Prerequisite: A Licensed or Practicing Acupuncturist with training in the basic medical sciences (candidates transcripts will be reviewed and any deficiencies in the medical sciences can be achieved by courses in the School of Natural Medicine).
This is an in depth study of the classics in relation to the principal meridians, submeridians and ancestral vessels, their pathogenesis and pathology. The original material for this course was obtained from Vietnam, once the intellectual seat of Chinese Medicine (Saigon University).
Special techniques on the methods of puncture according to the classics. The traditional names of the antique points are examined.The Su Wen, Ling Shu and Nan King are referenced. No other course of this depth in a Western Language exists on planet earth. Text is used from the Vietnamese classics.
COURSE CONTENTS
PART I: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TCM & ACUPUNCTURE
Lesson 1: Shamanism At the Roots of Chinese Medicine
Lesson 2: Feng Shui - The Principles of "Wind and Water"
Lesson 3: Feng Shui - The Wind and Water
Lesson 4: TAOISM AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM)
Lesson 5: THE SAGES OF CHINA
Lesson 6: CHINESE SCRIPT & COMMUNICATION OF THOUGHT
Lesson 7: CHINESE ASTROLOGY-ASTRONOMY
Lesson 8: AIR OR CH'I IN CHINESE MEDICINE
Lesson 9: FENG - The Meaning of Wind in Chinese Medicine
Lesson 10: THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRIPARTATE YIN/YANG
Lesson 11: WU-HSING, FIVE PHASE ENERGETICS
Lesson 12: THE ALL IMPORTANT TRIPLE BURNER ENERGETICS
Lesson 13: PATHOGENEISIS & PATHOLOGY IN CHINESE ACUPUNCTURE
Lesson 14: CLASSIFICATION OF THE CHINGS
Lesson 15: The ancestral vessels, their nature and symptomatology
Lesson 16: The Lo Vessels
Lesson 17: The Tendino-Muscular Meridians, Their Nature and Symptomatology
Lesson 18: The Distinct Meridians, Their Nature and Symptomatology
LESSON 19: THE ANTIQUE (Five Element) POINTS
Lesson 20: Summing Up the Celestial Pivots
- Msgr. Prof. [Dr. of Med.] Charles McWilliams : Dr. Anthony James
Acupuncture, ancient Chinese medical technique for relieving pain, curing disease, and improving general health. It was devised before 2500 bce in China and by the late 20th century was used in many other areas of the world but with an incomplete comprehension of the ancient works. Here we present the sacred works, most ancient, obtained from Vietnamese (Hanoi School of Chamfrault, Van Nghi).
LESSON 1: Pathology & Pathogenesis in TCM.
LESSON 2: Examination of the Patient, Troubles of the Energy,
Study of the symptoms.
LESSON3: Examination of the Pulses.
LESSON4: Examination of the Tongue. The Food Tract and its
Ailments Internal.
LESSON5: The Techniques of Acupuncture. The Needles, the Ancient laws, Methods of manipulation.
LESSON6: The techniques of Moxibustion.
LESSON7: The Eight Therapeutic Rules
LESSON8: Differentiation of the Syndromes According to the Eight Principles and the Theory of Zang-Fu.
LESSON9: The techniques of needling by Wu-Hsing (Law of the Five Elements)
LESSON10: The techniques of the time to puncture by Zi Wu Liu Chu,
Fei Teng Ba Fa, Ling Gui Ba Fa
In ancient times, the seasons were linked with the four ages of man
- Youth, Manhood (Prime), Decline, and Old Age (counted in Ancient
times as 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-death - suggesting that ancient
agricultural ages corresponded roughly to our own. The basis of ancient humoral medicine, a theme which is found in all ancient medicines as a transition from shamanism to humoralism.
Food
was the 'drug of choice' in all of the ancient medical systems in
Europe, India and China. While the medical theories in each differed
somewhat, they shared a common philosophy: illness is the result of
imbalances within the body (humors); and between the body and the
environment.
Man lives within nature and staying in harmony with
nature's rhythms is essential for good health. The word disease is
literally "dis-ease" or physical disharmony. Diet plays a significant
role in correcting imbalances and is an important factor in maintaining
and healing the body.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is
based on the cosmic theory of Yin and Yang; and the laws of the Five
Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). These elements
correspond with organs in the body. Other groups of five such as five
flavours, five seasons, etc. are also linked in TCM. The principles,
development of which is credited to the Emperor Huang Ti
- also known as the Yellow Emperor (2698 - 2589 BCE) - are documented
in the ancient Chinese medical classic Huang Di Nei Jing . It remains a
respected reference source in TCM to this day.
Indian
medicine from around 800 BCE was based on the theory of bodily humours
(fluids) which in the Hindu view were connected with cosmic factors as
well. The approach also integrated concepts such as the thermal
(hot/cold) qualities of foods and the five states of matter (earth;
water; fire; air; and ether/space.) The ancient science of Ayurveda is
the oldest known form of health care in the world. Often called the
mother of all healing, it originated in India some 5000 or more years
ago.
These concepts were codified in several major Indian
medical texts, translations of which made their way around the world
over the centuries. Humorial medicine was taught by the Spaniards as
part of the medical curriculum at the University of Mexico in 1580.
The
Hippocratic school of medicine was founded by the Greek physician
Hippocrates (460BCE - ca 370 BCE) who is often referred to as the father
of medicine in the Western world. Hippocrates held that the four
humours (blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm) had to be balanced
in quantity and quality for good health. Concepts of hot-cold foods and
the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) were also integral parts
of the Hippocratic approach to medicine.
Diet was key in the
prevention and treatment of illness in all of these ancient medical
systems. The appropriate diet for an individual was determined based on a
wide range of factors including age, gender, constitution, existing
state of health, temperament, the "humorial" or yin/yang disposition of
the person as well as climate, seasons, the prevailing weather
conditions, and other environmental factors. All were linked in a great
hierarchy of understanding the cosmos, which manifest on earth as the
four seasons of the year.
All ancient medical systems considered
seasonal adjustments to the diet as being critical for good health as
this ensured proper attunement of the body to the environment. Locally
available seasonal ingredients are preferred as they were considered in
harmony with the prevailing conditions.
The ancient medical
texts prescribed the foods to be eaten in the different seasons
according to their qualities (hot/cold/moist/dry etc) and the cooking
methods as the preparation affected the qualities. In his On Regimen
(one of the many Hippocratic treatises), wheaten bread, roast meat and
few vegetables were recommended for winter so as to secure a warm and
dry body; whereas boiled meat and cooler vegetables were considered
appropriate for summertime heat.
This example characterizes one of he best known effects of acupuncture that of relieving pain - its analgesic effect. Acupuncture is one of the quickest and most effective methods of relieving pain virtually irrespective of its cause. This remarkable property of acupuncture has been exploited to provide analgesia for many types of operations. Acupuncture is used not only for minor operations like draining abscesses and extraction of teeth, but also for major operations like brain surgery. Even open-heart surgery has been carried out painlessly with the help of just one acupuncture needle inserted in the upper arm.
In China over a million operations have been carried out using only acupuncture analgesia. Thousands of women all over the world have been spared the agonies of labour pains by the use of acupuncture. A couple of needles inserted in the ankle and in points below the knee provide enough analgesia for a painless delivery. This aspect of acupuncture has received a great deal of publicity in recent years.
