Treatment Cave

In this blog post, I will discuss the diagnostic differentiation between various digestive symptoms and specifically, a feeling of distension, fullness, oppression and stuffiness. A feeling of  DISTENSION ( zhang 胀) indicates stagnation of Qi.  This type of sensation will be seldom referred to as "distension" by Western patients: more often than not, patients will call it a feeling of “bloating”, "bursting", "being blown-up", etc. A feeling of distension is both subjective and objective.  Subjectively, the patient feels bloated, and objectively, it can be seen and palpated.  On palpation it feels like an over-inflated balloon, it resists on palpation and “rebounds”. A feeling of distension indicates Qi stagnation: it is the cardinal symptom of Qi stagnation which usually affects the Liver.  Remember, however, that it affects also other organs: in the context of digestive disorders, it affects the Stomach, Intestines and Spleen. Note that Qi stagnation do...

In the first Clinical Tip we discussed the possible origin of the theory of the 5 Elements and the connection between the ancient Four Directions and the Cosmological arrangement of the 5 Elements (with Earth in the Centre).  In the second Clinical Tip we discussed the clinical application of the Cosmological Sequence of the 5 Elements. In this third and last Clinical Tip I would like to address the relationship between the 5 Elements and the 4 Seasons. Numerology pervades Chinese medicine very often with contradictions. There is the number 1 which is the Dao, bearing in mind that the Dao is part not only of Daoist philosophy but also of the philosophies of Confucianism and of the Yin-Yang School. There is the number 2 which is of course Yin and Yang.  Number 3 is Heaven-Earth-Person (Tian-Di-Ren). I deliberately use the word “person” rather than “man” as ren in Chinese does indeed mean “person”: nan ren is a male person and nu ren a female one. Incidentally, the “Earth” of...

In the previous Clinical Tip I discussed the clinical application of the Cosmological sequence of the 5 Elements, i.e. the one placing the 5 Elements in the form of a cross.  I concentrated on the “vertical” relationship between Fire and Water and between Heart and Kidneys.  In this Clinical Tip, I will discuss the clinical significance of the Earth being in the Centre and of Wood and Metal being on left and right respectively. EARTH IN THE CENTRE The placing of the Earth in the Centre of the Cosmological sequence of the 5 Elements is crucial.  The Earth is in the Centre in a cosmological  and a clinical sense.  The four Elements of Fire, Water, Wood and Metal are placed along a square with Fire at the top (South), Water at the bottom (North), Wood on the left (East) and Metal on the right (West).  The square has a centre that is the point of reference which pertains to Earth.  There can only be a “top”, “bottom”, “left” and “right” in reference to a c...