorrhoids 349
Hepatitis, Enlarged Liver 349
Hernia 350
Herpes, Oral or Genital 351
Hives 351
High Blood Pressure 352
Immune Support 353
Insomnia 353
Men’s Health 354
Motion Sickness 356
Pain, Joints and Limbs 356
Pain, General and Traumatic 358
Poor Memory 359
Urinary System Disorders 359
Women’s Health/Gynecology 360
Wellness Self-Care Protocol 362

Concluding Remarks 365

Glossary of Western Drug Actions . . . 367

Appendix 1: Point Location by Body Region . . . 371

Appendix 2: Chapter Notes . . . 383

Bibliography . . . 389

Recommended Reading . . . 391

Index . . . 393