Immune System..and traditional chinese medicine
<p>Immune System <br /><br />
The immune system is a Western medical concept. Its counterpart in TCM is the ZHENG QI or <br />
Righteous QI. Some practitioners equate the immune system specifically with the WEI QI. This, <br />
however, is too narrow an identification. The TCM functional definition of WEI QI is that it defends the <br />
Surface of the body from External Invasion, warms the Internal Organs, and opens and closes the <br />
pores. But External Invasion is not the only source of Evil or pathogenic QI. The following quote from <br />
The Revised Outline of Chinese Medicine asserts that it is the combination of both the YING and WEI <br />
which combats Evil QI: 'It (YING QI) and the WEI QI act in concert to nourish the body and resist <br />
heteropathy that causes medical disorders. As a compound term in Chinese, YING and WEI stand for <br />
Postnatal QI and, in a general sense, for ZHENG QI. However, ZHENG QI is more than just YING and <br />
WEI. <br />
ZHENG QI is composed of Prenatal YUAN Source QI and Postnatal YUAN Original QI, <br />
including YING and WEI, Blood, JING, and SHEN. All of these together constitute the ZHENG QI. <br />
However, the Source of all these, is the Moving QI between the Kidneys or the MING MEN ZHI HUO. <br />
ZHANG JIE-BIN in the LEI JING says, 'MING MEN totally controls the Kidneys and both Kidneys <br />
belong to MING MEN. If MING MEN is depleted, then the five YIN and six YANG organs all lose some <br />
of their function; YIN and YANG are diseased and changed.' <br />
Sosen Hiooka, a Japanese commentator on the NAN JING writing circa 1750 CE, further comments, <br />
'The moving QI is called the SHEN of protecting evil. This means heaven's QI is in the person. Inside <br />
the QI, SHEN is created. This SHEN protects. It means that all kinds of evil cannot invade the <br />
person's body.' There is, I believe, ample evidence in the Chinese Medical classics describing a <br />
pivotally important role for the Large Intestine in the creation of WEI and YANG and, therefore, <br />
also YING, JING and SHEN. All of these together constitute the ZHENG QI and it is the ZHENG QI in <br />
TCM which is analogous to the immune system of modern Western medicine.</p>
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