I’m 97.72% sure you have heard that Chinese Medicine is holistic. I’m also sure you have not seen a good answer to that assertion because it is no simple thing to do. When calling Traditional Chinese Medicine holistic, many people stay on the surface and explain that it is because it sees the whole body and not just the organ system like Western Medicine does. It’s right, but some important details are left off. In this article, you will understand why Chinese Medicine is called holistic and on what basis this claim is supported.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is holistic because it was built on holistic theoretical grounds like Daoism, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements theory. These theories and philosophy shaped the ancient Chinese’s understanding of the functioning of the universe and the human body, making them see the whole rather than its parts.
Their theories left no space to create a reductionist or individualized approach to the human body. Leading them to develop concepts and therapies that adjust to their holistic understanding of everything, thus giving us the knowledge and practice system of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine Holistic Basis
Let’s start with some definitions, ok?
What is Holism?
According to Merriam-Webster’s definition, Holism is ‘’A theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles’’.
Holism talks about seeing things as a whole instead of as a sum of parts. This is a contrasting theory to the reductionist view used in Western medicine where the whole is analyzed by how its parts work.
These two philosophical views shaped the development of medical science in the West and the East. Each one with its advantages.
Western science based on the materialistic reductionist view in the 19th century saw an explosion in almost every field of science: the invention of the microscope, germ theory, useful vaccines, and antibiotics are all fruits of that view.
By Paul Nadar.
The East on the other hand came out with a more generalist view of the universe and the human being: the discovery of the acupuncture meridians and acupuncture itself, the crucial role of the mind in the healing process, Qi gong, a holistic view at herbal medicine that seeks to restore the body’s balance rather than just solving a headache.
The East developed a holistic view because of their concepts and philosophy. Concepts like Qi, the meridians, and the Organ Networks all contributed to creating the holistic approach the Chinese have.
The concepts and theories developed by the Chinese shaped their understanding of the world and their knowledge.
Philosophical and Theoretical basis
The theoretical basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine is Daoist philosophy, the Yin and Yang theory, the Five Elements Theory, and the Zhang-Fu Organs theory. These theories leave no room for a reductionist approach to the human body and health thus making TCM a holistic discipline. Let’s examine how those theories shaped ancient Chinese thought:
Daoism & Yin and Yang
Daoism explains that everything in the world was created by the Dao and moves (acts, lives) by the movement of the Dao. Every aspect of the universe shares similar characteristics of composition and activity. Every phenomenon happening in one component of the universe also happens in the others.
If you wanted to analyze something individually you would end up necessarily analyzing the whole.
Yin and Yang theory says that the universe can be divided into two elemental qualities: Yin and Yang. However, these two qualities exist together, one cannot exist without the other. Along with Daoist philosophy, a general view of the universe was developed to understand the unfolding of our world:
The universe works in cyclical periods of growing and decreasing, one aspect blooms from its contrary (Yin from Yang and vice versa) and starts to grow until it peaks, then it starts to wane and the other one begins to rise.
The unfolding of the seasons, the life cycles of crops, the periods of history where empires rise and fall, and even the human body share this cyclical rhythm, and this cyclical rhythm is the normal functioning of the world.
Five Elements, OrganPhysiology, and Patterns
When the Schools of Naturalists merged the Five Elements Theory with the Yin and Yang Theory, a more accurate description of the functioning of the human body was developed. Not only did it have a cyclical nature but within that cycle there were intricate relationships between the most important organs of the body (the Zhang-Fu). Not only deeply related but the well-being of one depended on the whole network and the physiological relationships between them (generation and dominance sequences). A disrupting of those relationships on any spot of the circuit meant everything was impacted no matter how unrelated the organs or symptoms.
This is the basis for their pattern thinking when it comes to their diagnosis and therapy. This is what justifies their lack of specificity and broad concepts.
The use of broad concepts also contributed to developing their holistic thinking.
Qi, Essence, and other broad concepts
The ancient Chinese’s discovery and description of concepts like Qi, Essence, Shen (Spirit), and other concepts further cemented their holistic thinking. None of those concepts can be linked to any specific marker or component in our body.
Those are accurate but not specific terms.
Qi refers to energy, structure, and function. When you hear ‘Kidney Qi deficiency’ it is most likely talking about impaired Kidney functioning. However, it does not refer to any specific marker. Glomerular filtration rate, acid-base balance, and controlling of arterial tension, which one of them is being referred to? Whichever is the one being affected.
Qi is a broad term. Just like Essence and Shen, they describe categories that cannot be specified by using modern Western terminology.
Even though there are attempts to try and link some entities to classical Chinese terms, trying to couple one Western term with a Chinese one will lead you away from the true extent of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Using broad terms in diagnosis like the External Pathogenic factors allowed the Chinese to identify the root cause and treat it. Even though it is not as specific as in the West, the Chinese didn’t need to go further (and their theory didn’t give much room for it).
Qi, Essence, Spirit, and other terms refer to suprabiological entities. The movement of Qi when an acupuncture point is stimulated mediates physiological changes like the secretion of endorphins, an increase in blood flow, and others. However, you can’t couple Qi with just one of those. Qi, as well as the other terms, are umbrella terms for different aspects of your physiology.
But their holism didn’t stop there.
Their therapeutic approach also contributed to cementing their holistic approach to health.
Why did they leave no space for a reductionist approach?
Well, because every concept and aspect in Traditional Chinese Medicine only makes sense when it is seen within the larger picture. You can only make sense of what it means to have a Spleen Qi deficiency when you take into account the interactions between the Spleen and the rest of the Zhang-Fu organs.
You can only get why you feel a low mood and lack of self-motivation when you understand the role your Qi plays in the proper functioning of your Zhang-Fu and therefore, your psyche.
Therapeutic Basis
So far you have seen how their theory created a holistic landscape of the human body and physiology. Their therapeutic modalities also contributed to this.
The discovery of the acupuncture points, and their activity and effect on the human body, also made it necessary to catalog them using holistic terminology because of the myriad effects the stimulation of one point had.
Using their theories, the Chinese created an extensive vademecum describing the effects the different herbs had according to their theoretical lens: plants that dispel Wind, that tonify Qi, etc.
The same goes for their Diet therapy.
Activity and Physiology of the Meridians
Starting from the traditional story of the warrior who may have suffered from arthritis and how an arrow that pierced his Bladder 60 point cured him of the pain, the development of Acupuncture has been one of the most underappreciated medical milestones of history.
Being able to pierce very specific points in the body and create somatic and physiological changes sounds like taken from a fairy tale but it’s true.
Acupuncture is a necessary holistic practice because of the activity of the acupuncture points. You cannot pinpoint only one specific therapeutic effect of any acupuncture point. The same point that works as an analgesic in certain occasions works as an immunity booster in others.
e.g. Stomach 36 (Zusanli): It has been proved that the stimulation of this point increases immunity and is also one of the most popular analgesic points by antonomase.
Examples of the effects of stimulating different points in the body are as many as there are points. Even more so, by just changing the type of stimulation at the same point you will have two different outcomes.
This is why when referring to acupuncture treatment you will only learn about tonifying or dispersing the Qi of the meridian. The movement of Qi is what creates the changes in your body. Depending on what your body needs will be the outcome.
Herbal therapy and Diet therapy
The theories developed by the Chinese shaped their understanding and approach to herbal and dietary therapy.
Based upon the different concepts of the vital substances, Zhang-Fu Organs, and Pathogenic factors which set the basis for their holistic thought, the Chinese recorded the effects and actions of the different herbs and foods in the body according to such theories.
This is why the herbs are separated by their effects on the body using the holistic landscape of TCM instead of by their active principles. This is why you will find herbs that have the effect of tonifying the Blood, but won’t find herbs with ‘antibiotic’ descriptions even though they have such effects.
The same goes for foods which are described according to different aspects depending on their nature, taste, configuration, and properties.
These aspects relate to their conception of vital substances, Organ networks, and Pathogenic factors.
Final thoughts
Traditional Chinese Medicine is holistic because of the development of their theories and practices that did not leave room for a reductionist approach.
These theories then shaped their understanding of the different effects of acupuncture and herbal therapy always seeing them through the holistic lens of their conceptions. This allowed them to develop an all-around understanding of the functioning of the human body and how to heal it without the need to go further.
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