March 21, 2007 by Domenic Thomas, M.S.O.M., L.Ac.
This site has presented several articles on how Chinese medicine views the seasons of the year and their effect on our health. Here we will look in a broader, more general way at the basis for these views in the history of Chinese thought,In ancient China a shamanic view of the world prevailed. The religious leaders of communities were also the healers, and magical influences were thought to rule reality. At some point around the third century BCE a new view of the world entered Chinese culture, that of the "Dao", or the "way". Like the shamanic world view, the Daoist view was also deeply rooted in the natural world. However, it sought to explain things in a more integrated and methodical way. No longer was illness thought to be the result of evil spirits entering a body, but rather illness resulted from the natural effects of diet, lifestyle, emotions, heredity and age. Reality was seen as made up of various natural forces such as yin and yang and the five elements (watch this space for discussions about these terms). Man was viewed as a microcosm of the entire universe, and thus illness could be treated by studying these forces of nature. Much of this philosophy is still used in the clinic by practitioners of Chinese medicine to this day, testifying to the incredible perceptiveness of the ancient Chinese sages.
The "Dao" means the "way", i.e. the path one must take to live in harmony with these forces. The Chinese text that deals with these concepts in terms of medicine is call the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic, and was written in the form of a dialogue between the mythical "Yellow Emperor" of the Han dynasty and an interlocutor. The text is a vast and thorough, discussing topics ranging to the minute description of the acupuncture channels and the various organs to diagnosis of various diseases and discussions of the various external factors that cause them. In fact, reading the text for any length of time causes one to shift into a world view in which there is very little separation between the human being and the larger world. The Stomach is not just the "stomach", it is the "Earth" element, the late summer, the taste of sweet and the emotion of worry. Each aspect of the body similarly branches out like a web into things that have nothing to do (to the western mind) with what is contained within the boundaries of our skin. The "Kidney" for example is never discussed without being aware of the fact that its "element" is Water, which corresponds to the winter solstice, and that the kidneys and the lower back in general are vulnerable to cold and must be kept warm.
Because we as acupuncturists work within this framework, we observe that the changes of season are very sensitive times for the human organism. If our patients are in perfect health (our stated goal) we still want to treat them at least at the changes of the season. Of course even relatively healthy individuals can always benefit at any time of the year from an acupuncture "tune-up", but at the very least a treatments at each solstice and at each equinox benefits health greatly, and fewer illnesses occur.
