Immune System..and traditional chinese medicine

Immune System

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