Deepest Health Chinese Medicine Podcast : Interview with Dr. Arnaud Versluys LAc, PhD (Part 1 of 3)
Happy Election day to all of my readers in the United States of America! I’ve cast my vote for Classical Chinese Medicine by publishing the first part of my podcast series with Dr. Arnaud Versluys. :D
This is a pretty brief piece where he answers the question, “What is Classical Chinese Medicine?” I think you’ll find some great information in there about the relationship of the Classical texts to the practice of medicine, the importance of careful study as well as some food for thought regarding the various schools of Chinese medicine. I’ll release the second part of the podcast before the end of the week and release the conclusion, a little vignette about herbal access and herb substitution next week.
Look also for my regular Saturday podcast this week - ok, so it hasn’t been very regular lately, but I hope we can get past that. ;) Enjoy the podcast!
If you like what you read here, you may want to keep updated by using my RSS feed. Want to know more about RSS/feeds? - read more here. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: arnaud versluys, classical-chinese-medicine, interview, Podcast, studyRelated posts
The Art of Palpating the Abdomen for the Purpose of Prescribing Chinese herbal formulas
This is a guest post from recent National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) graduate, Kumiko Shirai. She is a fine herbalist already and obviously has an expertise in the (almost) lost art of abdominal diagnosis. I have seen this work in action and can attest to its amazing effectiveness! Please enjoy the article. There are more guest articles to come! -Eric
________________
Japanese abdominal diagnosis, known as fukushin 腹診 is an art form of medical practice that is virtually lost in modern practice of Chinese medicine. There are two major schools and types of abdominal diagnosis, Nanjing and Shanghan Lun schools, which separates into the Japanese schools of acupuncture and the schools of herbalism respectively. There are many modern books written on acupuncture style of abdominal diagnosis, which is also referred to as hara diagnosis, however books written on herbal prescription style of fukushin are difficult to find.
In the studies of Japanese style of herbal prescriptions, kampo, 漢方 which is mostly based on Han Dynasty formulas from the classical texts of the Shanghan Lun and the Jingui Yaolue, one can find many abdominal patterns and findings for almost every formula. It appears, though it is not certain, that Zhang Zhongjing used abdominal palpation as part of his diagnostic tools. And there are many Japanese scholars who have elaborated and perfected their practices of fukushin for the purpose of herbal prescriptions based on Zhang Zhongjing’s classical texts.
The concept and significance of the abdomen are different in Japan from what exists in Western cultures. It was not too long ago that Japanese people commonly said, “I am going to go see a doctor to get my abdomen examined.” In Japanese culture, the abdomen or hara is central. Alternatively, the nervous system and mind seem to be central in Western cultures. But, when we think about it, the Japanese idea makes a lot of sense. The abdomen is physically a central part of the body, containing many of the vital organs. Japanese people also believe that hara is the seat of the soul, where self-consciousness is anchored. On the other hand, from pathological sense, the abdomen is where people hold emotional stress, affecting their digestive problems as well as other physical discomforts. For this reason, in Japanese medicine, the hara becomes a pivotal part of the body during the examination, diagnosis, and treatment.
In fukushin, abdominal patterns are named after herbal formulas such as “Xiao Chaihu Tang pattern” or “sho” in Japanese, which already gives a diagnosis and a treatment plan. On the other hand, in the Nanjing school of abdominal diagnosis, abdominal patterns are named after theoretical diagnostic concepts such as “Liver qi overacting on Spleen”. The difference between Nanjing style of theoretical approach versus Shanghang Lun style of clinical approach is interesting in that it shifted the clinical practice of kampo in Japanese medical history. One of the most influential Japanese scholars, Todo Yoshimasu (1702-1773), emphasized mastering clinical skills rather than understanding theories. He claimed that “proof is always more convincing than logic,” accentuating the importance of the practice of palpation, and to treat what is obvious by carefully examining the abdomen. For this reason, Todo inspired many practitioners to practice palpation during the examination. However, Japanese scholars did not ignore fundamental theories of Chinese medicine completely, and fukushin is still very much based on theory as well.
In order to give an herbal formula based on abdominal diagnosis, one must understand the architecture of the formulas first. There are eight therapeutic methods in the study of herbal prescriptions, however, it is important to break up each method into further smaller groups, understanding the function of the pivotal herb or herbs in each formula. The key herb in a formula may not always be the emperor of the formula, though often times it is. For example, in the purging method, there can be different causes for accumulation in the middle burner hence requiring different approaches and treatment plans. While Dahuang (in Da Chengqi Tang) treats fullness caused by middle burner accumulation due to qi stagnation causing heat, Mangxiao (in Tiaowei Chengqi Tang) treats accumulation of the middle burner due to dryness of the intestines, and Taoren and Mudanpi (in Dahuang Mudanpi Tang) treat fullness by breaking up blood stasis, hence moving both qi and blood. As a consequence, these three formulas, which share a common category of method, will have different abdominal patterns and imply different treatment plans.
In closing, I want to emphasize that examining a person’s center is not only theoretically appropriate but also clinically helpful in the process of assessment, diagnosis and finally planning a treatment. Hence, Chinese medicine practitioners, are encouraged to cherish the art form of practicing this medicine by observing and touching each patient and interpreting such information as holographic representation of the body.
Tags: abdominal diagnosis, asian medicine, clinic, Diagnosis, formulas, japanese medicine, patterns, schools, shang-han-lun, study, TheoryRelated posts
The nuts and bolts of the Chinese medicine awareness experiement
In two articles, Abdallah and I have begun to lay out the foundations for a project that is, in some ways, the extension of the Year of Sagely Living. There hasn’t been much discussion generated around those two articles. There are two possible reasons for this and they both come down to our failure to express the essence of the project appropriately. I will offer two articles - one today and one tomorrow - that attempt to explain the project clearly and also highlight its importance.
First, here, I’d like to just lay out in very clear prose what it is we are proposing and, briefly, why.
Record of a journey
Blogging is, at its best, the record of some person’s (or people’s) particular way through life. Even when the blog isn’t personal, it represents a particular take on some particular aspect of the experience of living. Deepest Health has always been mostly about exploring Classical Chinese medicine from the perspective of one student, myself. In this journey, I’ve revealed my own struggles and a-ha moments. I’ve also attempted to share the knowledge I’ve gained in my schooling in an effort to make good information about Chinese medicine more available. As I grow and change, so does the blog.
I’ve walked across a threshold in my study - the threshold from theory to practice. In doing so, I’ve learned deeply the importance of rock-solid theory. More than that, I’ve learned about the inseperability of theory and practice. They inform and shape one another. One of the places where theory and practice interpenetrate for me is in the realm of Chinese medical symbolism. What I’ve learned about the symbols of Chinese medicine from a few professors, most overtly Heiner Fruehauf, is the way that Chinese medicine is actually built on a system of symbols and a method of symbolic perception and thinking that is at least somewhat alien to contemporary Western consciousness. I’ve tried to make that way of thinking and perceiving less alien for myself and, through my blog, for you.
In clinic, I don’t think that much about the Chinese medicine organ clock. But, I do think a lot about symbols. I think about the symbolism of the pulse. About how to read it, how to match it up with patient experience. I think about how the pulses are written about in Classical texts and the deep symbolic meaning present in every character. I think about the symbol of the human face, a microcosmic representation of the whole body. I consider the symbolic diagnostic methods of Worsley style five element acupuncture. I wonder about the concise descriptions of symptoms patterns in the Shang Han Lun, and begin to understand the deep symbolic nature of the characters that make up those descriptions. I see how all of my professors seek to understand this way of thinking, seek to incorporate it into their practice, despite how they feel about more overt conversations about the subject.
There is no class that can teach me how to think symbolically. There is no seminar that can rearrange your mind so you think less analytically and more holistically. There is only lived experience. There is only gentle but persistent effort. Nature and patients as teachers.
Wait, didn’t I say this was going to be clear?
Yes, yes yes… To provide a “why” for the rambling “what” above, please accept the following. I believe that by teaching myself to think symbolically, to deeply perceive the infinite richness of patients and nature and the world at large, I will gain information that will make me a better clinician. There are lots of ways to teach myself these skills. There are lots of layers to be unfolded. The project that Abdallah and I are proposing is simply to record our journey to gain this particular way of thinking and perceiving. Just as everything it will grow and change, but here are the essential elements:
So what is this going to look like?
Records of our efforts in the form of text articles : This is more of the same as far as Deepest Health is concerned. You can expect frequent reports on how our efforts are progressing. Sometimes this will come in the form of an article about a formula or an herb, something like you’ve seen here before. But, it will attempt to go deeper by incorporating multi-sensory lived experience. Sometimes it might be a new type of article that reports back on a specific experience along the lines of what I’ve described above. For instance, if one week I find myself especially attracted to understanding the Chinese medicine concept of fire, I might write an article about all of my multifaceted research on the subject. This could incorporate lines and interpretation of those lines from various Classical texts. It could incorporate my own musings about patients and myself as related to fire. It might posit connections between lines in the Classical texts, formulas that I have recently prescribed and some aspect of popular culture that makes clear some important relationship. It could involve a series of photographs around Portland as well as a recording of some firedancers on a mountaintop. Which brings me to the next point…
Multimedia integration : What we are proposing is that only by laying open ALL of our senses are we able to really understand the wisdom of the ancients. How many of us really understand the five odors and colors used in diagnosis? How many of us really understand the five flavors of herbs? This understanding is important to have on an intellectual level, of course, and textual analysis is important for that. But equally important is our lived experience of these things. Now, while we would be hard pressed to offer scents and flavors on the Internet, we can certainly talk about scents and flavors. But, what will really set this project, and ultimately this blog, apart is the inclusion of audio and visual content to help illustrate concepts.
I have been experimenting with audio and have been very impressed with the medium. I recently purchased some new equipment that will help me deliver higher quality audio to Deepest Health readers/listeners. I would love to continue to offer record of conversations, as well as music and soundscapes that illustrate particular points. Imagine the impact of not only reading an article about Shaoyang fire, but hearing audio that is evocative of this primal force and seeing photographs and drawings that seek to explore the concept further! We will offer audio as well as pictures, artwork and video. Some of it will be strictly in service of elucidating particular concepts, but also just to continue to enrich the site’s content - as with interviews, video of my talking head, and so on.
Some of what we put forward may be pure folly! You may watch a particular video, hear an audio, or read an article and think : By jove, they’ve gone off the deep end! And that’s when audience participation comes in. We want lively conversation! We want response! Further, as we explore the project you may find that you hear, see, smell and feel things that go along with (or contradict) what we are putting forward. We’ll post it! Put it forward! Let us create a living database of information that goes beyond the simple recounting of TCM textbooks. The future of Chinese medicine on the Internet, no less! :) But, it is important to note that for me, the Classical texts are the ground from which all I think about springs and ultimately it is what I want to keep connected to at all times. I believe this will help us from going too far afield, proposing theories and ideas that are radically disconnected from the thousands of years of clinical experience that we are fortunate to have access to as students and practitioners.
I hope this helps explain what we’re after. More to come.
Tags: Blogging, content, internet, multimedia, nature, patterns, study, symbolism, The Project, Theory, video, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
Technological teaching : social networking for natural medicine practitioners and a study update
I’ve been working with Saturday features these last few months. I like the idea of a links post, but they don’t get much traffic and they’re sort of boring to write. I figure it makes more sense to offer something of real value while enjoying the process myself. So, on this cloudy Oregon summer morning, I’d like to try something new. On Saturdays, until I find something that works even better, I’ll offer a technological teaching geared toward the natural medicine crowd. Remember when I wrote about why every healthcare provider should have a blog and the ensuing discussion about the apparent misgivings most natural medicine practitioners seem to have about technology? Well, I have a passion for bringing our profession up to speed - we belong on the Internet - people need us! Every week, I’ll try to think of something new to point out. It will still be links-based, but the links won’t just be stuff I think is interesting. Instead, the links will be part of the teaching.
—-
Before I continue with the technological teaching, I wanted to refer back to another post I made recently about studying Chinese medicine. As school approaches (my last year!) I find myself being forced to think increasingly of how to get myself back into the mindset for institutional education. I’ve also continued to notice my knowledge deficiencies while in clinic. Not to mention, I’m supposed to be working on the thesis required for my Classical Chinese Medicine degree at NCNM. I find that in the summer, I naturally turn away from intense study and towards other things (like blogging) but now it’s time to turn back. In the article referenced above, I decided to try a new method of studying that would allow me to cycle through topics each day. As usual, I bit off a little more than I could chew. In this case, I simply picked too many topics. I found that it was too difficult to keep the categories discreet, and often because of the natural flow of my weeks I was “into” particular topics on particular days.
To refine the process, I will suggest the following topics be studied each day - with the complete group to be studied at least every two weeks. This allows for a more natural decision making process when I sit down to study, yet still ensures that I actually work on each topic. This last part is important, because I find that sometimes I get a little too obsessed with one topic and my knowledge and skill in the other crucial areas suffers.
Topics:
- Formulas : names, dosages, signs/symptoms (especially pulses) and all associated information
- Points : mostly just location and categories for now
- Diagnostics : working more closely with pulses, tongues and other diagnostic information
- Pathology : six conformations/shang han, 19 lines/5 evils, Zangfu/TCM and Western when desired
- Physiology : working with the information I have to keep diving deeper into the physiology of Chinese medicine organ systems and their interrelationships
- Symbolism : working more explicitly with the information I’ve gleaned from Classical texts and my professors at NCNM
If this succeeds, I’d like to see how it works to share something I’ve learned from each topic each week. I know that some of you students out there have been missing the more basic posts I used to write, and my explicit study in these various areas might bear some fruit as far as sharable content is concerned. Stay tuned.
—
Now, what about technology? To keep this post as short as possible, I won’t launch into any diatribes. I hope to just show people how valuable the Internet can be and how crucial it is that we, as healthcare providers, link into this rapidly growing method of connection and communication. Today, I’d like to talk a little bit about…
**Social networking**
Human beings are social animals. Some have lamented the invention of the computer, and then the Internet, claiming that it negatively impacts social relationships between people. Now, of course, I think this is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg question since for our society to accept such a technology implies that we had already gone far afield. That is, of course, if this lamentation has any basis. I’m not ready to deliver a proclamation on that just yet, but I do believe that any such insinuation is probably overstated. Anyway, the thing has doubtless been improved by the invention of blogging and, most recently, the flourishing of social networking tools.
Both blogging and social networking tools share something in common - they encourage conversation among people. You are all mostly familiar with blogging, I assume. You may be less familiar with the various social networking tools. There are quite a few types, and those who are more detail oriented than myself could probably explain them in encyclopedic fashion. But, to keep it real, I offer these simple categories and definitions:
1. Social networking sites that are more about keeping people updated and sharing more static information: These sites are usually larger and more feature-rich. They invite people to develop a very full profile, often include advertising and other monetization, and frequently connect with other types of content (like static websites containing large amounts of information). Most of these do include aspects of the second type, but most people don’t use them that way. I’m thinking here of sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, Gaia.com and Rootdown.us (links to these sites that allow you to add me easily as a friend are below).
These sites require some set up to be most functional. You go in, set up a profile and add a picture, add groups and interests, find your friends and colleagues and gradually over time will build a group of people (a network) that is easy to connect with. In my experience, the social aspects of these sites are relatively deemphasized. What I mean is that there’s not much conversation going on and often, particularly among the over-25 set, updates are infrequent. They are still very valuable, however. I have found lots of long-lost friends using these tools, plus the integration of microblogging tools (see below) allow for more conversational interaction. The more robust nature of these tools allows for a wider range of functionality as well. For instance, on Gaia.com - a social networking site for “conscious living” - you can write blog entries, list your favorite books, search for information on a variety of alternative lifestyle topics and be informed of upcoming events you may be interested in.
2. Social networking sites that are more about conversing and sharing developing information : These tools are often grouped under the word “microblogging.” Microblogging is a way of sharing short bits of information (under 150 characters) frequently. Using these sites, you set up a small profile and add friends. You can easily update the services (eventually even using your mobile phone) and read others’ updates and in doing so, you have a good sense for what your contacts are doing in any given day. Lots of news bytes are shared using this service - it can be interesting to watch the unfolding of a given story as percieved by people all over the world in all different socio-political circumstances. It’s also an easy way to share links to your latest blog content or ask people for support for charity causes or for promoting your content on sites like Digg and Stumbleupon (which are also, technically, social media sites - but are very different so I won’t cover them here). Twitter and Plurk are the two most popular microblogging services. See links below.
Why should you get involved?
These sites are a great way to start establishing yourself as a presence on the Internet. The conversations you have with others will gradually introduce you into the online flow - which can be very helpful if you ever plan to promote yourself or your clinic online. It’s also a fantastic way to meet people from all over the world and to begin to see things through eyes other than your own. I also find it a very helpful way to keep up with friends, family and colleagues that I otherwise would need to have an hour-long “catching up” conversation with each time I met up with them. Some may say that this is degrading normal human interaction, but I’ve found it only to enrich the relationships I have with people “in real life.”
Join me in the social media revolution - add me as a friend!
Here are my links for the various social media sites. You can click here to add me to your profile and we will be able to see one another’s updates. If you have any questions or anything to share about social media, go ahead and leave a comment at the end of this post and I’ll answer any and all questions as well as participating in any ensuing conversation. I look forward to seeing you all there. :) Note: Some of these links are not going to lead you to my profile, but to the page where you can sign up for an account. Once you do that, you can add me - sometimes using the links below or just by searching for me by my username or password.
- Facebook (I think I’m found as Eric Grey in this service)
- Myspace (I should note that I don’t use this service as much as the others, I’m pylonian here)
- Gaia.com (I’m pylonian on this service)
- Rootdown.us (I’m deepesthealth on this service)
- Linkedin (I believe I’m just Eric Grey on this service)
- Twitter (I’m pylonian here)
- Plurk (I’m deepesthealth here)
It’s worth noting that there are a variety of social networking sites that are specifically aimed at particular groups of people or particular kinds of content. For instance, there is a social networking site for Muslims, as well as one just for sharing information about Travel. There are also photosharing social networks like Flickr. Rootdown.us (listed above) is one such type of site - geared particularly towards people interested in Chinese medicine. I should note that Rootdown isn’t a social networking site as such, but incorporates some of those elements - a practice becoming increasingly common on the Internet.
If you’re interested, here’s a Wikipedia list of most of the popular social networking websites.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
Tags: Blogging, education, fun, internet, links, student, study, studying, Technology, websitesRelated posts
Symbolism, Chinese medicine and the birth of a new project
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:
Tags: commitment, multimedia, organ system, Organ systems, revolution, study, studying, symbolism, writing
Related posts
-
-
What am I up to?
-
Subscribe to Deepest Health
