Five phase theory and its use in medicine

MEDICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE FIVE PHASE CYCLE

Five Phase Theory has many implications in medicine: aetiological, diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic.

a. Interaction: All the major organs, functions and Correspondences interact with each other and are interdependent in maintaining health. If one organ is irreparably damaged, life is threatened or secondary disorders can arise in other organs. Unnecessary surgery, especially removal of organs, may be dangerous.

b. Correspondences: Imbalance (Deficiency or Excess) in one COS or its Correspondence may influence other COSs, their functions and Correspondences. For example, Excess Qi in HT COS may weaken LU COS (via Ko Cycle); Deficient Qi in the KI COS may allow Excess Qi in the HT COS, also via the Ko Cycle. Similarly a Deficient LV COS may render the HT COS Deficient also, via the Sheng Cycle.

Bone pain (rheumatism) is more likely in cold, wet weather (winter-kidney (Water) controls bone). Too much excitement may cause heart attack (excitement injuries Fire). Septic inflammation of the throat often arises with kidney pains (KI (Water) controls kidney and throat). These (and many other) examples illustrate the great diversity of concepts which are intrinsic to Five Phase Theory.

The TCM view of the interdependence of the COSs and the psyche and external environment is truly a holistic view of health and is the early ancestor of modern Psycho-Somatic medicine and of dynamic self-controlling systems.

c. Balancing the COSs: Five Phase relationships are used in classic human acupuncture (AP) to guide the choice of the best points for AP therapy. The principle of balancing the COSs assumes that one or more COSs are in Excess and an equal number are Deficient. If so, the Deficient COSs are filled by draining Qi from the Excess in another COS. If this can not be done directly, Qi is drained from a normal COS, which is then filled by draining from the COS which is in Excess. (Examples will be given later).

IF there is no Excess, do not create a Deficiency in another COS! This would merely change the location and nature of the disease! Thus, attempts at Five Phase balancing are contraindicated unless there is an Excess to fill each Deficiency.

THE USE OF FIVE PHASE POINTS

Each Channel begins or ends at the fingers or toes. As Qi flows in the Arm Channels (LU -> LI; HT -> SI; PC -> TH) and in the Leg Channels (ST -> SP; BL -> KI; GB -> LV), a change Qi polarity occurs at the digits. As the Qi flows in the Arms, the polarity change is Yin to Yang (e.g. LU -> LI). In the Legs it is Yang to Yin (e.g. ST -> SP). (Note: at the chest and face, no polarity change occurs. In the face, the changes are Yang to Yang: (LI -> ST; SI -> BL; TH -> GB). In the chest, the changes are Yin to Yin: (SP -> HT; KI -> PC; LV -> LU).

The easiest place to influence the COS Qi by AP is at the extremities, where the Qi polarity is changing naturally. Therefore, the most important points influencing Qi transfer in AP therapy occur at the extremities: between elbow and digit in the thoracic limb and between knee (stifle) and digit in the pelvic limb.

a. Each of the 12 main COSs has a point for each Phase (i.e.) a Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood Point. The location of each of the 12 x 5 ( = 60) Phase Points is given elsewhere (in the paper "The Study of AP: Sources and Study Techniques"). These points are used according to the Five Phase Cycle to redistribute Qi in the COS circuits, if imbalances are detected between the Phases.

If the imbalance is within a Phase (for instance between LU and LI, both in Metal), the Luo (passage) Point of the Deficient COS is used to balance Qi by draining the Excess from the linked COS. Thus, Qi can be transferred from any one COS to any other COS by using the Five Phase Points according to the Sheng and/or Ko Cycle and/or the Luo Points, as the case requires.

b. In the Sheng Cycle, Qi travels fromYang to Yang (SI -> ST -> LI -> BL -> GB -> SI) or Yin to Yin (HT -> SP -> LU -> KI -> LV -> HT) only. By use of Five Phase Points it is not possible to transfer Qi from SI (Yang) to SP (Yin) directly (although Earth is the Son of Fire). If the SP is Deficient and SI is in Excess, Qi is taken from HT by needling the Fire Point of SP. (Yin to Yin transfer). HT is then filled by draining the Excess from SI by needling the Luo Point of HT (Qi transfer from Yang to Yin within the same Phase via the Luo Point of the (now) Deficient COS). Similarly, if ST is Deficient and HT in Excess, it is not possible to transfer Qi directly from HT (Yin) to ST (Yang) although Earth is the Son of Fire. In this case, a needle in the Deficient ST COS at its Fire Point would fill ST (via Sheng Cycle), emptying SI in the process. SI would then be filled by needling its Luo Point, thereby draining the Excess from its linked COS, HT.

c. In the Ko Cycle, therapeutic Qi travels from Yang to Yin or Yin to Yang only (e.g.) from: HT -> LI -> LV -> ST -> KI -> SI -> LU -> GB -> SP -> BL -> HT. Some authors (for example, Are Thoresen (Norway)) do not agree on this point but the majority take this view. In the classic view, it is not possible to transfer Qi from HT (Yin) directly to LU (Yin), although LU is controlled by HT in the Ko Cycle. In a case where LU was Deficient and HT was in Excess, the approach would be: first needle the Fire Point LU. This would drain Qi from SI into LU, creating a Deficiency in SI. The Deficiency in SI would then be filled by needling the Luo Point of SI, thereby emptying the Excess from HT. Similarly, it is not possible to transfer Qi directly from SI (Yang) to LI (Yang) via the Ko Cycle. In a case where LI was Deficient and SI was in Excess the approach would be: first fill the Deficiency in LI by needling the Fire Point of LI, thereby draining Qi from HT (Yin to Yang transfer by Ko Cycle). Then fill HT by needling the Luo Point of HT, thus draining the Excess from SI.

d. Whether using the Sheng or Ko Cycle to transfer Qi, always fill the Deficient COS first, draining Qi from some other COS. Any Deficiency which is thus created is filled by draining from a COS which is in Excess. If there is no Excess, do not create a Deficiency elsewhere.