In the course of birth, aging, illness, and death, along with the effect of Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency, our body tends toward developing either disease and illness or senescence. Tishang refers to the malfunctioning of the body’s tissues and organs. Heat Energy Deficiency refers to insufficient energy to adequately supply what is needed for the normal functioning of tissues and organs. From observation, disease and illness are manifested as Symptoms and Signs, and senescence manifested as abnormal forms. From results detected by medical instruments, disease and illness are manifested as tissue damage, and senescence manifested as abnormalities. Abnormalities refer to abnormal forms and abnormal indexes. Because disease, illness, and senescence are caused by Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency, they are Effects rather than Causes. Thus, regardless of conditions, etiologies, and medical names accorded by Western medicine from results of examinations, they are analyzed, defined, and named based on Symptoms and Signs from disease and illness and abnormalities from senescence; therefore, they have already been included in Effects, irrespective of Causes.
In short, disease and illness will be accompanied by Symptoms and/ or Signs, whereas senescence will be accompanied by abnormalities. Symptoms and Signs are concrete manifestations of disease and illness, whereas abnormalities are manifestations of senescence. Disease and illness are abstract terms for all Symptoms and Signs, and senescence, an abstract term for abnormalities. Therefore, the differentiation between disease/illness and senescence can be based on whether there are Symptoms and Signs: If there are Symptoms or Signs, that would be disease and illness; if there are no Symptoms or Signs, it would be senescence.
Disease and illness refer to Symptoms and Signs manifested in the body or tissue damage detected by medical instruments within the body. Yuan Shi Dian (YSD) separates Symptoms and Signs [“zhèng zhuàng” ( 症狀 ) in Chinese characters]. “Symptoms” [“zhèng”( 症 )] which can be seen and felt, are subdivided into three types:
(1) Symptoms related to feelings of discomfort such as pain, soreness, numbness, itching, bloating, stuffiness, prickling, dizziness, bitter taste, burning sensation, tidal fever, and bearing-down sensation, are mostly due to Remote Tishang.
(2) Symptoms related to dysfunction such as insomnia, dysphoria, excessive sweating, runny nose, tinnitus, hearing loss, discharging ear, facial paralysis, cough, wheezing, vomiting, constipation, difficult urination, leucorrhea, cramps, and trigger finger, can be due to either Remote Tishang or Affected Area Tishang.
(3) Symptoms related to poor stamina such as slow and weak movement, abnormal fatigue, paralysis, muscular atrophy, dramatic weight loss, soft and weak voice, lack of facial luster, fever, diarrhea, cold limbs and body, fear of cold, shivering, and edema, are mostly due to Affected Area Tishang.
“Signs” [“zhuàng” ( 狀 )] are tissue damage appearing on the surface of the body and mainly include wounds and skin diseases such as swelling, broken skin, bleeding, red eyes, mouth ulcers, boils, bedsores, festers, scalds, chemical or toxic burns, acne, and psoriasis. They are caused by Affected Area Tishang and can be visually identified.
The purpose in separating “Symptoms” from “Signs” is primarily to point out that Symptoms and Signs are caused by different types of Tishang. Also, if the body has Symptoms related to poor stamina, it is regarded as severe disease and illness ( 重病 ). If there are no Symptoms related to poor stamina, it means mild or severe Symptoms ( 輕重症 ). Another purpose is to point out that after a Symptom has been resolved, the Sign may not necessarily disappear; conversely, when the Sign disappears, the Symptom may not necessarily be resolved. For example, take pain and swelling: it is quite common for the swelling to persist despite the cessation of pain or when pain persists despite the disappearance of swelling. This implies that an Effect does not cause another Effect; that is, the Symptom (pain) does not cause the Sign (swelling), and the Sign (swelling) also does not cause the Symptom (pain). The underlying principle is that pain is often caused by Remote Tishang, whereas swelling is surely caused by Affected Area Tishang. Therefore, the Symptom and Sign, or the Symptom accompanied by another Symptom, or the Sign accompanied by another Sign, or Symptoms and Signs accompanied by abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments are all Effects rather than Causes, and there is no causal relationship between each other.
By observing Symptoms and Signs this way, the relative severity of the disease and illness and the location of Tishang can be inferred to determine the treatment principle of Antui and Heat Sources. This observation can also avoid inverting Effects as Causes and the assumption that a single disease can have multiple Causes, or an Effect can generate another Effect. As such, the theory of Cause, Contributing Factors and Effect, and the diagnosis and treatment methods in YSD medicine can be applied in clinical practice. However, it should be noted that although by observing Symptoms and Signs, the location of Tishang can be inferred, it is for reference only and is not absolute. Confirmation of whether the location of Tishang is Remote or Affected Area must be through Antui of the corresponding Yuan Shi Tong Dian (the tender points of Yuan Shi Dian) to observe whether the disease and illness are ameliorated or not.
In Western medicine, if results from medical examinations indicate that within the body, there are pneumothoraces, fractures, tendon ruptures, cerebral hemorrhage, stomach bleeding, ulcers, inflammation, adhesion, etc., these kinds of tissue damage are caused by Affected Area Tishang, similar to “Signs” appearing on the surface of the body. Therefore, they are disease and illness and not part of aging.
Senescence refers to abnormal forms appearing on the surface of the body or abnormal forms and abnormal indexes detected by medical instruments within the body. Abnormal forms appearing on the surface of the body include gray hair, baldness, facial wrinkles, age spots, hunchback, uneven shoulders, uneven legs, joint deformation, tumors, warts, indurations, or lumps, and such. Abnormal forms detected by medical instruments include cancerous tumors, hysteromyomas, fibromas, intestinal polyps, splenomegaly, kidney atrophy, brain atrophy, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, cataracts, bone spurs, osteonecrosis, joint deformation, scoliosis, and disc herniation. Abnormal indexes include abnormalities in blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, uric acid, tumor marker level, liver function index, kidney function index, and cholesterol. Abnormal forms and abnormal indexes are deviations from previously normal conditions and are collectively referred to as abnormalities. Since these abnormalities are neither Symptoms related to feelings of discomfort, dysfunction, or poor stamina nor Signs related to tissue damage, they belong to aging and not illness.
Western medicine treats disease and illness from Effects, targeting abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments as primary objects for diagnosis and treatment. Examinations by medical instruments often require a person to endure hunger or fasting on an empty stomach. One may even have to bear the discomfort and risks from undergoing procedures such as anesthesia, endoscopy, radiation, spinal tap, blood draw, puncture, and surgical biopsy. At such a high cost, the purpose is still to resolve disease and illness. However, in their diagnosis for abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments, Western medicine will view the body with different explanations depending on whether the body has disease and illness or not. If the body has disease and illness, these abnormalities and tissue damage are treated as the Causes of disease and illness; if there are no disease and illness, they are deemed as the disease and illness themselves. There is hardly any realization that abnormalities and tissue damage detected are not only different from Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency, but they are caused by Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency. Therefore, they are Effects rather than Causes. If abnormalities and tissue damage are treated as the Causes of disease and illness, one would have committed the fallacy of inverting Effects as Causes. As such, one would think that a disease has multiple Causes, or an Effect can generate other Effects.
The so-called “a single disease can have multiple Causes” ( 一 病 多
因 ) refers to the idea that a single disease can be caused by multiple abnormalities and tissue damage, such as the assumption that the Symptom of pain can be caused by ulcers, bleeding, tumors, bone spurs, disc herniation, joint deformation, high uric acid, high blood sugar, and such. However, YSD has verified through clinical evidence that all diseases and illnesses are directly due to Tishang; that is, Tishang being a single Cause can lead to Effects manifested as multiple Symptoms and Signs. For instance, Tishang of the head can lead to headaches, dry eyes, nasal congestion, tinnitus, toothaches, facial numbness, and all other Symptoms of the head and face. In other words, “a single Cause can lead to multiple diseases” ( 一因多病 ) and not “a single disease can have multiple Causes.” Furthermore, “a single disease can have multiple Causes,” i.e., “a single Effect can have multiple Causes” ( 一果多因 ) is illogical. This can be illustrated by the following analogy: A mother (Cause) can give birth to a number of children (Effects), but it is not possible for a child (Effect) to have many biological mothers (Causes). Therefore, the viewpoint of a single disease can be caused by multiple abnormalities and tissue damage (“a single disease can have multiple Causes”) is essentially “inverting Effects as Causes” (倒果為因) and thus is untenable.
The so-called “an Effect can generate other Effect(s)” ( 果生果 ) refers to a single abnormality or tissue damage can lead to multiple Symptoms and Signs. For instance, liver cirrhosis can give rise to ascites and inability to eat; pulmonary fibrosis can give rise to cough or wheezing; diabetes can give rise to skin ulceration and blindness; hypertension can give rise to dizziness and stroke; cerebral hemorrhage can lead to hemiplegia and coma; disc herniation can give rise to low back pain and leg pain; intestinal polyps can give rise to abdominal distension and constipation, and cancerous tumors can give rise to pain or death. However, abnormalities and tissue damage detected from medical instruments and the body’s Symptoms and Signs are all Effects and have no causal relationship. This principle is analogous to that the Symptom (pain) does not cause the Sign (swelling), and the Sign (swelling) also does not cause the Symptom (pain). Further, abnormalities belong to senescence, and Symptoms and Signs belong to disease and illness. If a different Effect can generate other Effect(s), it would be as if an apple on the tree can bear bananas or grapes. Therefore, by deeming that an abnormality or tissue damage can lead to multiple Symptoms and Signs, one is upholding the viewpoint that an Effect can generate multiple Effects (“an Effect can generate other Effect(s)”) is essentially also “inverting Effects as Causes,” and is baseless.
Further, abnormalities are not disease and illness per se. In the course of birth, aging, illness, and death, the degree of changes in the body differs for each individual. Therefore, differences do exist even for individuals within the same age group. Some of these differences on the surface or within the body may still exceed normal standards and be regarded as abnormalities from senescence or Symptoms and Signs of disease and illness. However, whether through observation or detection by medical instruments, if one regards external or internal abnormalities from senescence as disease and illness themselves, one will commit the fallacy of not differentiating between aging and illness. Such diagnosis and treatment will not only increase the number of patients but it also violates the goal of medical treatment. With this understanding, medicine should find ways to resolve the body’s Symptoms and Signs instead of invariably pursuing normal standards detected from observation or measured by instruments.
It is precisely because abnormalities or tissue damage are not the Causes of disease and illness and abnormalities are not the disease and illness themselves that in diagnosis, abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments may not reflect the body’s true health condition. That is, the body has Symptoms and Signs, but test results are normal, or the body has no Symptoms and Signs, and test results show abnormalities or tissue damage. In treatment, dealing with abnormalities or tissue damage may not necessarily resolve the Symptoms and Signs of disease and illness; it is even beyond the scope of treating disease and illness. That is, the body has Symptoms and Signs, and abnormalities and tissue damage are detected; these abnormalities or tissue damage are regarded as the Causes of disease and illness that must be treated. However, abnormalities and tissue damage are caused by Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency; they are Effects and not Causes. Therefore, even with medication or surgery, abnormalities and tissue damage may be brought back to normal condition, but Symptoms and Signs may not necessarily improve. Or the body has no Symptoms or Signs, but abnormalities or tissue damage are detected; these abnormalities or tissue damage are regarded as disease and illness themselves and require treatment. But abnormalities are different from tissue damage; they are aging and not illness; thus, dealing with abnormalities is beyond the scope of treatment.
It follows that regardless of whether the body has disease and illness or not, abnormalities detected by medical instruments cannot be the main objects of diagnosis and treatment. It is only when the Effect (an abnormal form such as a cataract) has affected the Cause (Affected Area Tishang - impediment to the functions of the eye); then the Cause (Affected Area Tishang - the functions of the eye impeded) will lead to the Effect (the Symptom - vision decline). Also, if there is no improvement after Antui of Yuan Shi Tong Dian, Western medicine can resolve the Symptom by treating the Effect (this abnormal form - the cataract). Hence although the Effect can affect the Cause, to have an Effect, there must be a Cause. This means that as long as the Cause is improved, the Effect can also improve accordingly. This is why Symptoms and Signs, as well as abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments, can be resolved by ameliorating Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency.
If an abnormal form impacts Affected Area Tishang from which Symptoms are created, why is it necessary to first Antui the Yuan Shi Tong Dian and determine that it is ineffective before one can treat from the Effects? For instance, with various Symptoms such as the numbness of fingers or sciatica (if diagnosed by Western medicine as a result of cervical spurs or lumbar disc herniation); or with headaches or the inability to eat (if diagnosed by Western medicine as the cancerous tumor pressing against the brain tissue or the tumor being too large and obstructing the esophagus), surgery is the main treatment method by Western medicine to directly treat the abnormal forms detected by the medical instrument. The diagnosis and treatment method of YSD is different. Because Symptoms related to feelings of discomfort are mostly caused by Remote Tishang, Antui of Yuan Shi Tong Dian at the back of hand, the hip, the head and upper back, often can “set a pole and see its shadow” (produce an immediate effect). However, Antui, for a short period, cannot make bone spurs disappear, return the intervertebral disc to its proper place, or shrink the cancerous tumor. By observing this way, one can quickly infer that these Symptoms are not caused by abnormal forms impacting Affected Area Tishang. Therefore, incorrect diagnoses and unnecessary invasive treatments can be avoided. For this reason, one must first Antui the Yuan Shi Tong Dian in order to distinguish the location of Tishang of the Symptoms.
In summary, in diagnosis, because abnormalities detected by medical instruments are neither the Causes of disease and illness nor the disease and illness themselves, even if the abnormal form having impacted Affected Area Tishang leads to Symptoms, it is uncommon in clinical practice because Symptoms related to feelings of discomfort are often caused by Remote Tishang. In treatment, Western medicine treats from the Effects by targeting the Affected Area using medical treatment methods. Dealing directly with abnormal forms by surgery can certainly help heal the disease and illness caused by Affected Area Tishang, but it may not necessarily help resolve Symptoms caused by Remote Tishang. Further, surgery can severely damage the body and deplete Heat Energy. For patients with severe disease and illness, not only will the Symptoms be difficult to cure, life itself can be endangered.
In conclusion, the changes of our body tend toward developing either disease and illness or senescence. Regardless of whether it is through observation or detection by medical instruments, the results obtained are either Symptoms or Signs from disease and illness or abnormalities from senescence; and the Causes are Tishang and Heat Energy Deficiency. As such, the diagnosis and treatment method of YSD is to observe Symptoms and Signs and treat from the Cause using Contributing Factors favorable in medical treatment and health maintenance. In this way, Symptoms and Signs caused by Remote and Affected Area Tishang can be resolved. The efficacy of modifying the Cause to change the Effects, thus resolving abnormalities and tissue damage detected by medical instruments, can also be realized.
