Does Chinese medicine have a scientific theory?

The cause of traditional Chinese medicine is a major event related to the national economy and people's livelihood. The debate on traditional Chinese medicine has never stopped in the past century. The current medical system? After the controversy was launched, it caused an uproar. In the eyes of the general public, science is synonymous with correctness and effectiveness. Some people say that the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine - Yin Yang and Five Elements - is pseudo-science, which naturally arouses strong opposition from supporters of traditional Chinese medicine. But what is the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine and science? ? What is the connection between the characteristics of science and the basis of traditional Chinese medicine theory? What impact does the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine theory have on the development of traditional Chinese medicine?

The basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine mainly include the theories of yin and yang, the five elements, luck, internal organs, meridians, etc., as well as the causes, pathogenesis, diagnosis methods, syndrome differentiation, treatment principles and methods, prevention, health preservation, etc. Yin and Yang are the categories of ancient Chinese philosophy. Traditional Chinese medicine uses the concept of the unity of opposites of Yin and Yang to explain the complex connections between the upper and lower parts of the human body, between the internal and external parts, as well as the life activities of the human body and the external environment such as nature and society. The relative balance of the unity of opposites of Yin and Yang, It is the basis for maintaining and ensuring normal activities of the human body. If the balance is imbalanced and destroyed, it will lead to the occurrence and development of human diseases and affect the normal activities of life. The Five Elements theory uses the five philosophical categories of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water to summarize the attributes of different things in the objective world, and uses the dynamic model of the five elements to illustrate the interconnection and transformation rules between things. Traditional Chinese medicine mainly uses the Five Elements theory to explain the functional connections between the five internal organs and the six internal organs and the mechanisms of disease occurrence and development when the internal organs are imbalanced. It is also used to guide the treatment of internal organs diseases. It can be seen that the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine belongs to the category of philosophy, and its foundation is Yin Yang and the Five Elements.

The reason why Yin Yang and Five Elements is called philosophy rather than science is that it does not abide by scientific methods and rules such as objectivity, logic, empirical evidence, and repeatable testing, nor does it have the exclusiveness of scientific theories. Sexuality and falsifiable nature. When faced with something very objective like human disease, we cannot draw an exclusive explanation based on the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. What is imbalance, what is excessiveness, and what is excess? What is discord and what is reality? There is no quantifiable standard. When treating the same patient, Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor Wang says the spleen and stomach are not in harmony, but Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor Li says they are very harmonious. Both of them are based on the same Yin-Yang and Five Elements, but they can’t agree on who is right and who is wrong.

In recent years, the state has vigorously supported the development of traditional Chinese medicine and the development of traditional medical care in the motherland. Traditional Chinese medicine is a complete medical system. Its theoretical system is broad and complex, and it has its own understanding. Methods, of course, we cannot categorically deny TCM theory simply because it is not scientific. The key to whether TCM theory is correct and reliable lies in whether it has been tested in practice. It is conceivable that if TCM theories that are incompatible with science are used to understand and guide the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and reliable positive conclusions are obtained, it will certainly be an affirmation of TCM theories, and it will also be a supplement and correction to science. How to test the validity of traditional Chinese medicine theory has become a key issue.

For thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine has been derived in the long history of China and has not been eliminated by history. Before Western medicine was introduced to China, traditional Chinese medicine had always been used to treat illnesses and save lives in China. Traditional Chinese medicine is not a panacea, and its effectiveness and scientific nature cannot be denied just because it does not cure all diseases. The inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine requires inheritance and innovation. The theories of traditional Chinese medicine recorded in ancient books are not completely correct and need to be explored in clinical practice. After generations of doctors continue to work hard, they are constantly revised and the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine is constantly improved. Although the current development path of traditional Chinese medicine has twists and turns, we believe that traditional Chinese medicine can still ride the wind and waves, gallop in the long river of history, and be passed down, developed and carried forward from generation to generation.