What can acupuncture do for you?

The key philosophical assumptions of Chinese Medicine and the presence of these assumptions in the practice of traditional Acupuncture in Australia.

(Quoted from: Lecture Notes - Chinese Herbal Practice One, UTS, Sydney, 2001.)

Introduction
In Chinese Medicine, the concept of Dao, and the inter-relationship of Yin and Yang are seen as the basic, as well as the ultimate assumptions on which major medical theories are built.

The Emergence of Yin, Yang and Dao
The concepts of Dao, Yin and Yang are the results of the observation of nature by the ancient Chinese, and are central to the Chinese cosmology. They are used to explain the inter-relationship between all phenomena, the construction of substances, and the creation of the beings. Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, one of the oldest texts in China, is considered as the origin of these concepts. In Xici, the Great Commentary, of the book, Yin and Yang are described as the major factors of creation: "Yin and Yang react on each other between Heaven and Earth, which gives rise to the development of ten thousand things. The male mates with the female, which gives birth to ten thousand things." (my translation)

While it is the major force of creation, the interaction between Yin and Yang also summarizes the rule of changes in the universe. It is stated also in Xici that "the interaction between one Yin and one Yang is Dao. To follow the Dao is a good act, and to bring Dao into being is human nature." (my translation)
Xici is said to be the works of Confucius, and it is evident that Yi Jing was one of the text books used by Confucius in teaching his students, yet it was Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) and the Daoist philosophers who emphasized and elaborated the concepts of Yin, Yang and Dao. In Chapter XLII of Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), the relationship between Yin, Yang and Dao is described as follows:

How the Confucian Dao Is Different from the Daoist Dao
As can be seen from the two quotations, although both the Confucian and Daoist philosophers believe that Dao is the way which governs the universe, they have different understanding of Dao.
Confucian philosophers see the Dao as a result of the interaction of Yin and Yang, so Yin and Yang are more important because without them Dao will not exist. They also take Dao as a conscious and moralistic Dao, therefore, "to follow the Dao is a good act". Since the Dao is a conscious entity, conscious acts will help achieve the Dao. To follow the Dao, one has to understand the relationship between Yin and Yang, and the changes brought forth by the interaction between them; and subsequently one has to put effort on keeping Yin and Yang in equilibrium. This may help explain why the Confucian philosophers tend to put more and more emphasis on the development of public and personal morals as a means to maintain harmonious inter-personal relationships in society. The concept of the "Way of the Mean" (for the mind of harmony), and the concept of the "Five Human Relationships" (between the emperor and the officials, father and son, husband and wife, among brothers, and among friends), which emphasize the importance of a harmonious social structure to the stability and prosperity of society can be seen, for example, as results of this development.

To the Daoist philosophers, Dao is the origin of the universe and it exists just naturally, and does not embrace any judgement values as "good" or bad". Hence, to follow the Dao is to follow the natural development of Nature, and this natural development is not to be interfered with by any unnatural actions if maximum effect is to be acquired. Wu Wei, Non-action, is therefore the most intelligent and desirable action. Daoist philosophers are more and more inclined to promote the spiritual development of self so as to keep a harmonious relationship with the ever changing Nature.

Confucianism, Daoism and Chinese Medicine
Confucianism and Daoism are two distinct schools of thought. Yet there also exist many similarities between the two schools, and throughout the history of Chinese philosophy, they did supplement each other in many different points of time. As the major philosophical schools of the time, Confucianism and Daoism have had great influences on the thinking of the Chinese people in general. To the Chinese people -- scholars and laymen, educated and uneducated, the concepts of Yin, Yang and Dao have so deeply impressed in their mind that these concepts have gradually become part of their life. Their reasoning and understanding of the universe are naturally tied to these concepts.

Chinese Medicine as a health care system developed in the ancient Chinese philosophical and cultural paradigm, and shaped over two thousand years ago in the golden age of Chinese philosophy has to be carrying many of the Confucian and Daoist imprints.

Based on the assumption that all things are composed of Yin and Yang, and taking into consideration the inter-relationship between Yin and Yang, Chinese Medicine understands a phenomenon in terms of its relationship with other things. That is, all things are considered as parts of a whole, part of the whole universe. A healthy body is thus one with its bodily functions, and its other things such as its emotional and spiritual status well balanced, and one that reacts harmoniously to the changing environment. As Kaptchuk puts it,

In addition, under the influence of the Daoist Wu Wei, which assumes that the natural Dao is not to be interfered with, non-invasiveness has also become a characteristic of Chinese Medicine. This is reflected in many traditional Acupuncturists’ effort on taking the minimal action in treating the patient, and their priority for "one-needle cure".

The Practice of Traditional Acupuncture in Australia
In Australia, Acupuncture is practised not just by Acupuncturists but also many other health workers including Western doctors. From unverifiable data randomly collected, many of these health workers have not been trained in the traditional way and have only attended short courses (lasting from one day to three months or longer). Their principle of treatment is mainly to relieve symptoms and can be said to be contradictory to the holistic approach which is based on the assumptions of Yin, Yang and Dao.

In his article Definition of Traditional Acupuncture, Kerry Watson states that:

These views, and others in the same articles, are very much in line with the assumptions discussed above and believed to be shared by the formally trained traditional acupuncturists in Australia, and the diagnosis and treatment principles employed by them are often based on balancing and restoring harmony. This implies that the assumptions of Yin, Yang and Dao do have a place in the practice of traditional Acupuncture.

Conclusion
Chinese Medicine has stemmed from the Chinese philosophical and cultural paradigm, which is greatly different from the Western system. In this paradigm which all things are understood and explained in terms of inter-relationship, and all things are interdependent on each other, it is difficult for Chinese Medicine to remain viable without the support from Chinese philosophy. While cross-cultural interference is inevitable and has definitely brought forth progress, Chinese Medicine should still take Chinese philosophy as a convenient base for development. This, of course, does not mean that Chinese Medicine will exclude any foreign ideas since accepting and dealing with changes are major concepts in Chinese philosophy.

References
Feng, Y. (undated). History of Chinese Philosophy (in Chinese). Kaiming, Hong Kong.
Kaptchuk, T. 1983. Chinese Medicine - the Web that has no Weaver. Rider, London.
Lau, D.C. (trans). 1963. Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books, London.
Sun, Z. (undated). Baihua Yi Jing. Xingguang, Hong Kong.
Watson, K. (1994). ‘Definition of Traditional Acupuncture’. Meeting Point. Vol. 2, Autumn 1994. p.13.