I’m similarly glad. I am not sure that I would say that the focus is SIGNIFICANTLY more focused on herbs. We have several doctors who are scholars and specialize in acupuncture – Drs. Neal and Qin among them. I would say that many of the powerhouses of our department have traditionally been more herbally focused than acupuncture focused, but that this balance is shifting.

In terms of student interest, however, I’d say we’re evenly balanced. That might be why the balance is shifting.

Eric

I’m glad to see that your school is helping you to learn how to think about Chinese medicine.

I have been told by a recent graduate of your school’s CCM program that your school’s focus is significantly more on herbs than on acupuncture. Is that true?

I think we are on similar pages. Please do understand that this post was only a simple introduction and that there is much more to come. Please don’t assume that what I wrote is all that I have to offer. To address your points:

1. I do not think Taiyang is associated only with cold, but I think for a different reason than you do. The pairings show us the deeper way to understand the conformations. Taiyang is paired with Shaoyin. Shaoyin is said to be the Zhong Qi of Taiyang – simply, it helps to keep a balance within the body. I am going to post in more detail about how, then, the disease manifests (as hot, as cold, etc…) but I wanted to simply explore the basics for now.

2. Anyone who reads the Shang Han Lun can see that progression directly through the conformations one by one is not the only way for disease to progress. I certainly did not intend to imply that.
BTW: I often try to use simple English translations on my blog, introducing Chinese terms gradually, as I find average readers receive this a little better. Thus, I didn’t use Liu Qi.

3. Regarding the order of conformations. We have talked extensively about this at school, especially about all the arguments about why there are two systems of understanding and how they developed.

Thanks for your comment,

Eric

I’m a graduate of Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine.

I learned the Liu Qi (what you refer to as the “Six Conformations”) as follows:

Taiyang: Small Intestine (fire, heat, thermogenesis, etc.) and Bladder (water, cold, hydrogenesis, etc.)

Shaoyang: Yang hinge (pivot); Sanjiao (fire, heat, metabolism, etc.) and Gall Bladder (wood, wind, fuel, etc.)

Yangming: Large Intestine (metal, dryness, etc.) and Stomach (earth, humidity, etc.)

Taiyin-Yangming Yolk (pivot)

Taiyin: Lung (metal, dryness, etc.) and Spleen (earth, humidity, etc.)

Jueyin: Yin hinge (pivot); Xinbaoluo (fire, heat, metabolism, etc.) and Liver (wood, wind, fuel, etc.)

Shaoyin: Heart (fire, heat, thermogenesis, etc.) and Kidney (water, cold, hydrogenesis, etc.)

Sorry, but, I don’t have time to go into the intricate relationships.

In regards to “climatic factors,” Taiyang, for example, is associated with both heat and cold. Do you think that it is only associated with cold? If so, then that is erroneous thinking. Why? Because Taiyang is both Small Intestine/heat and Bladder/cold. In other words, both Small Intestine/heat and Bladder/cold represent the poles of Taiyang. Taiyang’s endogenous cold and heat are auto-regulatory functions of the antithetical relationships of the five movements. I hope that this is clear.

To think that “external pathogens must progress” from Taiyang to Yangming, etc., is also erroneous thinking. It’s not that simple. For example, cold could “enter” the Zu Taiyang Jing and then progress to the Zu Shaoyang Jing and then “jump” via this jing’s Luo point directly to the Zu Jueyin Jing. This is why knowing where the jings meet, and having an understanding of the “pivots” is so important for both diagnosis and treatment.

In regards to the “order of the conformations,” it depends on whether you’re diagnosing and treating from a classical Chinese herbal or acupuncture perspective. Have you been taught about this at your school?