The Best doctor cures not the disease but the pre-disease
In the west people often believe that one can trust a private exclusive health care programme to look after their health. But I think that the most reliable carer for one's health is oneselft and the most efficient health care one can give oneself is not to get ill.
The oldest Chinese classic of medicine, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine says, the doctor of highest capacity cures not the disease but the pre-disease which means a truly good doctor is able to detect the potential disease in a person well before the symptoms have formed.
Zhang Zhong-jing (å¼ ä»²æ™¯), a doctor from the Han Dynasty of China, has been revered as the Sage Doctor in the last 1000 years or so. He was said to have the amazing capacity to detect diseases in other people well before the patient could notice any symptoms in himself. He had a friend who was young, ambitious and successful, a high-flyer in his official career. But when Zhang met him, he warned the young man that by the time he reaches fourty, he'll fall ill and loose all his hair, eyebrows and beards and die within a month. Zhang prescribed some herbal medicine for this friend and urged him to take it as prescribed by him. But this young man who was fully enjoying his haydays took no notice of the warning thinking the doctor was just trying to scare him off. But sure enough the unlikely prediction rung true and the successful official died of a rather rare disease soon after he turned fourty.
There's another story about a Taoist master who took his disciples to meet three brothers who were all set up as doctors. Big brother were receiving the largest number of patients who all turned up for some rather severe illnesses. But 9 out of 10 times, they eneded up being cured after taking the prescriptions from the doctor. Second brother were receiving less patients who've come for treatment of less severe illnesses. They, too, got well after seeing the doctor and taking the presibriptions. The youngest of 3 had the least number of patients, and those who've come to him only had minor complaints. But by following advice given by the doctor and taking the occasional prescriptions, none of them ever developed severe illnesses. The master asked his disciples afterwards, 'which one of the three in your opinion is the best doctor'? 'Of course the Big Brother', replied the disciples in unison, 'Just look at how many severe patients he has cured!'
'Not quite so,' replied the master. 'The big brother is the most inefficient of the three because he can only treat patients when the symptons are fully developed. The youngest, on the contary, is the most capable of them all because he has the capacity to see the comming of diseases and nip them in the bud before they have a chance to take hold.'
The I-Ching, Classic of Changes, says, 'One Yin and one Yang (in harmony) constitue Tao; and Yin and Yang in disharmony form diseases'. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the human body in terms of the harmoney and changes between yin and yang as a reflection of the macrocosmic universe. The human body is a multi-dimentional system of the organic whole and human health is invariably influenced by the interations between the Yin and Yang elements in the environment, Yin being represented by the Moon and Yang the Sun. The waxing and waning of the positve Yang energy is reflected in the changes in the pulse in the human body. For this reason, pulse-taking is an essential tool for diagnosis in TCM. As emphasized in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine which is the cornerstone of the entire TCM system, 'Yin and Yang constitutes the Tao of heaven and earth; it is the pivot of the whole creation, mother and father of all changes, original preginator of all life and death; it is the dwelling place of human consciousness and vitality. Therefore cure for any illness has to come from the root (of Yin and Yang).'
A good example of interaction between Yin and Yang is the Four Seasons. Spring is the time when chi/energy starts to stir and expand; so we see grass and trees turning green and insects waking up from hybernation. Summer is the culmination of the expansion and releasing of Yang chi/energy; we experience heat in tempreture and see plants and trees prospering. Autumn is the season when Yang chi starts to decline and congeal; we experience cooler temperature and see leaves turning yellow and dropping. It's a time for harvesting and storing up. Winter is the season for yang chi to retreat into the ground and stay inactive; we see the earth frozon and rivers iced up. Activities of all creatures and plants decline to the minimum. As a relection of such a natural cycle, the human Chi goes through the same cycle. That's why the Yellow Emporer's Classic of Medicine suggests different life styles in different seasons to correspond to the yin/yang changes in the environment: Spring- late to bed and early rise, give more to facilitate growth and deprive none. Summer - late to bed and early rise. Entertain more outdoor persuits and refrain from getting angry to allow yang chi to fully expand and release. Autumn - early to bed, early rise and keep the emotions stablized and spirit peaceful so that chi within the body may start to withdraw and collect. Winter - early to bed and late to rise. Keep the spirit docile and withdrawn and keep oneself warm. Refrain from sweating to allow the chi to fully replenish and recharge inside, ready for use and activity the next spring.
So, a person might suffer from poor health in summer time not because of the things going wrong then but because he/she did not take care to store up the yang energy the previous winter. This might sound odd to a westerner because the West is very much into self-exertion, always doing and enjoying whenever one can; there's always the doctor, the expert, the therapist, the healer there to sort it out for you if anything goes wrong.
But to me, if we can each take care to look after our own health, we are doing a better job than the best doctor or healer that money can buy.
The oldest Chinese classic of medicine, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine says, the doctor of highest capacity cures not the disease but the pre-disease which means a truly good doctor is able to detect the potential disease in a person well before the symptoms have formed.
Zhang Zhong-jing (å¼ ä»²æ™¯), a doctor from the Han Dynasty of China, has been revered as the Sage Doctor in the last 1000 years or so. He was said to have the amazing capacity to detect diseases in other people well before the patient could notice any symptoms in himself. He had a friend who was young, ambitious and successful, a high-flyer in his official career. But when Zhang met him, he warned the young man that by the time he reaches fourty, he'll fall ill and loose all his hair, eyebrows and beards and die within a month. Zhang prescribed some herbal medicine for this friend and urged him to take it as prescribed by him. But this young man who was fully enjoying his haydays took no notice of the warning thinking the doctor was just trying to scare him off. But sure enough the unlikely prediction rung true and the successful official died of a rather rare disease soon after he turned fourty.
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| Zhang Zhong-jing, the Sage Doctor | (A.D. 150 - 219) |
'Not quite so,' replied the master. 'The big brother is the most inefficient of the three because he can only treat patients when the symptons are fully developed. The youngest, on the contary, is the most capable of them all because he has the capacity to see the comming of diseases and nip them in the bud before they have a chance to take hold.'
The I-Ching, Classic of Changes, says, 'One Yin and one Yang (in harmony) constitue Tao; and Yin and Yang in disharmony form diseases'. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the human body in terms of the harmoney and changes between yin and yang as a reflection of the macrocosmic universe. The human body is a multi-dimentional system of the organic whole and human health is invariably influenced by the interations between the Yin and Yang elements in the environment, Yin being represented by the Moon and Yang the Sun. The waxing and waning of the positve Yang energy is reflected in the changes in the pulse in the human body. For this reason, pulse-taking is an essential tool for diagnosis in TCM. As emphasized in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine which is the cornerstone of the entire TCM system, 'Yin and Yang constitutes the Tao of heaven and earth; it is the pivot of the whole creation, mother and father of all changes, original preginator of all life and death; it is the dwelling place of human consciousness and vitality. Therefore cure for any illness has to come from the root (of Yin and Yang).'
A good example of interaction between Yin and Yang is the Four Seasons. Spring is the time when chi/energy starts to stir and expand; so we see grass and trees turning green and insects waking up from hybernation. Summer is the culmination of the expansion and releasing of Yang chi/energy; we experience heat in tempreture and see plants and trees prospering. Autumn is the season when Yang chi starts to decline and congeal; we experience cooler temperature and see leaves turning yellow and dropping. It's a time for harvesting and storing up. Winter is the season for yang chi to retreat into the ground and stay inactive; we see the earth frozon and rivers iced up. Activities of all creatures and plants decline to the minimum. As a relection of such a natural cycle, the human Chi goes through the same cycle. That's why the Yellow Emporer's Classic of Medicine suggests different life styles in different seasons to correspond to the yin/yang changes in the environment: Spring- late to bed and early rise, give more to facilitate growth and deprive none. Summer - late to bed and early rise. Entertain more outdoor persuits and refrain from getting angry to allow yang chi to fully expand and release. Autumn - early to bed, early rise and keep the emotions stablized and spirit peaceful so that chi within the body may start to withdraw and collect. Winter - early to bed and late to rise. Keep the spirit docile and withdrawn and keep oneself warm. Refrain from sweating to allow the chi to fully replenish and recharge inside, ready for use and activity the next spring.
So, a person might suffer from poor health in summer time not because of the things going wrong then but because he/she did not take care to store up the yang energy the previous winter. This might sound odd to a westerner because the West is very much into self-exertion, always doing and enjoying whenever one can; there's always the doctor, the expert, the therapist, the healer there to sort it out for you if anything goes wrong.
But to me, if we can each take care to look after our own health, we are doing a better job than the best doctor or healer that money can buy.
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