The pursuit of health and well-being is as old as mankind. The need for curing diseases and ensuring a healthy way of life is the cornerstone of medical practice. The relationship between health and disease stems from the concept of health. Throughout history, numerous attempts have been made to create a core concept of health. Nowadays we find two major approaches: the Western view and the Eastern view.
In this post, you will learn about Chinese Medicine’s approach to health and disease.
Traditional Chinese Medicine sees disease as a disruptance of the balance between Yin and Yang and/or an impairment of the flow of Qi and Blood through your body and meridians. Your body has the potential to heal itself but when surpassed, chronic disease arises.
How TCM sees health
A holistic approach
If you are familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), you will recognize the word ‘holistic’. But what does it mean and how does it relate to TCM?
Holistic in a nutshell is the way to look and analyze focusing on the ‘wholes’. It comes from holism which according to Merriam-Webster means: the tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts. It comes from the Greek word ‘Holos’ which means whole.
Chinese medicine focuses on a holistic approach because it doesn’t separate the whole from its parts. It doesn’t focus on a tree rather than on the forest.
Differences between Western and Eastern concepts of health
Western Medicine
Western medicine’s approach to medicine is defined by the biomedical perspective it takes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO): ‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’
Chinese Medicine
In contrast, Chinese medicine takes a more holistic approach to health, considering the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and environment. Health is defined as ‘The dynamic, harmonic and relative balance between Yin and Yang along with the free and smooth flow of Chi and Blood through the channels of the body’.
But what do Chi and blood flow, and Yin and Yang mean?
Chi flow, Yin and Yang Balance
In TCM, everything has Yin and Yang qualities which are opposite and complementary. A healthy body keeps the dynamic balance and harmony between the Yin and Yang qualities.
Qi/Chi and Blood refer to the nutritive substances of the body. Chi represents energy and function and Blood is the nourishing substance.
Note: Chi and blood are broader terms in TCM but for the sake of this post they will remain as described earlier.
In TCM Yin and Yang must keep their harmonic balance and Chi and Blood must circulate through the body smoothly and effortlessly. This way all the body functions are carried out properly and the body is healthy.
Any impairment of the Yin and Yang balance or to the flow of Chi and Blood causes the onset of disease.
How to look at disease
Broadly speaking (really broadly) there are two main types of diseases: Infectious and chronic diseases. Infectious diseases tend to have a pretty quick onset and (if treated right) a quick recovery.
I’ll discuss the onset mechanism of chronic illnesses through the Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint.
The mechanism for the onset of disease
To better understand the onset of disease, I’m going to use an analogy:
Think of yourself as a river. Water is flowing smoothly and effortlessly. Everything is in its right amount. That’s your healthy state. Every wrong decision you make regarding your health i.e. poor sleep, neglecting to take care of yourself, poor diet, and lack of exercise; will be a tree branch a beaver puts in the river.
In the beginning, it won’t affect your health, you are still resilient. But if you keep on the same path it will compound and form a dam which reduces the water flow (heavily impacts your health).
The aim is to spot the branches (the noxious behaviors and pathogenic influences) and remove them from your river.
Stages of Disease
The natural history of the disease has 3 main stages which we will discuss here:
Early stage: Pre-disease, Asymptomatic, or mildly symptomatic
This is the first stage every chronic disease begins in. It is here where environmental factors and lifestyle choices create the basis for the onset of disease. Our bodies are equipped with a resiliency threshold. This means that our body is capable to withstand some aggression and fully recover.
Resiliency and Recovery Threshold:
This is a concept I use to refer to the body’s capability to return to its original healthy state. It depends on maintaining the right nutrition, rest, exercise, and overall health. If aggression to the body isn’t enough to surpass this threshold, the body will recover with no issue. Once the resiliency threshold is crossed, the disease manifests itself, yet there is still potential for healing if you do the right treatment.
However, your body can do so much, and when that threshold is passed, disease begins to emerge because the balance has been broken.
Here you can expect to have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Or maybe the symptoms are of no impact on your life so you don’t pay attention. We’ve all forgotten about paying attention to that cough or to that headache.
It is vital to pay attention to the symptoms you may be having because they can point to an ongoing issue with your health that can be treated prematurely.
How to spot this stage:
- You feel some symptoms but they fade away quite fast.
- You don’t have health ailments. Maybe an occasional cold from time to time.
- You haven’t been diagnosed with a disease.
- Some symptoms become more constant as the disease starts manifesting.
- You don’t need extended treatments. Lifestyle changes will do the trick.
Therapeutic strategy: Preventative measures, do a hard inspection of your life, and assess what is wrong and what can you do to improve your health. Maybe you need more rest, maybe you need to exercise more or eat better.
Middle stage: Symptomatic curable disease
In this stage, the disease that was generated in the previous stage becomes more evident. Symptoms are clearer and they have an actual impact on your life, sometimes really noticeable impacts. In this stage, the disease can be cured only if you act on it.
Your body still keeps a threshold of recovery which mustn’t be passed.
You go to the doctor, make the necessary adjustments, do the right intervention and treatment, and the problem is solved.
How to spot this stage:
- You may have been diagnosed with a disease.
- The symptoms now are having a direct impact on your daily life.
- Symptoms now conform to a syndrome, you have an established entity.
- You need a constant and (maybe) extended treatment regime.
- You respond well to the treatment.
Therapeutic strategy: In this stage, it is vital to take matters into your own hands and invest time in curative measures. Go see your doctor, and aim to cure the disease as soon as possible. Keep on the preventative measures but make a special emphasis on curative ones. It is vital not to surpass the recovery threshold.
Late stage: Uncurable disease
In this stage, the disease has taken its toll on your body. The recovery threshold has been surpassed and there’s no turning back.
Here’s where the symptoms have continued to rise and now they are damaging the body to the point of leaving sequels and consequences. It is at this moment where no attempt at getting a full recovery will do any good.
The most important part of this stage is preventing getting here. Seek help as soon as possible. The faster you tackle the issue the higher the chances of healing.
How to spot this stage:
- You certainly have been diagnosed with a chronic disease.
- The disease has had an impact that limits your life’s activities.
- There is room for improvement but not for recovery
Therapeutic strategy: In this stage, there’s no room for full recovery. However, you can treat the disease and aim at diminishing its toll on your body. Learn how to manage your life in a way that promotes health. This isn’t the end and this isn’t a hopeless stage. There’s just a need to reassess your life and act accordingly.
Note: In the current Western medical thinking, hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases don’t have a cure. In Chinese Medicine diseases are not perceived the same way as in the West: for example, there are about six different solvable syndromes that run with hypertension as one of its components. So, in the second stage which chronic illnesses are curable, we are approaching them from the TCM point of view. There are (quite a few) anecdotal stories of patients with remission after being treated with TCM. This being said remember to always check with your primary health care physician.
Final thoughts
The Chinese approach to disease stems from the concept of health being supported by balance, harmony, and proper distribution and flow of energy. Once there’s an impairment to them there’s the potential for disease.
Chronic diseases occur when your body’s resiliency and recovery threshold are crossed. Once that happens it is vital to pay attention to your health so you can cut the progression of the disease.
Have any more questions? Leave a comment below!
See you in the next post!
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