More on the x-files

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ChineseMedicinenet, wrote:

>> I have been reading Manaka's chasing the Dragon's Tail recently.

He postulates an understanding of the acupuncture paradigm with

reference to systems and information theory of modern science.

rendering qi as information, the Jing luo are seen as conduits for

this organizational data.

 

 

Jim: We don't have to restrict ourselves to the Jing luo to apply

information theory and complexity to CM. The Chinese medical models

developed with these types of characteristics because they were

trying to describe dynamic, living systems and their functions.

Western science is only now developing the perspective and

terminology to efficiently discuss complexity. All life, at every

scale, is inherently computational or simply an exchange of

information say scientists.

 

The most interesting example of information theory applied to CM is

(to me) pulse diagnosis. But 5-Phases provides an interesting and,

probably, more familiar model to help illustrate complexity and

information theory. It's structure is composed similarly to the

canonical microcircuit, which is the basic element of the neural

network of the brain. Composed of three interconnected neurons

(imagine each neuron at the apex of a triangle, connecting to the

other two creating a single unit), it is the smallest unit of the

neural network that can memorize---specifically it can store and

subsequently recall two fundamental memories (yin/yang). It is the

smallest part of the neural network that can self-organize without

supervision---an essential ingredient for living systems. And the

brain is composed of billions of them which act in concert to form

our feelings and thoughts. It is similar to 5-Phases from the point

of view of the Mother/Child/Grand Child Law, if we see these three

elements as one unit. The Sheng and Ko cycles can generally be

thought of as similar to the stimulating and inhibiting functions of

neurons. But when we speak about a " disorder " or illness using 5-

Phases, we always view it as the interaction of one or more triangles.

 

: Now, according to information theory, these biochemical's can

also be thought of as information. Yet I still believe the

information in the herbs is bound up with their constituents, not

separate therefrom. So is it that the sum of the constituents forms

a whole that is received by the body as some form of resonant

information that is transmitted through the system via the internal

Jing luo pathways, leading to biochemical changes, etc.

 

Jim: Herbal formulas are not the sum of their constituents, a formula

demonstrates an 'emergent' process or capacity not predicted by the

sum of its constituent components---'emergence' is a central concept

of complexity theory.

 

 

: My point is that the medical literature is fairly uniform on

this subject of dosage.

 

Jim: Offhand, I don't know that the Chinese literature supports this

large does idea. How big is a big dose? This could make an

interesting survey. In the past, I've given patients 13 ounces of raw

herbs to boil down. Today, I typically give people 1.5 gm/TID doses

of a formula (using concentrates) containing up to 35 herbs with very

good results.

 

 

 

 

James Ramholz

Silk Road Acupuncture Center

112 E. Laurel

Fort Collins, CO 80524-3029

(970) 482-5900 Voice

(970) 482-4681 Fax

(303) 522-3348 Cell