The theory of Chinese medicine : a modern interpretation / Hai Hong.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hong, Hai, 1943- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy, Medical.

Medicine, Chinese Traditional.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (291 p.)

Distribution:

Singapore : World Scientific Publishing, [date of distribution not identified]

Place of Publication:

London : Imperial College Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This path-breaking book reinterprets Chinese medicine using the approach of the philosophy of science in a manner that strikes common ground with biomedical science. It strips Chinese medical theory of the mystique and metaphysical pretentions that too often plague the discipline, presenting this theory as being derived from empirical observations and clinical findings. Concepts like qi and phlegm and vital organs like the shen (kidney) are interpreted, not as physical entities with defined measurable properties, but as constructs to facilitate the application of models for diagnosis and thera

Contents:

About the Author; Foreword; Preface; Contents; Chapter 1 Chinese Medical Theory and its Rational Reconstruction; 1.1 Chinese versus Western Medicine; 1.2 Reconstructing TCM Theory; Chapter 2 Chinese and Western Medical Thought: History and Issues; 2.1 Evolution of TCM Theory; 2.2 Diseases in Western Medical Thought; 2.3 Causation in Western Medicine; 2.4 Values and Disease Causation; 2.5 Illness and its Causes in TCM Theory; 2.5.1 The common cold; 2.5.2 Cancer; Chapter 3 Translating Chinese Medical Terms; 3.1 Historical Controversies; 3.1.1 The Needham-Porkert controversy

3.1.2 The Wiseman-Xie debate3.2 Analysis of the Controversies; Chapter 4 TCM Theory: Basic Entities; 4.1 Qi, Blood and Body Fluids; 4.2 Pathogens; 4.2.1 Wind; 4.2.2 Cold and heat; 4.2.3 Dampness and dryness; 4.2.4 Phlegm; 4.2.5 Blood stasis; 4.3 Understanding Qi ( ); 4.3.1 Classical Chinese medical theory of Qi; 4.3.1.1 Formation and classification; 4.3.1.2 Physiological functions of qi; 4.3.2 Interpreting qi; 4.4 Phlegm (tan ): The Ubiquitous Pathogen; 4.5 Wind (feng ): An Ill that Blows No Good; 4.6 Conclusion; Chapter 5 Organ and Meridian Systems; 5.1 TCM Organs; 5.1.1 The spleen (pi)

5.1.1.1 ' Transportation and transformation'5.1.2 Interpreting the functions and ontological status of the spleen; 5.1.3 The kidney (shen); 5.1.4 Interpreting the kidney in TCM; 5.1.5 The liver (gan); 5.1.6 The heart (xin); 5.1.7 The lung (fei); 5.2 On 'Governing ' ( ); 5.3 Meridians and Collaterals; 5.4 An Interpretation of Meridians; Chapter 6 TCM Models in Explanation and Prediction; 6.1 Yin-Yang: The Principle of Balanceas the Basis for Health; 6.2 Principal TCM Models; 6.2.1 The five elements: The model of physiological interaction

6.2.2 Climate and emotions: The model for illness causation6.2.3 Syndromes: The model for diagnosis and therapy; 6.2.3.1 The four examinations; 6.2.3.2 Therapeutic methods; 6.3 Epistemological Issues in TCM Models; 6.3.1 Heuristic models; 6.4 Reductionism, Holism and Systems Biology; 6.5 The Nature of TCM Models: Summing Up; Chapter 7 Evidence for TCM Theory; 7.1 TCM as Evidence-Based Medicine; 7.2 Clinical Trials on TCM Therapies; 7.2.1 Clinical trials on western herbal medicine and western acupuncture; 7.2.2 Clinical trials on TCM treatment of TCM syndromes; 7.2.3 Biomarkers

7.2.4 Suitability of RCTs for TCM7.2.5 Recent clinical trials; 7.3 Observational Trials and Medical Case Studies; 7.3.1 Evidence from case studies; 7.3.1.1 Case-based reasoning; 7.3.1.2 Case-based reasoning in medicine; 7.3.2 Observational studies in Chinese medicine; 7.4 Evidence from TCM: Summing up; Chapter 8 Placebo Effects and Cultural Factors; 8.1 Discovery of Placebo Effects; 8.2 Placebo Effect in TCM; Chapter 9 Conclusion: TCM Theory Reinterpreted; Chapter 10 TCM Treatment of Chronic Illnesses; 10.1 Coronary Heart Disease; 10.1.1 Interpretation; 10.2 Hypertension and Stroke

10.2.1 Interpretation

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781783264285

1783264284