What is the essence and development direction of TCM theory? Only by cracking the essence of Chinese medicine can we integrate Chinese and western medicine.

Both Chinese and western medical systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, and they are not medicine in the full sense. It is necessary to combine the two theories organically, learn from each other's strong points and form a complete medical theory. At present, the level of integration of traditional Chinese and western medicine is low, which will inevitably limit the improvement of the curative effect of integration of traditional Chinese and western medicine. The treatment of integrated Chinese and western medicine should also be carried out under the guidance of the unified theory of integrated Chinese and western medicine. However, at present, the so-called combination of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in clinic is actually a combination of TCM syndrome differentiation and western medicine symptomatic treatment, each acting in its own way; When taking medicine, it is simple Chinese medicine plus western medicine. In the final analysis, it is not carried out under the guidance of the unified theory of traditional Chinese and western medicine, but belongs to a low-level combination. If the treatment is carried out under the guidance of the unified theory of Chinese and western medicine, it is possible to improve the curative effect to the best state. Therefore, the unification of Chinese and Western medicine theories is a high-level combination of Chinese and Western medicine. In the past, the research of TCM theory in China mainly focused on the practical (empirical) research level. Because of ignoring the importance of theoretical research, it is difficult to reveal the essence of TCM theory. So that after more than half a century's research, the scientific essence of the whole theoretical system of TCM cannot be solved from the perspective of modern science. The above content is extracted from the 3rd edition of China journal of traditional chinese medicine (2011). "Only by cracking the essence of Chinese medicine can we meet the needs of Chinese and western medicine".

The following contents are purely personal opinions, and I reserve the right to learn and improve. Yizhi Liu was born in Changyi, Shandong. I don't belong to Chinese medicine or western medicine. I should be regarded as a person standing between Chinese and western medicine. I am an acupuncture lover at best. I can know a little about Chinese medicine, relying entirely on acupuncture handed down from home. I have a personal experience of the curative effect of acupuncture, which can be said to be a miracle. Seeing the constant disputes between Chinese and western medicine, the voice of abolishing doctors is endless, and many scammers take turns to go into battle. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine has been in dire straits, so stand up and say a few words. I am like an ant in front of everyone. The original title is "The Scream of Ants". Ants also have ants' thoughts. As for the essence of TCM theory, I'm just saying what I really think in my heart. That's what I think in my heart. The authorities are confused, and the bystanders are clear. I believe that if people can't think, no amount of knowledge is in vain. I hope everyone will look at the following contents from the perspective of thinking and discuss the essence of Chinese medicine theory.

TCM theory is the core and soul of TCM. For half a century, archaeologists and researchers in the history of traditional Chinese medicine in China have made in-depth and detailed research on the origin, development and evolution of traditional Chinese medicine. They adhere to the viewpoints of historical materialism and dialectical materialism, seek truth from facts, and make repeated textual research based on archaeological historical materials, especially a large number of unearthed cultural relics in recent years, and have achieved many important results. So that our understanding of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine continues to develop and gradually become clear.

From the analysis of the formation process of the theoretical framework of traditional Chinese medicine before the Han Dynasty, the origin and development of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine have a clear vein. Since Shang Dynasty, people have been exploring the theory of human physiological and pathological regulation. It has gone through different historical stages: 1. Theory of heart meridian regulation. 2. Dialectical theory of yin-yang regulation 3. Primitive theory of regulating qi. 4. Restrain the theory of five elements-five zang-organs regulation. 5. New theory of heart meridian regulation. Before Qin and Han Dynasties, the theory of human body function regulation was the main program of TCM theory, while the theory of heart meridian regulation was the main program of human body function regulation. The emergence of other regulatory theories is the product of China's special historical conditions. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, all the scholars were attributed to the theory of regulating the heart meridian, which greatly enriched the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine and formed a new theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine. Among them, the core idea is the meridian theory, and the yin-yang theory, the qi-blood theory and the viscera-state theory all revolve around and serve the meridian theory. The framework of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine has basically taken shape and continued to this day, and has not changed much since 2000. Just more detailed in content. However, it is a serious mistake to put the cart before the horse and take the theory of yin-yang and five elements as the core and the theory of meridians as the vassal in the current theoretical textbooks of traditional Chinese medicine.

The formation of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine is deeply influenced by ancient philosophy. The theory that "the mind governs the gods" is no exception. In many discourses of ancient philosophy, we can see that the heart is the home of the gods and the gods serve the heart. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the "theory of mind and nature" was formed, and the "theory of mind and nature" in ancient philosophy also influenced the viewpoint that "the mind governs the gods" put forward in Neijing. This view has a far-reaching impact on future generations. In Qing Dynasty, Wang Qingren boldly put forward the idea that the brain governs the gods in "Correcting Mistakes in Medical Forest", which obviously overthrew the view of the ancients that the mind governs the memory and thinking. Although many scholars have put forward the theory that "the brain governs the gods", due to the characteristics of Chinese medicine theory itself, it is impossible to get rid of the theory of "the heart governs the gods" in clinical syndrome differentiation, thus forming the debate between heart and brain. But on the whole, the traditional view that the mind governs the gods has always been dominant. It's a pity that Wang Qingren in Qing Dynasty didn't challenge for success. But after all, he opened a window for the change of TCM theory.

From here, we can easily see that the formation process of TCM theory is a process of great debate. It is a process of self-improvement and a stage for a hundred schools of thought to contend. The winner will stay on the stage of TCM, so TCM is the collective creation of hardworking and intelligent people in China. It is not the product of a certain person or a certain dynasty. It is the accumulation of 5,000 years of civilization. Even today, its thoughts still shine with modern brilliance.

Throughout the development history of Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine gradually stopped moving forward from the Ming Dynasty. This can be seen from the quantity and quality of Chinese medicine works in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Later, acupuncture in China was suppressed by feudal ethics in the Qing Dynasty, because acupuncture required bare skin. In the dynasties when men and women were not close, they were dismissed as unsightly by feudal ethics, and 1822 was abolished by the Qing court, which gradually came to an end and was left out in the cold. It only exists among the people. Affect people to turn to light needles and heavy drugs. It deviates from the treatment idea of one needle, two moxibustion and three drugs in traditional Chinese medicine. In the Republic of China, the gradual introduction of western medicine made Chinese medicine worse. The magical effect of western medicine brought by hormones and antibiotics, as well as the accurate grasp of the physiological structure of the body, make a large number of China people into the arms of western medicine. The criticism of literati and the blow of studying abroad made Chinese medicine cry like a rat crossing the street. The abolition of Chinese medicine proposed by the National Government almost made Chinese medicine disappear in the land of China. Take a look at the current situation of Chinese medicine: although some Chinese medicine hospitals around the country are branded as Chinese medicine, some medical facilities and some diagnosis and treatment methods basically rely on Western medicine, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain. Even in rural areas, Chinese medicine is dying out, and it is an indisputable fact that some Chinese medicine students find it difficult to find jobs. Nowadays, the inheritance of Chinese medicine has become a major social problem. In the eyes of many people, Chinese medicine seems to be synonymous with liars.

Any theory, any theory, if it is not developed and injected with fresh blood, will definitely fall behind the world and be abandoned by history. Just like a river, if there is no tributary in the middle, it will inevitably dry up and disappear in the process of running. Before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chinese medicine was able to develop by leaps and bounds because it was open-minded and accepted the ideas of all parties. But after the Ming Dynasty, they went into hibernation and no longer accepted new ideas, which was incompatible with the development of western medicine. With the rapid development of western medicine, Chinese medicine has been in a passive position without seizing the opportunity to follow up. Faced with the differences with western medicine, we can't justify ourselves. If the country is not strong and the people are in poverty, the theory of traditional Chinese medicine cannot calm the voice of abolishing traditional Chinese medicine. It is the duty of each of us in China to spread the theory of TCM to the whole world.

My contact with Chinese medicine comes from my family. My grandfather is a respected acupuncturist. He began to practice medicine before liberation and cured countless patients. But at that time, for me, Chinese medicine was just a dispensable thing, and what impressed me the most was the fear of needles. Later, I don't know why I suddenly had a backache, and the hospital didn't have a good plan. It is really painful to delay for a few days. Later, under the persuasion of my mother, the pain was completely gone. Since then, I have been convinced of acupuncture, and I have been deeply involved in it. I have been studying acupuncture for more than ten years and dare not relax. I hope to find the real reason for its treatment. I also gave acupuncture to others during the period. I watched the patient relieve the pain of neck, waist and legs, and relieved the pain of stomach cold, stomach pain and dysmenorrhea caused by palace cold. Seeing that the patients with facial paralysis have fully recovered, I believe in Chinese medicine more. But seeing so many voices of doubt, many people even put forward the discussion of abolishing Chinese medicine. There are many famous celebrities like Lu Xun, Chen Duxiu, Yan Fu, Lin Yutang, Sun Yat-sen, Liang Qichao and so on, who are quite critical of TCM. Li Ao even directly said that Chinese medicine was a witch doctor, while Ba Jin was even more ruthless. He said: Purge the old doctor completely, and you must see his death with your own eyes. It is said that Fang recently launched a signature campaign for medical identification of discarded drugs. This cannot but make people feel sad. Look at these people. Those who have really studied Chinese medicine are just laymen. There is a strange phenomenon in China. Whether you are old or young, whether you know Chinese medicine or not, you can tell Chinese medicine what to do. It seems that Chinese medicine is an object that one can bully.

At first, my greatest wish was to find the conduction route and process of the Fourteen Classics and the real reason of acupuncture treatment. In order to find it, I sewed hundreds of stitches on my head, hands, arms, legs, feet and stomach. Although it hurts, the determination to find it has not changed. The discoveries and ideas of ten years ago now appear more and more clearly in my mind. Thanks to the internet, I have the opportunity to write down my thoughts and present them to you. The core of TCM theory is the theory of meridians, yin and yang, qi and blood, eight categories of syndrome differentiation and zang-xiang. The meridians of traditional Chinese medicine include the twelve meridians, collaterals and eight strange meridians. This is the core of TCM theory, and the eight categories of Yin-Yang theory, Qi-Blood theory, Zangxiang theory and syndrome differentiation are all around meridians. Without solving the question of what meridians are, the contradiction between Chinese medicine and western medicine will not be solved.

First of all, the meridians are real. Through my own acupuncture and more and more evidence, I have confirmed that meridians are the ancient people's in-depth understanding of the nervous system. Our ancestors described the physiological function of nerve very accurately two thousand years ago: 1 communicating inside and outside, connecting viscera and organs. 2. Promote qi and blood and nourish viscera and tissues. 3 Inductive conduction 4 Regulating body balance. This is an accurate understanding of nerves by ancient people in China two thousand years ago, and it is also used in clinic to explain the pathological changes of human body and guide the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. This is a very great pioneering work. It is amazing that its physiological function can be determined only through clinical observation two thousand years ago. Moreover, the ancient Chinese also observed the phenomenon that the left and right hemispheres controlled the contralateral limbs, which can be seen from acupuncture works. It is mentioned in the book that the disease of unilateral limb needs the left disease to stab the right and the right disease to stab the left, and this discovery is expounded. This seems unimaginable today. It's a miracle that the Du meridian is in the same direction as the current nervous system, and the visceral acupoints on the back are basically in the same position as the autonomic nerves of the nervous system. However, we should be more aware that the twelve meridians, Qijing and Bamai system are just ancestors' external understanding of the nervous system. In other words, the twelve meridians, Qijing and Bamai system do not exist. His distribution law, trend, exterior-interior relationship and flow direction order are all wrong. Only by recognizing this, can we solve the contradiction with western medicine from the source. This is hard for everyone to understand. Chinese medicine is very powerful and cannot be questioned by others. Moreover, new ideas are not allowed, which seriously restricts the development of TCM theory.

When we realize the essence of meridians, the latter thing is very simple. The ancients in China not only confirmed the existence of nerves, but also recognized the existence of sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves in life. Using the description of yin and yang, the relationship between sympathetic nerve and parasympathetic nerve is correctly expounded: opposition of yin and yang, interaction of yin and yang, balance of yin and yang, and interaction of yin and yang. There is no more concise language to describe the relationship between the two. Today, we don't look at the appearance of Yin and Yang, but at its essence: Yin and Yang are used to summarize the attributes of things and are an instant interactive relationship. According to this standard, heaven and earth, fire and water, day and night, qi and blood, viscera and so on. Yin and Yang can't be used to express it, because there is no real-time interaction between them, and they are not attributes of things. This is something that needs to be corrected in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, otherwise it will become an excuse to attack traditional Chinese medicine. It seems that only sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves have such a relationship. Since the theory of yin and yang was introduced into the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, that is, after the establishment of meridian theory, ancient Chinese people felt different physiological functions of sympathetic nerve and parasympathetic nerve in clinical observation, so the image of yin and yang was used to express the relationship between them. Therefore, the theory of yin and yang serves the theory of meridians. It's just that later generations have expanded it infinitely and applied it to various fields, which is a big mistake.

The wise ancients in China even found the root of life activities, physiological development and viscera function: Qi, which is the hormone discovered by western medicine today. The ancients in China used the concept of Qi to explain the naming of hormones: Qi is a subtle substance, which is the basic substance that constitutes the human body, and the movement of Qi is used to explain the life activities of the human body. Its function is described in detail and accurately: 1 Promoting the growth and development of human body, the physiological activities of organs such as viscera and meridians, and the generation and operation of blood all depend on the promotion of qi; 2. Warm-hearted actions; 3. defensive actions; 4. gaze action; 5. Without gasification, there would be no life; Qi is in constant motion, and the cessation of Qi means the end of life. This is obviously the physiological function of hormones. The ancients further revealed the relationship between hormones and blood, hormones and body fluids: qi can produce blood, qi can produce blood, qi can suck blood, and blood is the mother of qi. There are many types of qi: stomach qi, kidney qi, meridian qi, liver qi and so on. Take a look. This is the different understanding of hormones by ancient people in China two thousand years ago.

The ancients in China summed up the relationship between zang-fu organs through their own wisdom, and founded the theory of Zangxiang. Created a precedent for clinical medicine. It profoundly reveals the physiological functions of the five internal organs and the relationship between zang-fu organs, fu-fu organs and fu-fu organs, and zang-fu organs. Its accuracy seems to be beyond our ability today. For diagnostic methods, China ancients created four diagnostic methods and eight dialectical principles. This is China's 5,000-year clinical accumulation, the collective wisdom of the Chinese nation and precious wealth. This makes western medicine instruments far behind. Because western medicine often detects organic diseases through instruments, it can't do anything about dysfunction, and it can't be treated with drugs, such as constipation, diarrhea, stomach cold and stomachache, dysmenorrhea due to palace cold, neck pain, no sweat, less sweat, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, etc., western medicine is often helpless. This is the limitation of western medicine. The abuse of hormonal drugs will only make the condition from mild to severe. This is the strength of Chinese medicine. By looking, listening and asking questions, it is easy to find the cause of the disease according to the syndrome differentiation of the eight cardinal principles, and adjust the disorder through acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine. In my experience, the effect of acupuncture is quick, but the effect of traditional Chinese medicine is slow, because acupuncture works directly by stimulating nerves, and ordinary functional diseases can be cured in 5 ~ 15 days. It can be seen from here that the scope of diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine is different. Traditional Chinese medicine aims at functional lesions, early diagnosis and fundamental treatment of diseases. Western medicine mostly focuses on organic diseases, and most diseases often start from dysfunction and gradually evolve into organic diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine put forward more than two thousand years ago: a saint is not cured, but a disease is not cured. This tells us that the disease is not incurable, but difficult to treat. Not getting sick can be understood as dysfunction, and getting sick can be understood as organic disease, which is completely in line with the thinking of traditional Chinese medicine. Now in a word, it is: nip in the bud. This is the far-sighted treatment principle of Chinese medicine.

As for the relationship between TCM and Zhouyi, I think it is the biggest mistake to introduce TCM theory into Zhouyi, which is tantamount to inviting wolves into the room. It is easy to make the theory of traditional Chinese medicine go astray. It is dark near Zhu Zhechi and Mexico, which makes Chinese medicine a witch doctor. Only by cutting off all contact with Zhouyi can Chinese medicine avoid gossip. In order to prevent many swindlers from fishing in troubled waters and disturbing the order of Chinese medicine. Look at Qu Limin, a professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. He moved the geomantic aspects of Zhouyi Bagua to the lecture hall of Chinese medicine, which made people stunned in front of the whole country. This move is tantamount to jumping into a trance. No wonder Li Ao called Chinese medicine a witch doctor. In my opinion, this is not the case, but Chinese medicine can't let go of its position, failed to seize the opportunity, and stood still in the disadvantage. The discovery of western medicine further confirmed the correctness of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which does have shortcomings and defects. For example, the theory of five elements abandoned the clinical application mechanically, just like the old man big braid in Qing Dynasty, which was useless for the diagnosis of diseases and hindered the development of TCM theory. It has become a stumbling block, making it really useless and making Chinese medicine the object of attack by literati. However, it is not easy to completely cut it off. Maybe someone will fight with their lives. After all, big braid, a legacy of the Qing Dynasty, failed to stay, and the Five Elements Theory also had the same fate. It sounded the alarm for the mistakes of traditional Chinese medicine a long time ago.

It is not easy to change the tradition. At the beginning of China's reform, it was also questioned, and it has been entangled in the issue of surnames. In the era when geocentric theory prevailed, it really takes a lot of courage if someone preaches Heliocentrism. It's like if you suddenly stand down in a running crowd, then the people behind you will push you down and trample you into a paste. Take a look at the hair growth in the early Qing dynasty and the braiding in the late Qing dynasty, and you will know that there is a lot of resistance. This should be caused by inertial thinking, so the change of thinking needs a process. When we have the courage to face our own shortcomings and change our thinking, it is the time when Chinese medicine is powerful. We should also know that there is still a long way to go to change the theory of Chinese medicine, and there is still a lot of work to be done. First of all, there are many mistakes in understanding the physiological structure of the human body, such as the statement that the liver is distributed in the left lung and the right lung, and the statement that the heart governs the spirit is obviously wrong. Let's not deceive ourselves and find any reason to explain its rationality. Everyone knows that only by making mistakes can we make progress. In reality, we often find various reasons to whitewash our mistakes. Doing so will only make TCM theory more and more biased.

Chinese medicine is the quintessence of China, and we should be proud of it. If the theory of TCM is a crown, then acupuncture and TCM are two pearls in the crown. Acupoints were founded by ancient people in China. The standardization and internationalization of acupoints is a gift from China people to all mankind. The core of TCM theory is: eight categories of syndrome differentiation of meridian theory, yin-yang theory, qi-blood theory and zang-xiang theory, with meridian theory as the core leader. Meridian of traditional Chinese medicine is China people's understanding of nervous system 2000 years ago. Yin and Yang describe the physiological functions of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, while Qi is only the ancient people's understanding of hormones. The eight categories of syndrome differentiation and four diagnoses of Tibetan image theory are valuable clinical observations and experiences of ancient people in China. We should also see the deficiency of TCM theory, abolish the theory of five elements, draw a clear line with Zhouyi and improve our understanding of human physiological structure. The modern reform of TCM theory is imperative, and it is hoped that TCM theory will go to the world with dignity.

Whether it is Chinese medicine or western medicine, it is a science to study human body structure, physiological function, pathological changes and diagnose and treat diseases. Since their research objects are the same person, it is impossible for two unrelated "structure and function" theories to appear in the same person; For the same human body structure and function, there can never be two unrelated conclusions. The rapid development of western medicine has verified the correctness of TCM theory, and we have reason to be proud of TCM theory. People in China formed their knowledge of nervous system, autonomic nerve and hormone before 2000, while the discovery of nervous system and hormone by western medicine only lasted for one or two hundred years. The holistic view of TCM theory makes TCM always stand at the forefront of world medicine. It was only after the Ming Dynasty that Chinese medicine stopped developing and fell into an embarrassing situation.

The advantage of TCM theory lies in "overall clarity and local fuzziness". The advantage of western medicine theory lies in "the microscopic part is clear and the macroscopic whole is vague". Because the two medical systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, they are not medicine in the full sense, so they need to learn from each other to form a complete theory. This not only realizes the modernization of TCM theory, but also makes up for the microscopic deficiency of TCM theory. If the discovery of western medicine is included in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it will greatly enrich the content of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, bring traditional Chinese medicine from macro to micro, and play a positive role in the emergence, development and diagnosis of diseases. If western medicine accepts the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it will certainly achieve greater development under the guidance of the overall concept of traditional Chinese medicine theory. When Chinese and western medicine learn from each other's strengths and achieve the same goal by different routes, it is the time when Chinese medicine is proud.

The above discussion only represents my personal views. I reserve the right to study and revise. Due to my limited level, I don't have a comprehensive understanding of some issues. What's wrong with it? I hope you can be honest.