BLOOD
IN
TRADITIONAL
ORIENTAL
MEDICINE
It is written in
the Miraculous Pivot, chapter 13, “When the
middle jiao receives food essence it will transform it into red fluid
which is called blood”. Blood in Oriental Medicine is thought
to circulate continuously throughout the body, nourishing, maintaining
and moistening various body activities. In Traditional Oriental
Medicine Blood moves through the Meridians as well as blood vessels.
It is the Qi, which is thought to maintain the integrity of the system
and keep blood in its structures. In Traditional Oriental Medicine no
accurate body anatomy is assumed nor cared about. System
utility was the determinant of care. Differential Diagnosis
and pattern recognition are made through interdependency of the
Nostalgic
Organs and systems with a subsequent treatment. For example in
Traditional Oriental Medicine Blood circulates, but is not clear nor
need be clear what internal path was traversed. It is the function
of the system, which is checked for harmony. Does the blood flow
harmoniously, is it stagnant or blocked and so forth. In Oriental
Medicine Blood is a liquid considered as Yin Substance.
As we stated
in the introduction Qi transforms food in the Stomach and Spleen to
blood and other nutrients! It is written in Miraculous Pivot chapter
71, “YingQi flows the vessel to be transformed into blood”. Although
the entire system will be delineated a bit later, in summary food
enters the Stomach, which receives the food and “ripens” it so the
Spleen can distill it to a refined and purified essence. The Spleen
Qi then transports this essence upwards to the Lungs. It is during
this upward transportation that Nutritive Qi begins to turn the
essence into Blood. This transformation is complete once the essence
reaches the Lungs for combination with air, which has been described
as “Clear Air” (O2). The blood is thought to then circulate through
the body by Heart Qi and coordinated movement of the Qi of the Chest.
Blood is thought to be a combination of food essence and kidney
essence. It is written in Zang’s General Medicine “If blood is not
consumed, it turns into essence in the Kidney; if essence does not
leak out, it is transformed into blood in the liver”.
Clearly,
this bears no resemblance to eight-grade frog dissection, nor college
level pig dissection nor human anatomy or physiology. Yet the
treatments are renowned for success. Thus, for the first time in
mankind’s experiential existence, even a western medical doctor should
be able to recite Nostalgic Medicine quite
rudimentary as taught in this book. If you are an MD you should
within a minimum of time grasp the concepts of Oriental Medicine and
then the scientific correlate. If not, you as a healer may risk the
chance at a loss of thousands of years of clinical care of human
beings absent inorganic drugs or surgery. You to will be able to heal
or render care when modern medicine fails you, or until science
answers the clinical care needs of the particular human disharmony.
Oriental
Medicine denotes three specific Nostalgic
Organs, which have intercontroling relationships with the Blood. They
are the Heart, Liver and the Spleen. Again, the Heart is responsible
for smooth, harmonious and continuous circulation of the blood
throughout the body. In Oriental Medicine it is said that the “Heart
Rules the Blood”. The Heart Qi is the propelling force for blood
circulation. The Liver is thought to store the blood during
inactivity. In O.M. the Liver is said to regulate quiescent Blood.
The Spleen in O.M. was denoted as the governor of the Blood. It was
their concept that the Spleen Qi keep’s the blood within its vessels.
Qi is the commander of Blood, and Blood is the mother of
Qi.
Please
realize that as all cultures developed, they guarded their way of
life. Interwoven in much of today’s western society are the
Judeo-Christian religions. Muslim’s Americanized with the United
States recognize the similarities in our cultures, religions and
similar rooted heritage’s. For that matter science might dictate we
are the same since we evolved through the ameba’s survival and we all
evolved from mother earth.
Early
religion was based on the Concept that God wished to share thinking.
He created the universe and life with his two best attributes divided
into spirits/souls, man and women. Some believe if a man meets his
same other half (soul mate), that when they pass they will be united
with god. Others later from this religion developed three religions
based on History; Judaism, Judeo-Christian and Muslim. The difference
is that other than prayer, western medicine has eliminated any
religious connotations, which is prudent, cautious, guarantees proper
care no matter the religious persuasion of the patient. This is all
part of the Hippocratic oath including “First do no harm”.
The relativity of
Qi and blood are dynamic. Qi makes the blood, moves and also holds
the blood in dynamic fashion as blood has nourished the tissues and
organs, which create Qi. Qi is the commander of the blood while
blood is the mother of Qi. A family value system is also interwoven
within the cultural development of Oriental Medical Arts.
Unfortunately Traditional Oriental Medicine contains
philosophical/religious connotations, which cause practitioners to
reject scientific evolution. God is Qi. Qi is life. There was man
and woman, Yin and Yang; there was night and day, external, internal,
cold and warm, acute and chronic, sudden onset, slow progression of
pathology. Relative to signs and symptoms Yin and Yang, restless and
quiet, Dry and wet, hard and soft, excitement and inhibition, rapidity
and slowness, transformation and conservation, Jing and Qi, Deficiency
Qi and Stagnant Qi, Blood and Shen; Yin and Yang. Everywhere in
Oriental Medicine are the variables of Yin and Yang, negative and
positive. However and again, their culture presently rejects linear
though in favor of a universal flowing and harmony between Yin and
Yang and as one enlarges the other may absorb and except change. If
there is a disharmony within Yin and Yang Oriental Medicine was to
harmonize. Thus, throughout our review of Acupuncture and Herbology,
scientific description of these cultural aspects of the medical arts
will demonstrate how to bridge the gap between the O.M.-clinical
positive results, and, the medical community. This examiner cannot
except that a medical physician (MD) could not master the
understanding of O.M. and help add acupuncture and Herbology within
the Medical Curriculum. Finally, through the study of this
work and
future research, expectations will be defined with known expected
results from therapies.
The
following three passages by the ancients summarize Blood Functions.
It is written in classic on Medical Problems chapter 22, “Blood
dominates nourishing and moistening.” It is written in Plain
Questions Chapter 10, “when the liver receives blood, it gives rise to
vision, when the feet receive blood they are capable of walking;
when the palms receive blood they are capable of holding; and hen the
fingers receive blood they are capable of grasping”. It is further
written in chapter 26 of Plain Questions “Qi and blood are the
foundation for human mental activities”. Finally it is written in
Miraculous Pivot, chapter 47, “When the blood is in harmony…the
tendons and bones will be strong and the joints will function
smoothly”. Deficiency of blood may give rise to impaired vision,
dryness of eyes, motor impairment, joint dysfunction, numbness of the
extremities and itchy dry skin. Thus the blood nourishes and
moistens, makes strong tendons, bones and joints and is the material
foundation for mental activities.
Please
realize that many of the authors of OM especially Herbology, practice
western medicine yet only present their version translations of out of
date original TOM with no regard for your practice; keeping you an
alterative medical caregiver vs. a modern doctor of oriental medicine
able to convert traditional observation patterns as written by the
ancients in the language of the 21st century.
REAL
BLOOD
The
Arterial System of Oriental Medicine is demonstrated below: Blood that
is in circulation consists of plasma (fluid portion-look for the
discussion of Oriental Diagnosis and ramifications of fluids) and the
formed elements. Plasma whole blood volume is approximately 55% to
60%. Of course the formed elements are the red blood cells, or
erythrocytes; the white blood cells, or leukocytes; and the blood
platelets. Erythrocyte counts vary according to circadian rhythms
with a slight fluctuation of erythrocytes during the day; it is lowest
during sleep, rises on awakening, and continues to rise during the
rest of the day. Persons living at high altitudes usually have a
higher erythrocyte count than do those living at sea level. High
erythrocyte counts also occur after muscular exercise, emotional
excitement, and increased atmospheric temperature. These are
temporary changes, resulting from a flow of a more concentrated blood
from the spleen. Harmoniously the Spleen is the Governor of the
Blood in Traditional Oriental Medicine. How did the ancients know
this five hundred years ago? Further, any condition, which tends to
lower the oxygen content of the blood cause an increase in the number
of erythrocytes. Conversely, any condition that increases the oxygen
of the blood causes a decrease in erythrocyte count. Thus,
pathologically, a decrease or deficiency of erythrocyte count
(deficiency Qi Spleen) is called anemia which there is either a
lowered count or a subnormal concentration of hemoglobin (Fluid
deficiency). The ancients gave us the San Juan. How, so long ago,
did they understand the fluids after being refined or transformed and
transported from the spleen would be oxygenated (fresh air) by the
lungs and regulated by the kidneys. There
nostalgic system indeed works consistently with Western
Medicine when Scientific Method is applied absent any bias scientific
advances.
Excessive
blood loss (Qi holds blood in vessels) is prevented by the clotting
mechanism. Whole blood-Formed elements = Plasma. Whole Blood-
(Formed elements + Clotting factors) Serum and Plasma-Clotting
factors=Serum. Blood plasma is 90 to 92% water. This gives blood its
physiologic importance as water is the medium in which the
water-soluble and water-dispersible substances are carried; it also is
needed for maintaining blood pressure, osmotic relations, and heat
regulation. Because water has a high specific heat, high heat
conductivity and high latent heat of evaporation, it has excellent
heat-storage properties; i.e., more calories of heat are required to
raise the temperature of water a given number of degrees than for most
fluids. Its high conductivity results in its rapid removal of heat
from the interior of the body by conducting throughout the water in
all the soft tissues and body fluids, as well as in the blood.
Finally, a
great deal of heat is lost through evaporation from skin and lungs,
since the water comes largely from the blood plasma. From this blood
plasma, of course, all secretions, as well as the interstitial fluid,
are derived. The volume of blood in an adult’s body is roughly 5
liters, of which about 3 liters are plasma.
The red
blood cells, formed in bone marrow are also known as erythrocytes.
Major sites for erythropoietic tissue, was found to be in the bone
marrow of the pelvis, spine, ribs, scapulas, and proximal ends of the
bonds of the extremity. Following the injection of 59 Fe isotopic
tracer scanned by scintillation counter, neither the liver nor the
spleen accumulated sufficient iron to be visualized. The control of
the production of erythrocytes depends on a hematopoietic hormone,
erythropoietin, and a “maturation factor,’ known as Vitamin B12. The
Intrinsic factor in gastric juice causes absorption of B12, the
extrinsic factor. In addition to these factors, adequate dietary
protein, folic acid, pyridoxine, niacin, and ascorbic acid, available
iron salts, traces of copper and cobalt are require for normal
erythropoises. Direct from dietary protein, amino acids derived, form
alpha and beta chain polypeptide chains in adult hemoglobin A. Type A
is made up of a high content of histadine and lysine and a smaller
amount of isoleucine.
Heme, a
prosthetic group on Hemoglobin, is to each of four subunits, the two
alpha and two beta-polypeptide chains. This Heme plays an important
role in pigmentary properties (Iron containing pigment) and chief
respiratory functions whereas the Globulin carries the carbon
dioxide. It has the power to unit with atmospheric oxygen, forming
oxyhemoglobin. At the level of the alveoli of the lungs, surrounding
capillaries transport oxygen in the arterial blood to the skin,
muscles and tissues, where par of it is released, and the venous
blood, somewhat depleted of its oxygen supply, returns to the lungs
for oxygenation.
Homeostasis,
the arrest of an escape of blood, is regulated by three body
mechanisms. The vascular reaction, a contraction of the severed end
of small blood vessels, the formation of a platelet thrombus at the
sit of the damage (or acupuncture insertion), and blood coagulation or
clotting. The platelet thrombus or “white colt” disintegrates,
liberating serotonin (tryptophan), which aids in the vascular
reaction. Even while this system is regaining control the lost blood
is beginning to coagulate. Blood coagulation occurs due to the
following categories, Formation of autoprothrombin C (F-Xa,
thrombokinase, Stuart factor), Formation of thrombin and formation of
fibrin.
OTHER BLOOD CONSTITUENTS
MILLIGRAMS per 100 ml
Potassium
20
Sodium
25
Magnesium
6.6
Calcium
Small amount
ENZYMES Unites per 100 ml. Serum
Amylase, Somogyi
80-160
Acid phosphatase,
Butman
0.5-2
Acid phosphatase,
King
1.4-4.5
Alkaline
phosphatase Bodansky
units
Adult
2-3.5
Child
5-14
Alkaline
phosphatase King units
Adult
5-10
Child
15-20
Cholinesterase
39-51
Glutamate
oxaloacete transaminase
39-51
Adult
4-40 per ml
Infants
13-120 per ml
Glutamate pyruvate
transaminase
Adult
5-30 per ml
Infants
15-90 per ml
Lactic
dehydrogenase
200-690 per ml.
Phosphoglucomutase
19-84
Phosphohexoisomerase
14-28
HORMONES
ACTH
15 ug. Per 100 ml/blood
Estrogen (estradiol) during
pregnancy .2-0.5 ug. Per 100 ml blood
Growth
Adult Male below 5 ng. Per
ml/plasma
Child over
10 ng per ml/plasma
17-Hydroxycorticosteriods 6-44 ug. Per
100 ml/plasma
Insulin 6-26 nu
per ml/plasma or serum
Progesterone
during pregnancy 530 ug. Per 100 ml/plasma
Testosterone
Adult Male er 0.30 ug. Per 100
ml/plasma
Adult Female below
0.10 ug per 100 ml/plasma
Thyroxine
Total 6-12 ug. Per 100 ml/serum
Free
0.8-7.4 ug per 100 ml/serum
Tri-iodothyronine 70-90 ng. per 100 ml/serum
VITAMINS
A (as
carotene)
15-60 ug. Per 100 ml/serum
B12
350-750 ug. Per 100 ml/serum
Biotin
1.2 ug per 100 ml/blood
Ascorbic
acid 6 mg per 100
ml/blood
0.1-1.7 mg per 100 ml/plasma
D (asD2)
.8 ug. Per 100 ml/plasma
E
0.9-1.9 mg per 100ml/plasma
Niacin
0.6 mg per 100 ml/blood
Pantothenic
acid
30 ug per 100 ml/blood
Folic
acid
3.4 ug per 100
ml/blood
Riboflavin
.6-3.7 ug per 100 ml/plasma
Thiamin
7.6-8.9 ug per 100
ml/blood
Thiamin +
Cocarboxylase 10 ug per 100 ml/blood
MISCELLANEOUS milligrams per 100 ml
Bromide
(serum)
0.252
Copper (plasma or
serum)
100-200 ug
Fluoride (whole
blood)
0.28
Iodine (protein
bound) (plasma or serum)
0.0004-.0008
Lead (whole
blood)
50 ug
Sialic acid
(serum)
60 (adults)
40
(infants)
EXAMINATION ON BLOOD IN TRADITIONAL ORIENTAL MEDICINE
1.
The Blood is made of
a.
Kidney essence
b.
Ying Qi
c.
Food essence
d.
Wei Qi
e.
A, B and C
2.
Blood is transformed from
a.
Food essence
b.
Ying Qi
c.
Kidney essence
d.
Wei Qi
e.
A, B and C
3.
Blood vessel circulation depends on
a.
Heart
b.
Liver
c.
Spleen
d.
Uterus
e.
A and C
4.
In Oriental Medicine a formation of
Internal organ enlargement or tumor was thought to be caused by
a.
Blood stasis
b.
Wind Cold
c.
Wind Heat
d.
Rebellious Qi
e.
Yin deficiency
5.
Which Organ stores Blood?
a.
Uterus
b.
Blood Vessels
c.
Liver
d.
Heart
e.
Kidney
6.
Which Organ is the motive force for
blood circulation?
a.
Liver
b.
Kidney
c.
Spleen
d.
Heart
e.
Chong
7.
Which organ regulates the volume of
blood in circulation?
a.
Heart
b.
Kidney
c.
Liver
d.
Spleen
e.
All of the above.
8.
Which organ prevents extravasations and
keeps the blood within the vessels?
a.
Liver
b.
Spleen
c.
Heart
d.
Kidney
e.
Uterus
9.
Body fluid functions are
a.
Nourishing
b.
Checking
c.
Protecting
d.
Warming
e.
Cooling
10.
A dark complexion absent brightness accompanied by scaly skin indicates?
a.
Wind cold
b.
Yang excess
c.
Yin deficiency
d.
Rebellious Qi
e.
Blood Stagnation
11.
Which of the following are important constitutes of the blood
in the post-absorptive state?
a.
Enzymes
b.
Hormones
c.
Vitamins
d.
Minerals
e.
All of the Above
