Formula Writing, Education, and Qi

[Guest guest]

My experience as a rather beginner of a

formula writer is that it has taken several passes

through all of the information (single herbs, formulas,

combo's, pathomechanisms, treatment principles) to

get it enough to write a formula...

 

I think I only started to get it once I was truly able

to diagnoses all the patterns in the case, how they

were related, which caused which... in an intelligent

way that fits with classical chinese medicine. I the

flowchart program Inspiration to visualize this. Then

I chose guiding formulas, wrote out all the herbs in

them, subtracted redundancies (same herbs), and

chose between similar herbs for the best matches

to all the patterns... and then my supervisor edited

the formula, and I learned more.

 

I'm glad I started doing that in clinic with a supervisor

that regularly writes raw formulas.

 

I've wondered if it might be better to start by

teaching formulas, or formula-writing, but I'm not

sure it really matters- since it took several passes

through the info to get it anyway.

 

I think it's essential to teach diagnosis, pathomechanisms...

be sure students can really diagnose an entire case

comprehensively, accurately before asking them to

write formulas.

 

Does anyone know a good classical/translated source

for pathomechanisms- they seem to be strewn about

throughout many books- I'm not even sure what I'm asking-

but for example, a question came up the other day:

 

If Sp xu can encourage Wood shi through 5 phases,

then if the Liver is yin xu, could that shi be yang rising?

Or would it have to be Liv qi zhi?

 

On the topic of qi gong etc., don't misunderstand, I have

a spiritual path, discipline, etc, but I prefer to look at

chinese medicine as a medical system that does not

require any of that energy work. I view all of that with

great suspicion and don't mind having nothing to do with

it.

 

B

 

 

 

Brian Benjamin Carter

Editor, The Pulse of Oriental Medicine

Columnist, Acupuncture Today

 

The PULSE of Oriental Medicine:

Alternative Medicine You Can Understand

http://www.pulsemed.org/

 

The General Public's Guide to Chinese

Medicine since 1999... 8 Experts,

100+ Articles, 115,000+ readers....

 

Our free e-zine BEING WELL keeps

you up to date with the latest greatest

PULSE articles.

 

Sign up NOW. Send a blank email to:

beingwellnewsletter-