Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the balance of yin and yang is the coordination of the growth and decline of yin and yang, which should not be excessive or neglected. The essence of yin-yang balance in life is the balance between yang (function, the motive force of human material metabolism and physiological function) and yin (essence, blood, body fluid and body fluid), that is, the coordination of various functions and substances in human body.
Compared with traditional Chinese medicine, functional medicine rooted in western medicine has different outlook on life, different functions and different philosophies, but to some extent, their medical thinking modes are extremely similar. For example, the therapeutic principle of functional medicine is to maintain the internal and external dynamic balance of physical and mental changes, which coincides with the thinking and treatment methods such as "harmony between man and nature", "holistic view", "yin and yang are secret" and "syndrome differentiation and treatment" emphasized by traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the principle of "balance method" in traditional Chinese medicine, this paper discusses the thinking mode and complementarity between the theory of qi and blood at the macro level of traditional Chinese medicine and the dysfunction at the micro level of functional medicine, and tries to explain the theory of balance method in traditional Chinese medicine from the molecular level and demonstrate the scientificity and effectiveness of balance method from the physiological and biochemical levels.
1.？ Brief introduction of "balance" method
Professor Yan Dexin, chief physician of the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Tongji University, director of the Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine, doctoral supervisor and master of traditional Chinese medicine, has developed the theory of Yin-Yang, Qi and blood of traditional Chinese medicine to a new height, established the "balance method" of regulating qi and promoting blood circulation in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, and expanded the eight methods of traditional Chinese medicine (sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, harmonizing, warming the middle warmer, clearing heat and tonifying), which is one of the major theoretical principles of traditional Chinese medicine.
The Theoretical Origin of "Balance Method" of 1. 1
Our sages discussed it more than 2000 years ago, which can be summarized as follows: Yin and Ping Yang are dense, the method is natural, the routine is applied, and the purpose is neutral. The ancients have seen that there is a self-stabilizing mechanism instinctively in life. Huangdi Neijing pointed out that "one yin and one yang are the way, and yin and yang are the disease." And put forward "keep Yin and Yang in harmony" and "keep the Tao as the law, from each according to his ability, with peace of qi and blood and destiny", indicating that the rehabilitation of diseases is a balanced state of the body at a new physiological level through different ways such as rejection, assimilation, reconstruction, compensation and adaptation, and the balance method was developed on the basis of this theory.
1.2 Theory and Practice of "Balance Method"
Professor Yan Dexin, who knows many subjects, is unique. During his 70-year career in traditional Chinese medicine, he has been exploring and innovating. Based on the theory of qi and blood, he put forward the academic viewpoints that "qi is the length of all diseases, and blood is the embryo of all diseases" and "there must be blood stasis for a long time, and there must be blood stasis for strange diseases", which formed the key link of "consolidating the roots and clearing the source" and opened up a new world for the study of TCM treatment principles.
The main academic ideas of the balance method include: the balance of qi and blood is the basic condition of human physiology, and the imbalance of qi and blood is the basic change of human pathology and the basic cause of human diseases. The method of regulating qi and activating blood circulation has the function of balancing yin and yang.
The application of balance method in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular fields is quite effective. Hengfa No.2, a medicine for regulating qi and promoting blood circulation, has been proved to have the effects of reducing blood lipid and improving microcirculation, and won the second prize of state administration of traditional chinese medicine Science and Technology Progress Award.
The theory of qi and blood and the law of balance have been applied in the field of anti-aging, and remarkable achievements have been made. Yan Lao first put forward the argument that the main reason of human aging lies in the imbalance of qi and blood and internal environment, and won the second prize of scientific and technological progress in state administration of traditional chinese medicine. According to the above theory, Shanghai Science and Education Film Studio filmed the science and education film "Anti-aging" and distributed it to the whole world.
2. New solution of "balance" method
2. 1 etiology and pathogenesis of imbalance
In the theory of Qi and blood in TCM, "Qi" is not only one of the basic substances that constitute the human body, but also the driving force to maintain the life process, which can play a role in promoting, regulating, warming, defending and consolidating. "Blood" takes Shui Gu's qi, body fluid and kidney essence as the source of metaplasia, flows all over the body along the pulse, plays the role of nourishing and moistening, and is also the main material basis of human spiritual activities.
The relationship between qi and blood is the unity of opposites: blood is in qi, and qi is in blood, which are interdependent and mutually transformed. Qi is the beginning of blood, and blood is the mother of qi. Qi does not carry blood, and blood does not carry gas. Qi and blood are inseparable.
Qi-blood imbalance includes three aspects, namely, qi imbalance, blood imbalance and qi-blood relationship imbalance. The disorder of qi includes the pathological changes of qi deficiency, qi stagnation, qi inversion, qi depression, qi stagnation or qi loss. Hematological diseases include blood deficiency, blood stasis, bleeding and other pathological changes; Abnormal relationship between qi and blood mainly includes qi stagnation and blood stasis, qi deficiency and blood stasis, qi failing to absorb blood, qi escaping with blood, and deficiency of both qi and blood.
Modern functional medicine expounds that the root of disease is dysfunction from the molecular point of view and physiological and biochemical mechanism, which is similar to traditional Chinese medicine.
Roger Williams, a pioneer of functional medicine, believes that there are two reasons that can lead to cell death. One is that the substances needed by cells cannot be obtained; The second is being poisoned by substances that cells don't need. That is, the two fundamental causes of diseases are insufficient substances (nutrition) and accumulation of toxins (metabolic wastes).
2.2 Steady state and coordination
The meaning of "balance" has its connotation and extension: from the connotation, it includes philosophical unity, identity and equality; Broadly speaking, it includes adjustment, harmony, coordination, stability, order, neatness and moderation. The so-called "regulating qi and blood to achieve harmony", "Yin and Pingyang are the secret, and God is the rule".
In clinical practice, the "balance method" takes the treatment of qi and blood as the main means, or starts from qi and blood, or from both aspects of qi and blood, so as to dredge qi and blood of viscera, smooth qi and blood, balance yin and yang, and thus eliminate various pathogenic factors. Prescription drugs are mostly based on the word "tong", with the treatment principle of regulating qi and blood and calming viscera, and mainly drugs such as promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, promoting qi and benefiting qi.
The principle of "balance method" is also applicable to the field of anti-aging. It is believed that the essence of aging is "excess and deficiency" and "qi deficiency and blood stasis", and the treatment adopts the methods of invigorating qi and promoting blood circulation, consolidating the source and clearing the source. Because of qi circulation and blood circulation, supplementing qi is conducive to removing blood stasis. In order to consolidate the foundation, people who consolidate the foundation do the same.
2.3 "Balance Method" in Functional Medicine
Functional medicine believes that the root of the disease is the imbalance of six physiological functions (nutrition, detoxification, oxidative stress, inflammation, gastrointestinal function and hormones). Systematic evaluation and corrective intervention can help the body restore dynamic balance. In terms of intervention methods, functional medicine can intervene from the whole body level, organ system, cell metabolism, gene expression and other levels. It mainly includes nutritional supplement, stress regulation and lifestyle intervention. Functional medicine also embodies the "underlying logic" similar to traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment and intervention of imbalance correction.
Taking the functional nutrition intervention of functional medicine on vascular plaque as an example, the mechanism is explained by the thinking mode of "balance method"
The intervention of functional medicine in vascular atherosclerotic plaque is to reduce and repair damaged endothelial cells, eliminate free radicals, inhibit chronic inflammation and remove plaque. Improving endothelial injury and repairing endothelial cell function are "benefiting qi and consolidating the foundation" of balance method; Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, reducing calcium deposition and decomposing fibrin can be understood as "promoting blood circulation and clearing the source" of the balance method.
The intervention formula of functional nutrients also embodies the principle of balance, such as vascular endothelial factor, EDTA chelating agent and vascular targeting enzyme. The combination and synergistic effect of various functional nutrients can "supplement its deficiency and diarrhea its surplus" to achieve the purpose of improving vascular function, removing plaque, strengthening the body resistance and eliminating evil spirits.
Traditional Chinese medicine and functional medicine have their own unique advantages in understanding and treating diseases, regulating sub-health and resisting aging, and can make up for the shortcomings of modern western medicine in these aspects. The similarity between the theory of qi-blood balance in TCM and the theory of dysfunction in functional medicine seems to be more conducive to finding the "point of integration of Chinese and Western medicine". Their organic integration and complementary thinking will greatly promote the development of modern Chinese medicine and functional medicine.