Why Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Cure Diseases and How It Works

1. Understanding Disease

First, let's explore what disease is. Disease refers to the partial loss or dysfunction of bodily functions, leading to a state of discomfort—this is the essence of disease. Disease is not the same as symptoms. For example, is coughing a disease? If a person chokes on water, they might cough to expel the water from the trachea. This is a natural response of the body to remove foreign objects, so coughing itself is not a disease but a symptom. The obstruction of normal tracheal function by water is the true essence of the disease.

Similarly, consider high blood pressure. When the body's blood circulation fails to meet the needs of supplying nutrients, the body naturally increases blood pressure to accelerate circulation and provide more nutrients to the tissues, thus alleviating discomfort. High blood pressure is a state that the body exhibits, but it is not the disease itself.

Another example is a fever caused by cold exposure. After being exposed to cold, the body's pores contract as a stress response, preventing sweat from being expelled and causing heat to accumulate internally, resulting in a fever. Fever is not the disease; it is the body's way of combating external pathogens.

Thus, symptoms do not equal disease. Symptoms are merely reactions to the body's imbalance, whereas the imbalance itself is the true essence of disease. Modern medicine often treats symptoms as diseases—using antipyretics for fever, antihypertensives for high blood pressure, and even painkillers that suppress the body's warning mechanisms and deceive sensory perception. This approach addresses only the symptoms, not the root cause, akin to studying tire tracks without examining the vehicle itself, assuming that smoothing the tracks will change the vehicle's operation.

2. The Logic of Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a straightforward medical system, not overly complex in theory. It focuses on the body itself, studying the patterns of bodily function, the causes of dysfunction, and how to restore normal function through acupuncture, massage, and herbal treatments.

Why can these methods correct bodily dysfunction? Let's start with herbal medicine before discussing acupuncture and massage.

Humans are born from nature, and since we can survive in nature, it must contain the foods that sustain us. This connection between humans and nature implies that nature also provides the means to heal us. The ancient text Yin Fu Jing states, "Heaven and Earth are the thieves of all things; all things are the thieves of humans." Humans rely on nature to survive. Similarly, when bodily functions are disrupted, nature must also offer remedies to correct these imbalances. This relationship between humans and nature dictates that since we are born and nurtured by nature, we can also be healed by it. Nature is a balanced ecosystem, so where poisonous snakes roam, there are also antidotes within ten steps.

Our task is to find the corresponding medicines to correct the body's imbalances.

3. While Diseases Change, the Human Body Does Not

TCM has endured for thousands of years, and the commonly used herbs in Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders) number only a few dozen. Today, 1,800 years later, we still use these herbs. Why has TCM remained unchanged? Because its focus has always been on the body's functional mechanisms, not the symptoms. TCM doesn't need to constantly develop new medicines because the body's functions are consistent, and the dysfunctions are limited. While diseases evolve, the human body does not. Just as when thirsty, we need water, or when hungry, we need food, which has sustained us for thousands of years. Rice and bread can still nourish us today. Medicines work similarly—no matter how times change, the body remains the same. Modern humans are not different from ancient ones, so if the human body doesn't change, neither does the medicine.

By focusing on the body and adapting to its consistent nature, TCM can treat both known and unknown diseases.

For example, during the recent pandemic, the virus was new, but the resulting pneumonia caused fever, cough, and lung damage. To TCM, fever is a heightened state of bodily function in response to the virus, coughing clears lung qi to prevent blockage, and lung infection indicates a loss of lung function. These are not new phenomena to TCM. There’s no need to suppress the fever or cough—these are merely symptoms of bodily dysfunction. We simply need to find the right medicines to improve lung function and restore the body's balance. This involves both tonification and purgation methods.

4. The Relationship Between the Body, Disease, and Medicine

Many people recover from COVID-19 on their own, and many show no symptoms even after infection. This indicates that the body can naturally fight off disease. Medicines only assist the body; they do not target the disease itself. For instance, when someone is hungry, you can give them a bowl of rice, but the body must digest it to alleviate hunger—rice doesn’t directly cure hunger.

Take, for example, a Chinese herb called Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthes root), which can generate fluids and relieve thirst. If someone is in the desert with no water and eats a bag of Tian Hua Fen, will it quench their thirst? Of course not. The herb helps regulate bodily fluid function but doesn’t directly eliminate thirst. Once the body’s functions are restored, the person will naturally seek water. The same applies to blood tonics and essence tonics—Dang Gui (Angelica) doesn’t contain blood, and Goji berries don’t contain essence. These substances don't directly become blood or essence in the body but rather accelerate the body’s production of these substances. Ultimately, only the food a person eats can genuinely replenish blood and essence. All medicines work through the body’s mechanisms—bodily function is the foundation of all healing.

The same principle applies to disease. Disease manifests as dysfunction in the body, and just as the body can become diseased, it can also heal itself. No disease is ever cured solely by medicine; the body itself is always the true healer, with medicines merely assisting the process. Once the body’s functions are restored, the disease naturally disappears. The wisdom of preventing disease lies in maintaining the normal flow of qi and blood. Even if external pathogens invade, the body will naturally expel them. Disease arises from within, and it is the body that ultimately cures it.

Someone once asked me what to do about a child’s enlarged adenoids. I suggested taking a few doses of Chinese medicine to reduce the swelling. The person responded, "But the adenoids are already enlarged, there's a physical growth—how can medicine possibly shrink it? Western doctors suggest surgery." Ultimately, they opted for surgery. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the relationship between the body and disease. If the body can grow something, why can’t it also reduce it? The muscles on our bodies are also grown by the body; just as a person can lose weight, the body can also reduce any growth. Anything that can grow in the body can also diminish.

Belief in the body and its functions is fundamental to TCM. It's never about which medicine can cure which disease—the only true healer is the body itself. Disease is like a bug in the body, and fixing the body naturally fixes the bug. Ignoring the body and using medicine to directly combat disease is like focusing only on the enemy without considering the state of the nation. Even if you win the battle, the country remains in danger. This is why Western medicine often leaves behind many side effects.

5. The Pathogenesis of Disease

To maintain health, the most important thing is the proper functioning of all bodily systems. TCM focuses on the body's functions, and the malfunction of these functions is known as "pathogenesis." Symptoms are the external manifestations of pathogenesis. By analyzing symptoms, we can understand where the body is malfunctioning and then adjust the imbalance—this is the essence of TCM treatment. The body may exhibit many symptoms, but the underlying pathogenesis is limited. The Nei Jing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) lists only nineteen types of pathogenesis. Identifying the pathogenesis is the key to TCM treatment.

TCM emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment. The differentiation focuses on the pathogenesis, not individual symptoms or disease names used in Western medicine. This is why TCM does not have specific medicines for treating nasal inflammation, colds, hypertension, or diabetes—everything is based on the body’s pathogenesis. This also explains the phenomenon of different treatments for the same disease or the same treatment for different diseases. If the pathogenesis is the same, the treatment will be the same; if the pathogenesis differs, the treatment will vary. If a car doesn’t run, that’s a symptom; if the fuel line is blocked, that’s the pathogenesis. If a car runs without power, that’s a symptom; if the exhaust pipe is clogged, that’s the pathogenesis. Depression and Alzheimer's are disease names, but their pathogenesis may differ, and only by identifying the pathogenesis can treatment be effective.

6. The Holistic Concept

The human body is a continuous process of metabolism, constantly exchanging substances with the external environment. Internally, there are processes of rising and falling, while externally, there are processes of intake and output. This dynamic exchange allows for growth, transformation, conservation, and decline within the human body.

The normal functioning of the human body is primarily reflected in the balance of rising and falling, intake and output, and metabolism. "Rising and falling" refers to the proper circulation of the body's internal energy (Qi), while "intake and output" pertains to the exchange of substances with the external environment, leading to the renewal of the body. When these processes are balanced, the body remains healthy—this is the concept that free-flowing energy prevents illness. Conversely, when these processes become disordered, the body's functions become chaotic, leading to illness.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the study of the human body begins with these processes of rising and falling, intake and output, and metabolism, rather than focusing on the specific functions of certain cells or components. Modern medicine, by contrast, examines the human body at the level of specific chemical substances, which, while precise, often misses the broader context. Using chemical agents to interact with certain bodily substances to forcibly alter specific functions disregards the body's natural processes—after all, the human body is not a chemical factory.

TCM believes that as long as the processes of rising and falling, intake and output are well-regulated, the body can take care of itself. The body will repair any issues on its own without the need for targeted intervention in specific areas. Ultimately, all diseases must be resolved by the body's own mechanisms.

Nurturing the body is akin to growing a tree. We only need to provide sufficient water and nutrients and create a good environment for growth; the rest should be left to the tree itself, with minimal interference, to allow it to grow properly.

In TCM, the focus is on adjusting the processes of rising and falling, intake and output, and the overall environment in which the body functions, rather than intervening in specific indicators. This is the fundamental difference between TCM and Western medicine and is a reflection of TCM's holistic approach.

7. Correct Treatment

Contemporary Western medicine mainly employs two methods: targeted drugs, such as antibiotics, and surgery. Do these methods have their uses? Certainly. For instance, when the body is attacked by external pathogens—like bacterial or viral infections—and is unable to eliminate them through mechanisms like fever and coughing, directly using antibiotics to kill the pathogens aids in recovery. This is similar to using insecticides. Surgery, on the other hand, is employed when there is an external injury, such as a fracture or dislocation, to correct and reposition the injury through external force, or to remove foreign objects that the body cannot expel on its own, facilitating quicker recovery.

Both of these methods assist the body, or in some cases, substitute for the body's natural functions. Antibiotics can be likened to folk remedies in TCM. These remedies are effective for specific ailments without necessarily following TCM's diagnostic principles. For example, Artemisia annua, recorded in Ge Hong’s Zhouhou Fang as a treatment for malaria, is a specific remedy. Surgery was also widely used in ancient TCM, as seen in historical records of Hua Tuo treating Guan Yu's bone infection or performing cranial surgery on Cao Cao. However, with societal development and changing perspectives, these methods have become less common. Nevertheless, both antibiotics and surgery can harm the body by disrupting its natural functions. For instance, after setting a broken bone or bandaging a wound, it is crucial to nourish the body's Qi and blood to ensure full recovery. While insecticides can be used, maintaining cleanliness to prevent bacterial growth is far more important.

In TCM, the primary focus is on employing correct treatment methods. Folk remedies and surgery are reserved for specific situations. While it is essential to understand and use these methods, one cannot rely solely on folk remedies to become a great healer. By using TCM's correct treatment methods, the body can learn to cope with illnesses independently, leading to fewer recurrences, unlike the repeated use of antibiotics, which only weakens the body by substituting its natural functions with external interventions.

The functioning of the human body is analogous to that of an economy. We need only to regulate the body's state, ensure the smooth flow of Qi and blood, disperse excess, replenish deficiency, warm coldness, and release heat. By understanding and adjusting the body's internal and external cycles, the body will naturally remain healthy, and any diseases will be resolved by the body itself.

8. Conclusion

This is how TCM views and treats diseases. We often say that TCM is based on a holistic concept and treatment according to syndrome differentiation. What is the holistic concept? It is the overall view of the human body. As for syndrome differentiation, it involves analyzing the overall state of the body's functioning.

This understanding explains why practices like Qigong, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and even spells or charms can treat all diseases—because all of these ultimately work through the body, aiming to adjust the body's state.