Interestingly, I believe that I was the first person to create a Wikipedia page about Classical Chinese Medicine. Since then, it has been rewritten, co-opted and sometimes even just erased! Currently, the Wikipedia community is discussing what to do with the article (which now contains almost nothing of my original write-up) and it would be great if Deepest Health readers could go join the fray. The neutrality of the article is being disputed, it is said there are factual errors within it and some have even suggested it should just be merged into the “Traditional Chinese Medicine” page!

For my part, I think one of the commenters over on the talk page makes a good point. We should just have a “Chinese Medicine” page that then talks about the standardization process under Mao Zedong and discusses the response of people who talk about “Classical Chinese Medicine,” as well as, perhaps, other schools of thought. Anyway, it’s an interesting opportunity to shape one small part of the public face of Chinese medicine. Since Wikipedia articles often rank so highly in Google searches, imagine the legions of high school and college students writing papers (sure, on Chinese medicine, why not?) and referencing Wikipedia…

We want them to have the right information, folks. Think of the children!

Go contribute to the discussion at Wikipedia.

Eric

Wikipedia page about Classical Chinese Medicine : calling all scholars!

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When reading my copy of the latest Qi-unity report from the national organization (AAAOM) I was surprised to see the words “Classical Chinese Medicine.” To be frank, the AAAOM has never shown much interest in such things, as far as I have seen. The report indicated that a new program is being created at PCOM that is Classical in orientation. It seems that Jeffrey Yuen, who is often noted for his Daoist lineage, is joining the faculty. Ostensibly, it is Yuen who will be overseeing or ushering in this new curriculum.

On the PCOM website, they say,

“This is a great chance for students to study two respected

systems of Chinese medicine.” said Gina Lepore, Campus Director

of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine’s New York campus.

“Students do not have to choose between state-of-the-an

Integrative medicine, and the rich ancestry and deep sp’nt of

Chinese Medicine They can learn both, choosing a major in

Oriental Medicine or Classical Chinese Medicine, while taking

additional elective classes to round out their education.”

I would be interested to hear more about this program by anyone with real information. Of what will the curriculum consist? The fact that Yuen’s primary credentials seem to be in Daoism makes me think that the curriculum will have that flavor. Will they be smart enough to include other perspectives – exposing their students to the reality of Classical Chinese Medicine?

As always, this provokes me to think about the meaning of the term Classical Chinese Medicine. I’m not particularly protective of it, knowing that anyone can say anything, with little or nothing to back them up. Just because a program calls itself Classical, this does not mean that their students learn the Classics, that their graduates practice in a method that most would recognize as Classical, or that they are in any way different from the average “TCM” student. This is to say nothing against PCOM, Jeffrey Yuen, TCM students or students from “Classical” programs – simply to recognize the facts.

For those of you with an interest in the matter – what do you think of this development? What would you expect out of a “Classical” program?

Eric

http://www.aaaomonline.info/qiunity/09/07/7e.html

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine to offer a Classical Curriculum

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Hey folks,

As I’m winding down on this crazy educational journey, I find myself nostalgic for those days of olde.  Back when I wrote posts with abandon.  Anyway, some pretty good discussions went on during some of those posts, and they can be hard to find in the archives.  I thought I would highlight some of the best here – for your weekend enjoyment.  One, the first listed, has a very recent discussion that has stirred up a lot of discussion among a few key folks at school – I expect it to blossom into a much larger conversation featuring several posts, at some point in the future.

–

1. The differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) : this post was one of those things I wrote on the spur of the moment because I realized that not everyone was using the same terminology that I was using.  There are a lot of things I would do differently in that post, mostly make it longer and explain myself more clearly.  However, the discussion in the comments is the real gold.  Check it out.
2. 7 Keys to a balanced vegan diet in line with Chinese Medicine philosophy : again, this was something I wrote on a whim.  That seems to be what the readers like.  This is the highest ranking article in Google for “vegan chinese medicine” and has prompted a number of fascinating conversations.  Soon, I will publish a conversation between myself and an experienced practitioner about being vegan and prescribing Chinese herbs.  Look for it.
3. Reading widely to learn Chinese Medicine : This article got a lot of attention and I received more personal email about it than any other post I’ve written.  This is one of a rare class, a piece of writing that I look back at and find inspiration in even though I wrote it.
4. The Watershed posts : Although these posts didn’t receive much attention, they are among the closest to my heart.  I was truly engaged when writing all of them, and the ideas I express are going to be the heart of my practice for many years to come.  You can read about “What is a Watershed,” “The nuts and bolts of the Chinese Medicine Awareness experiment,” and “Entering the Flow.”
5. There are a lot of posts on Deepest Health about cosmology and symbolism.  While I could never speak as eloquently and practically on the topic as Heiner Fruehauf, people have found some of my posts on the subject to be useful basic introductions.  See “7 Keys to understanding the Classical Chinese Medicine concept of organs,” and the popular “Chinese Medical Symbolism: the Organ Clock.”

One day, in the not too distant future, I’ll be cranking out the content like I once did.  I’m really, really looking forward to that day.  For now, you can expect to hear from me this weekend about how I did in working through the first week of my 12 weeks of power.

Thanks everyone,

Eric

Mining for gold : Best of Deepest Health

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I’m glad so many people enjoyed the first episode of this podcast interview with Dr. Arnaud Versluys LAc, PhD.  The second part finds Dr. Versluys expanding on his definition of Classical Chinese medicine by discussing how one uses the Shang Han Lun in contemporary clinical practice, particularly concerning complex diseases typically seen in modern times.  He also discusses the importance of specializing in a particular style of Chinese medicine and gives some advice to those of us seeking knowledge in this profession.  I think you’ll really enjoy the information AND the audio quality – I think I finally got it right.  :)  Check it out at the bottom of this article!

If you missed the first part of the interview with Dr. Versluys you can find it here.  For more background on the six conformations read the article linked here.    I also encourage you to check out Dr. Versluys’ website, particularly the forums – a great place for discussing Canonical Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Versluys uses a few names that may be unfamiliar to listeners – I want to clarify these things for you.  Li Dong Yuan is the author of The Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach (Pi Wei Lun).  Zhang Zhong Jing is (hopefully obviously) the author of the Shang Han Lun
and Jin Gui Yao Lue (originally united as the Shang Han Za Bing Lun).  I think those are the only names he uses.

I’ll release the final part of the interview early next week – it’s a short piece focusing specifically on the issue of herb substitution and the possibility of growing Chinese herbs in the United States.  I hope you enjoy today’s podcast!  As always, feel free to leave any comments – discussion is a great thing!  :)

Eric

Deepest Health Chinese Medicine Podcast Episode 12 : Interview with Dr. Arnaud Versluys LAc, PhD (Part 2 of 3)

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Here’s the second part of Friday’s podcast interview with Heiner Fruehauf. If you missed the first portion, you can access it by following the link to Deepest Health Classical Chinese Medicine podcast, Episode 8. There you can also find links to Heiner’s various web presences and learn about what he’s doing now. I hope to offer more information on the Classical Pearls product he recently released, as well as offering Deepest Health readers a great option for signing up with the Associates Forum at Classicalchinesemedicine.org.

Thanks for listening!
Eric

Deepest Health Chinese Medicine podcast : Episode 9 : Interview with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf, Part II

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Hello everyone -

I’m happy to offer an interview for this edition of the podcast.  Dr. Heiner Fruehauf, founding professor of the school of Classical Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR, agreed to talk with Deepest Health readers about the nature of Classical Chinese Medicine.  I’m incredibly grateful to Heiner for offering his time and wisdom – I think it will be a treat for all of you.

Dr. Fruehauf has been a great inspiration to me as I navigate the deep waters of this discipline, and he is beloved by students of Chinese medicine all over the world.  He currently practices at his clinic in Corbett, OR as well as teaching classes at NCNM.  He runs the incredible website, Classicalchinesemedicine.org, which is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about the roots of Chinese medicine.  In fact, I have an exciting proposition for folks concerning a discounted membership to the site that I will talk about in a separate post sometime this coming week.  Stay tuned.  If you haven’t perused the great free content Heiner has put up on the site, do visit and check it out.

I want to mention that Dr. Fruehauf also recently launched a line of high quality, professional grade herbal capsules based on Classical principles for a variety of common conditions.  Check out the site and see what you think.  Every effort has been made to ensure that this is a high quality product.  This product is unrivaled by anything on the market of which I am aware.

This podcast was split into two parts – the first of which you can access below.  The second part will be released on Monday or Tuesday.  Each section is around 30 minutes long.  Enjoy!

Deepest Health Chinese Medicine Podcast : Episode 8 : Interview with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf

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Here I will present a basic overview of TCM information concerning the Heart and then add a layer of information gleaned from the Organ clock (a more CCM way of looking at things).  I want to do this to demonstrate how the Classical approach yields a more nuanced view than the straight organ-based TCM approach does, including a small aspect of the clinical relevance of this approach.  Disclaimer : I’m still a student.  :)

The Heart is a central organ system. From the perspective of governmental metaphor, the Heart is most easily compared to the Ruler of feudal society. What does the ruler do? It’s tempting to simply say that he rules and leave it at that. However, most rulers through history have acted less as hands-on managers of their empires and acted more as figureheads – acting as moral compasses, inspiring and motivating the people when needed, acting as interpreters of Divine law and generally providing a center point around which the wheel of government turned. The Heart is said to provide a similar function for the human body. To look at this and say that the Heart is “most important” would be erroneous. The Emperor without his ministers, without the workers, without the land – is nothing. It is an interdependent system.  But, still, the Emperor is crucial and a lot of attention should be paid to those things that are crucial.  We’ll do so now.

In TCM, the Heart is said to have many functions/associations:

• The Heart contains the Shen, which rules the other “spirits” of the Zang organs
  • Shen, as I have explained briefly elsewhere, can be translated as “Spirit” but it contains more meaning than the normal English concept of Spirit. Many contemporary commentators talk about Shen simply as consciousness, but I feel it is more than that.
• The Heart governs the Blood Vessels
• The Heart acts as Ruler of the other organ systems
• The Heart, as related to the brain and consciousness, is in charge of many mental processes (one can see this as similar to the Heart’s function via its relationship to Shen – the fire of consciousness)
• The Heart propels the Blood
• The Heart governs speech
• There are other attributes, but these are the main ones mentioned in a variety of texts.

In truth, despite all of these things, most Heart related pathologies diagnosed in TCM have to do with mental function or, sometimes, heart organ abnormalities (such as blood stasis in the Heart yielding angina).  In clinic, I mostly see Heart Qi/Blood deficiency (with palpitations and poor memory) and some version of the confusingly named “Heart Fire” resulting in insomnia, anxiety and some type of vexation.  Rarely do I see doctors diagnosing a problem with the heart when there are circulation problems (blood vessels) or speech problems.  Further, I think that there should be more attention paid to the fact that, as EMPEROR of the other organ systems, the Heart may be a great place to look when a seemingly unrelated pathology is difficult to cure with the methods we would normally utilize.  While I will not focus much on blood vessel or speech problems in this article – I would like to do so in the future.

For now, to help us understand the Heart a little more deeply, I offer a brief exposition of some of the basic symbols associated with the Heart on the Chinese medicine organ clock.  I will then describe some ways we can use this understanding to expand on the basic information we learn from TCM literature.

What do we learn about the Heart organ system from the organ clock?

Temporal nature : 11-1pm (High Noon) and the Summer Solstice

At first glance, the pairing of the Heart with high noon makes intuitive sense.  This is the time we associate with the zenith of the sun, the burning off of morning fogs, the time when all things are apparent, illuminated, complete.  But look again at the symbol for the taiji and superimpose this over the organ clock.  Remember these symbol fields are multi-layered and while some aren’t meant to be compared one-to-one, the flow of Yin and Yang through the organ clock (and through the days on Earth) is a crucial piece of information in our understanding of organ systems.

This is the time of the birth of the Yin.  Which brings us to another temporal aspect of the Heart – it is situated at the time of the Summer solstice.  The solstice is the time of the greatest day length – so again, it is all flourishing and awake and alive.  However, the hidden principle is the one of the birth of the dark – for the zenith of a thing always brings about its immediate descent into expiration.  What goes up must come down.

What does this tell us about the Heart?  That while it is a very Yang organ, as the Emperor should be, but it also contains a deep Yin principle within it.  Our professor, Heiner Fruehauf, often relates the Heart to the feminine principle – which makes sense given this information.  In that way, it may be more accurate for us to think of the Heart as the Empress – or some amalgam of the Emperor and Empress.  Here is perfect control, high intelligence, beauty, grace, compassion, mercy and power.  It is an intensely active principle – Yang – but with this huge strength of the Yin.

Why do I say that the strength of Yin is large when it is, in reality, just the beginning of the growth of Yin?  Because the entire momentum of Yin’s growth starts at this point – it somehow contains the whole force of the future splendor of Yin’s fullness.  It is strong in the sense that is young, vital, and on the ascent.

I think this Yin principle is very important. At the height of summer, at the height of noon, this is when we may have the tendency to go all upward and outward – but it is crucially important that we go within, nourish our deep spiritual nature.  Some cultural customs bear this out – such as the tradition of the midday siesta and the many spiritual activities that go on around the summer solstice.  I think that, in some ways, the failure to do this can be seen in American capitalist culture.  The principle of constant up, out, grow, flourish is often not balanced with careful reflection, willingness to “stand down,” controlled descent and respect for the more passive aspects of the universe.  This failure has penetrated the consciousness of many American people and others affected by this philosophy and may have something to do with much of the pathology we see today.  More about this later.

Earthly Branch Wu : combined with the symbolism of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac

The Earthly branch Wu 午, reinforces what we’ve already discussed about the Summer Solstice – given that it is the Earthly branch associated with that part of the year.  It is a picture of either a battering ram or a mortar and pestle, and thus we see again the idea of death or destruction in this life affirming and light giving symbol of the Heart.   Wu 午 is also associated with the number five insofar that it is pronounced the same as 五, Wu – “five.”

This brings us to consideration of the association of the number five and the Heart.  We should note that we’re talking about the fifth month when we talk about the Heart.  The number five is extremely important in Chinese cosmology – witness the deep symbolism of the five elements and a whole variety of other symbolism assocaited with five.  There’s just so much that I could say in this realm (and actually did, but then deleted to save your poor eyes) but I will have to stop here for the sake of article length.

The Earthly Branch Wu 午 is related to the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac. Remember, the Earthly Branches were associated with an animal to help them be easier to understand by the common people.  The Horse is a particularly fascinating symbol for the Heart, which I could talk for a long time about.  But consider just a few simple items.  The horse is tireless, constantly galloping away, carrying great loads, even fighting in battle – just as our physical Heart must persist throughout our lifetimes.  The horse seems to share a Shen level connection with the human being – a really close rider and horse seem to read one another’s minds, few verbal commands are needed when the relationship is strong.  The horse is one of the most beloved animals in all cultures, people sometimes take better care of their horses than they do their children!

I am certain there is more to understand about the horse – I would love to hear what people come up with in the comments to this post – please post below!

As always, there are many  more symbols that we can pull from the organ clock to help us understand the Heart more deeply – but let’s work with what we have so far.

How does this help us understand the Heart more completely?

There’s a lot one could say about these symbols.  The most important take-home message I have received is the crucial nature of respecting the Yin nature of the Heart.  However, I don’t think you should start dousing your anxiety ridden patients with cooling herbs!  On the contrary, they probably need Fu Zi.  Which actually brings me to an important relationship and my overall point.  You’ll excuse me if I diverge a bit into conjecture and philosophical exploration?  Thanks.

We often talk about the relationship of the Heart and Kidney – fire and water.  They are obviously related via their Liuqi designation of Shaoyin, or lesser Yin.  We learn that the Shaoyin fire of the Heart must descend through the Earth to reach the Shaoyin water of the Kidney.  In doing so, the cold Kidney water, the depth of our wisdom and lineage, is animated by the pure fire of Spirit and consciousness.  Wisdom without use of that wisdom is nothing but a lifeless puddle.  Likewise, the pure Kidney water must be steamed up to cool and contain the sometimes over-exuberant Heart Shen.  Consciousness without wisdom quickly becomes tyranny and zealotry.

This is one way that I understand the importance of using Fu Zi even in the case of patients who appear to have lots of flaring Heat – such as patients with intense insomnia and anxiety.  So many TCM physicians would balk at serving Fu Zi to such a patient.  To provide one example of a powerful use of this principle, let’s go to that little book known as the Shang Han Lun.

下之後．復發汗．晝日煩躁不得眠．夜而安靜．不
嘔不渴．無表證．脈沈微者．乾薑附子湯主之

Xià zhīhòu．fù fāhàn．zhòurì fánzào bùdé mián．yè ér ānjìng．bù
ǒu bù kě.  wú biǎozhèng．mài chén wēi, shēn wú dà rè zhě,gān jiāng fùzǐ tāng zhǔ zhī.

When precipitation has been used, yet sweating is then promoted so that the person in the daytime is vexed, agitated and sleepless, but by night time becomes peaceful and retching, thirst, exterios signs and great generalized heat are all absent, and the pulse is sunken adn faint, then Gan Jiang Fu Zi Tang governs (Mitchell/Ye/Wiseman version).

While I would like to think that most doctors would see patient with this picture – particularly the faint pulse – and realize that an intensely warming formula can be indicated, I think that most would still shun such strength and instead use something milder, more cooling, and most likely less effective.

One more point and then I’ll close this article.  I believe that this fire-water relationship and the general Yin nature of the Heart leads us to realize the wisdom of having a well-developed spirituality.  Only by combining the deep wisdom of contemplation (dwelling in the water) with the animating ecstacy of consciousness (dwelling in the fire) can we have balance.  Advising our patients to nourish themselves in this way – of course without necessarily promoting a particular practice or tradition – may go a long way to helping them achieve greater health.

How the Chinese organ clock yields a more nuanced view of the Heart

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I’ve been working on a series about the Chinese medicine organ systems for the past few weeks.  We’ve already covered the Lung, and then the Large Intestine in two parts.  During that time, my understanding of the symbolism (including what’s available through the Chinese medicine organ clock) that is shot through Chinese medical literature has changed, deepened, opened up.

When I first started studying with Heiner Fruehauf, I was entranced by all the symbolism he introduced in his lectures at NCNM.  I wasn’t sure if what he was talking about would bear clinical fruit, but I knew the ring of truth was there and I was resolved to understand it.  Doctors that I worked with later put more or less emphasis on the symbolism, but regardless, the kind of imaginative and symbolic thinking was always a part of what they taught – because this kind of thinking is at the root of the development and practice of Chinese medicine.

What is a symbol?  A symbol is something used to represent something else.  It POINTS at something else.  Generally, we use material representations to represent immaterial things – like how a religious symbol can be used to represent God, or human beings’ relationship to God.  When I talk about symbolic thinking, I take it a bit farther.  Everything can be a symbol.  The human body is in resonance with the universe, in resonance with nature, and all of these things create a symbol field that points at something immaterial – the unifying concept behind all of those symbols.  This is, of course, a quite Platonic concept.  There is a perfect concept/idea of metal-ness, of which all METAL symbols here on Earth are only an imperfect representation.  The fact is that the symbol field creates a kind of embodied conversation about this “concept/idea.”  I want to point out that I’m not even sure that the Platonic idealist view of reality applies in the particular situation I’m describing, but many people will say that it does.  For the sake of simplicity, let’s just say that all of the symbols I discuss are part of an overall embodied conversation that is attempting to describe a particular concept that may, or may not, be perfectly present anywhere in the world.

Confusing?  Yeah, when I describe it that way it probably is pretty confusing.  But, it’s important to understand.  When I talk about the Stomach on the Chinese organ clock, you’ll hear me discuss the Dragon, Yangming, Earth, various acupuncture points and formulas, herbs and Classical passages, constellations, Earthly branches.  What does all of this mean?  It is part of a multi-sensory conversation attempting to define the Chinese medicine concept of the organ Stomach.  But, it can go so far beyond that.  Every time I walk out my door, I see Stomach.  I see it in the muscle cars roaring past, I see it in the gourmet restaurants that dot my beloved city of Portland.  I see it in the Earth yellow faces and wild smiles of friends and family, I see it in the high and dry Earth in mounds around the bike path.  I hear it in certain songs, certain lines in movies.  I hear about it in world news event reports.  I smell it on the breath of my dog (gross!) and in my compost pile.  Sometimes, the universe practically SCREAMS Stomach.  It is a multi-sensory experience, a lived experience.  Ultimately, all of this feeds back into me as a practitioner, my understanding of the human being and the universe, and bears important clinical results.

This is why it is so disturbing how some contemporary Chinese medicine practitioners have reduced “Stomach” to the Western medical organ.  Of course, we can use that idea as part of the symbol field.  How rich it is to include the information from Western medicine, but what a tiny little drop in the bucket it is – and how misunderstood.  But, that little gripe is not what this post is about.

This post is about nothing less than the rebirth of Deepest Health.  I am happy to say that Deepest Health is about to undergo a revolution in order to begin a revolution.  A revolution of thought and feeling around Chinese medicine.  You will still see the same great information that you’ve come to expect – but so much more.  We want to create something that can’t be described in a sentence, but here are some half attempts by the project’s creators:

Symbolism, Chinese medicine and the birth of a new project

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