naturopathy v Chinese Medicine

[Guest guest]

At 8:27 PM +0000 1/4/04, wrote:

>the naturopathic observation that people

>are less " toxic " or filled with " mucous " after a cold.

--

 

 

 

Since you are qualified in both (I think), I'd be very interested in

your comparisons of naturopathic theory with CM theory. Would you

give some of the fundamental differences/similarities?

 

Rory

--

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Rory Kerr <rory.kerr@w...> wrote=

:

> At 8:27 PM +0000 1/4/04, wrote:

> >the naturopathic observation that people

> >are less " toxic " or filled with " mucous " after a cold.

> --

>

>

>

> Since you are qualified in both (I think), I'd be very interested in

> your comparisons of naturopathic theory with CM theory. Would you

> give some of the fundamental differences/similarities?

 

 

I never completed my studies (3 years) as I wanted to focus solely on chine=

se herbs at

the time (stupid 26 year old that I was). However, given my studies and fr=

equent wirk

with ND's, I wrote the following thoughts on the subject:

 

Naturopathic Medicine and the Qi Dynamic:  Insights into the Treatment of L=

eaky Gut

Syndrome by

 

 

 

 

TCM Concepts

 

 

 

A number of TCM practitioners over the years have noted the similarity betw=

een the

naturopathic diagnosis of leaky gut syndrome and the Chinese understanding =

of

spleen dysfunction and what is called the qi dynamic.  TCM has a long histo=

ry of

considering new ideas based on new information or changing times, so it is =

not

surprising that the modern Chinese have considered the role of intestinal d=

ysbiosis in

spleen/stomach pathology in TCM.  Bob Flaws has pointed this out in his mos=

t recent

contribution on this topic.1  I think is interesting and useful to understa=

nd these

latest developments in naturopathy in their historical context.

 

 

 

While some scientific approaches to TCM attempt to reduce TCM to already

understood concepts of physiology, I will pursue a different path.  Heiner =

Fruehauf,

chairman of the Classical Department at the National Colle=

ge of

Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, was one of my teachers.  His fav=

orite 20th

century author on TCM was Zhang Xi Chun.  Zhang is remembered as an early

proponent of the school of chinese-western medicine integration.2   However=

, Zhang

Xi Chun used TCM concepts to expand his understanding of physiology and res=

tore a

holistic, dynamic quality to this modern science, rather than try to reduce=

TCM to

science.  He was the first to attempt to describe western drugs in TCM term=

s,

something that has been attempted more recently by others, such as Z'ev

Rosenberg3, chairman of the department of Chinese Herbal Medicine at the Pa=

cific

College of Oriental Medicine.  In the same vein, we will consider some of t=

he

naturopathic and scientific approaches to illness in such TCM terms.   Let'=

s start with

some TCM terminology.

 

 

 

In TCM terms, the qi dynamic refers to the four movements of ascent, descen=

t, exit

and entry.  For clinical purposes, it is basically the up-down flow of qi i=

n all living

creatures.  The ascent of qi can be compared in part to the assimilation an=

d

distribution of pure essence and the descent to the removal of turbid matte=

r for

excretion. Even the simplest plants and microorganisms must still ingest pa=

rt of their

environment, transform it into pure and turbid components, incorporate the =

pure and

excrete the turbid.  This simple process which is describe both in the nei =

jing and

also any college physiology textbook, is the most basic attribute of life. =

Thus, the

emphasis on proper diet and cleansing has been part of many healing traditi=

ons,

including shamanic, ayurvedic, essene, native American, Egyptian, Greek, Ar=

abic and

modern naturopathic, as well.  Of course, all of TCM may essentially be bro=

ken down

into these two categories, with therapies focused either on removing excess=

 

(cleansing) or building up deficiencies (nutrition).  The real attraction o=

f TCM, in fact,

may be the sophistication with which it has developed these two  basic appr=

oaches. 

The long written and scholarly tradition of China allowed a refinement of a=

method

used worldwide in ancient times.  This refinement was not possible in other=

parts of

the planet for various historical reasons, but the basic method remains the=

same.

 

 

 

At the core of this refinement is the notion of the qi dynamic.  Because TC=

M is based

on a dynamic concept called qi, it is not enough to say that waste is excre=

ted and

nutrients are assimilated, the direction of this dynamic force is considere=

d vitally

important, as well.  The turbid is discharged downwards, which is quite int=

uitively

sensible, as the major wastes of our bodies move in that direction.  That t=

he pure

should ascend is perhaps less apparent, but is actually physiologically sen=

sible as

well.  The essences of food must be ascended to mix with air in the lung to=

form the

pure blood that is pumped through the body by the heart.  This is remarkabl=

y similar

to modern physiology's description of blood formation.  Also the pure clear=

essences

must rise to brighten the spirit, as well.  Likewise,  modern physiologists=

talk about

glucose and oxygen requirements for proper brain function.

 

 

 

The key TCM organ networks that regulate the qi dynamic are the stomach and=

 

spleen.  The spleen moves qi up and the stomach moves qi down.  Thus, the s=

pleen

governs the assimilation of the pure and the stomach the excretion of the t=

urbid. 

Spleen diseases involve failure and weakness of organs due to poor assimila=

tion,

while stomach disease is the beginning place for toxic internal heat to bre=

w due to

turbid accumulation.  The liver provides the actual upward force via its sm=

ooth

distribution of kidney yang qi and the lungs aid descent with their continu=

ous bellows

like action drawing air qi down into the body.  But the spleen and stomach =

remain

central to this process.  The kidneys and the yang organs continue the proc=

ess of

separation of pure and turbid, finally discharging the turbid through the b=

ladder.

 

 

 

Impairment of the qi dynamic often leads to dampheat, a TCM pathomechanism =

that

is present in most serious chronic illness to one degree or another.  This =

is relevant

to this discussion, because dampheat is very similar to several naturopathi=

c ideas,

such as the generic term toxin or the more specific liver toxicity or bowel=

toxemia.  In

addition to being associated with acute infectious diseases in TCM, damphea=

t is also

thought to arise from a polluted internal environment.  It settles in the l=

ower part of

the body and causes disruption in blood circulation and emotional stability=

..  Both the

location of dampheat in the colon and its widespread impact on general heal=

th

reveals certain similarities with the concept of intestinal dysbiosis, whic=

h we shall

explore below.

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Development of Naturopathy

 

 

 

Modern Naturopathic medicine began at the end of 19th century, largely as a=

 

medicalized amalgamation of several popular health trends of the era.  Thes=

e

included nature cure, fasting, hydrotherapy, colonics, exercise, diet empha=

sizing raw

foods and vegetarianism.  Many religious zealots were involved with these l=

ay

movements, but the profession of Naturopathy has been a serious one for a h=

undred

years.  Over this century, Naturopathy survived and absorbed the dying prof=

essions of

homeopathy and eclectic herbalism, as well.  Now, naturopaths always used h=

erbs

and homeopathics, but they tended to use these methods within their core

philosophy, which was distinctly different from the eclectics and the class=

ical

homeopaths.  Naturopathy has always been focused on removing toxins from th=

e

body, the idea being that when the system was purged of filth, it would fun=

ction

properly.  As you might surmise, they got it only half right from our persp=

ective.

 

 

 

While naturopaths certainly were early advocates of the need for proper nut=

rition to

build healthy tissues, early proponents like Jethro Kloss, Arnold Ehret and=

Henry

Lindlahr, M.D. felt that the vital essences of raw vegetarian foods would b=

e fully

absorbed in a system that was totally clean.  Thus, the foods they chose fo=

r therapy

tended to strongly emphasize removal of excess.  Raw vegetables stimulate b=

owel

movements and urination.  At the turn of the century, when many nature cure=

 

patients were farmers, vigorous cleansing may have produced some miracle cu=

res. 

Zhang Zi He, a medieval Chinese proponent of the idea that all disease is e=

vil toxin,

which must be purged, would have agreed with this approach.  However, in TC=

M

history, Zhang's methods proved too harsh to be used in more sedentary type=

s (like

modern office workers). So Zhu Dan Xi modified Zhang's method to be more

balanced.  Thus, purgation is still used in TCM when appropriate.  As natur=

opathy

moved into the modern age, it also evolved a more sophisticated approach fo=

r several

reasons.

 

 

 

The absorption of eclecticism and homeopathy before WWII certainly shaped m=

odern

naturopathy.  Eclecticism and homeopathy both relied on precise methods of =

 

regulating what is called the vital force.  Naturopathy also embraced this =

concept, but

had largely focused on removing the obstacles to the vital force, largely t=

hrough

vigorous cleansing methods.  So naturopaths now began to incorporate subtle=

r

methods of regulating the vital force into their practices.  At the same ti=

me, there was

an explosion of research on nutrition occurring in Europe and America.  Whi=

le

nutrition has recently become of interest to medical doctors, this not beca=

use there

was no information available earlier.  Naturopaths made early use of this i=

nformation

in their practices throughout this century.  So after refining their theori=

es for about

sixty years now, they have arrived at a methodology that meshes very nicely=

with the

Chinese concept of the qi dynamic.

 

 

 

The jumping off point for the most sophisticated naturopathic theories abou=

t disease

causation are rooted in two important naturopathic concerns, namely bowel t=

oxemia

and assimilation of nutrients.  The concept of bowel toxemia was largely pr=

omoted by

a doctor named John Tilden in the thirties.  Tilden postulated that imprope=

r diet led

to stagnation of food in the colon, which then putrefied and formed toxins.=

  He

associated heavy rich food like meat with this toxemia, however he was not =

 

necessarily a raw foods advocate.  He often recommended lightly cooked vege=

tables

and broths as his regimen.  It is now well known that low fiber, high fat d=

iets alter the

environment of the colon in a way that promotes the formation of carcinogen=

s and

other " toxins " .4 If these wastes are not removed from the body, they can in=

deed

wreak havoc on the cardiovascular, immune and neuroendocrine systems, so th=

ey

very likely play a role in the pathogenesis of diverse illnesses.

 

 

 

Naturopathic physicians oriented towards Nature Cure long emphasized the us=

e of

raw foods and juices to ensure assimilation of all available nutrients natu=

re provided. 

Their raw food advocacy also stressed the importance of enzymes in living f=

oods

which are destroyed by cooking.  Knowing that raw foods contain large amoun=

ts of

enzymes, like all living tissues, and knowing that such enzymes were largel=

y

destroyed by cooking, they postulated that eating large amounts of raw food=

would

keep enzyme levels high in the body.  These enzymes would then spare the bo=

dy of

the need to produce its own enzymes, thus conserving the vital force for ot=

her

activities, like immunity and free radical scavenging.  There is no actual =

evidence that

the enzymes in most common foodstuffs actually enter the bloodstream and im=

pact

one's health in any dramatic fashion.

 

 

 

It is also highly questionable whether raw foods can actually be considered=

the

" natural diet " of homo sapiens, anyway.  It is likely that modern human bei=

ngs have

always had the use of fire, having inherited it from an earlier species cal=

led homo

erectus.  Evidence of the use of fire to cook food is thought to predate hu=

manity by

perhaps as much as one million years.  The use of fire to cook gives a well=

known

survival advantage in the form of being able to consume otherwise inedible =

starchy

roots during times of food shortages.  Over the course of a million years, =

it is likely

that those who thrived on cooked food were selected over those who depended=

upon

raw foods.  Also, nature is geared towards reproduction, not longevity.  Th=

e same diet

that confers youthful reproductive vigor may not be appropriate later in li=

fe.

 

 

 

Recently, modern research on antioxidants has revealed the importance of he=

at stable

flavonoid molecules in dark vegetables that become much more accessible and=

 

concentrated through cooking (such as lycopene).  These components are now =

 

generally thought to be as important, if not moreso, than heat-labile facto=

rs like

vitamin C.  While it remains arguable as to whether anyone would ever benef=

it from a

mostly raw foods diet, this fact certainly cannot be deduced from the exist=

ing

anthropological evidence.  It is, of course, also noteworthy in this respec=

t that major

healing traditions like Ayurveda and TCM make the use of cooked foods centr=

al to

their healing regimens.  Enzymes derived from food thus do not seem to play=

a major

role in either of these traditional dietetic systems.  Despite these flimsy=

foundations,

continued research into the obvious potential therapeutic role of enzymes h=

as yielded

important clinical insights.

 

 

 

 

Modern Naturopathic Medicine

 

 

 

The current naturopathic approach still relies on the concept of bowel toxe=

mia and

enzymes, but the discussion has been recast in light of recent scientific f=

indings. 

Bowel toxemia has largely been replaced with the terms leaky gut syndrome a=

nd

intestinal dysbiosis.  Dr. Jeremy Appleton, ND, says, " the intestinal mucos=

a is a

selective barrier that admits nutrients, but excludes unwanted ... material=

s " .5  This is

clearly a modern description of the separation of the pure from the turbid,=

as

described in TCM.  The term " leaky gut syndrome " specifically refers to an =

impairment

in the integrity of this barrier.  So leaky gut syndrome is, by extension o=

f this logic,

an impairment in the separation of pure and turbid, thus a failure of the q=

i dynamic in

TCM terms.

 

 

 

Intestinal dysbiosis refers to the alteration in the normal flora and fauna=

of the colon. 

This may lead to overgrowth of pathogenic organisms, such as candida.  Inte=

stinal

dysbiosis is caused by turbid matter stagnating in the colon and overuse of=

 

antibiotics.  This is interesting for several reasons.  First, as mentioned=

above,

external dampheat is often caused by bacteria or other pathogenic microorga=

nisms. 

Examples include dysentery, urinary infections, food poisoning, etc.  Howev=

er, the

internal generation of dampheat may also be related to pathogenic microorga=

nisms

that normally live inside of us (like candida).  And in TCM, it has long be=

en postulated

that the overuse of certain herbs damages the GI tract, contributing to chr=

onic

dampheat.  Those herbs are now understood to be powerful antimicrobials in =

their

own right, like coptis, scute and phellodendron (e.g. therefore analogous t=

o

antibiotics).   Thus, the TCM  idea of internally generated dampheat appear=

s to

overlap conceptually with intestinal dysbiosis.  

 

 

 

So we can already see that leaky gut syndrome can be understood in terms of=

two

TCM concepts introduced above.  One is the stagnation of the turbid waste a=

nd the

other is dampheat.  We now turn to the ascent of the pure and the role of e=

nzymes. 

In recent years, a new form of enzyme has become prominent in the practices=

of

sophisticated naturopaths.  These enzymes are produced from friendly bacter=

ia and

have the amazing property of being stable in the entire pH range of the hum=

an

digestive tract.  They are not destroyed by stomach acid and remain active =

in the

colon.  Similar stable enzymes are produced in the fermentation that produc=

es the

Chinese herb, shen qu (AKA massa medicata, fermented leaven), a herb common=

ly

used in chronic spleen illness in TCM.  These enzymes serve a variety of th=

erapeutic

purposes.  Large doses are antiinflammatory.  Some evidence suggests antica=

ncer

activity, as well.  But what they do in normal doses is promote the transfo=

rmation of

food into its finest essences.  Thus, nutrients are absorbed and turbidity =

is not

produced from food.

 

 

 

Because the enzymes are active down to the rectum, they continue to promote=

 

transformation along the way, thus breaking down old stagnant food and norm=

alizing

the colonic environment.  TCM puts an identical emphasis on the need to tra=

nsform

stagnant " dampheat " in the colon.  However, the whole story also involves d=

irect

repair of the intestinal mucosa.  The enzymes prevent further damage, but t=

hey do

not restore the integrity of the intestinal villi.  The restoration of the =

villi is what we

would call in TCM a tonic effect.  In all longterm chronic cases, there is =

some aspect

of deficiency or sinking qi present. So this aspect of treatment is more ge=

ared

towards what we might associate with promoting ascent of spleen qi.  The te=

rm

seems particularly appropriate because we are actually preventing something=

from

leaking or sinking downwards.  Naturopaths indicate antioxidants as playing=

a key

role in this aspect of treating leaky gut syndrome.  According to Dr. Apple=

ton,

" reducing oxidative stress [in the gut] can help break the vicious cycle th=

at makes

other conditions worse. "

 

 

 

Dr. Appleton goes on to recommend antioxidants like gingko, quercitin and N=

-acetyl-

csyteine.6  However, herbs such as bupleurum, ginseng and astragalus all ha=

ve

significant antioxidant activity and all three are used to lift the spleen =

qi.  So, by using

our TCM approach to qi dynamic imbalance, we may gain insight into another =

aspect

of leaky gut syndrome.  Again, hopefully we have not reduced treating the q=

i dynamic

to enzymes and antioxidants, but rather demonstrated that the TCM approach =

 

implicitly includes actions supported by recent scientific enquiry.  Now, i=

t is not real

meaningful to me that bupleurum is an antioxidant.  That doesn't change my =

use of

bupleurum.  What is more important to me is to the concept of bupleurum asc=

ending

spleen qi and how this concept and others may be used to expand modern

physiology.

 

 

 

For example, if bupleurum raises spleen qi and raising spleen qi helps with=

leaky gut

syndrome, then it follows we could utilize the concept of spleen qi sinking=

to guide

us in our future explorations of the western physiological and herbal liter=

ature. While

the antioxidant quality of bupleurum that seems to be of importance here, w=

hat else

is going on?  Bupleurum cannot be reduced to an antioxidant.  What else is =

it about

bupleurum that contributes to this action and are there perhaps similar her=

bs and

substances in the Naturopathic pharmacopeia that have been overlooked regar=

ding

their usefulness in leaky gut syndrome?  Besides the well known bupleurum, =

a

number of other more obscure herbs are also used to regulate the qi dynamic=

in TCM. 

Of note is that many of these herbs are carminatives and/or used typically =

to treat

acute superficial ailments.  Of similar significance is the historical impo=

rtance of

many similarly acting western herbs, despite their relative disuse in moder=

n times. 

For instance, carminatives like oregano and caraway are used merely to reli=

eve

digestive symptoms or just to flavor food, however such herbs are thought t=

o uplift or

spread the qi in TCM terms.  So their effects my actually help get at the r=

oot of the

problem, rather just relieve suffering.   Also, once revered herbs like yar=

row, verbena

and eupatorium, now generally relegated to the treament of colds and flus, =

perhaps

deserve renewed consideration for their possible role in treating leaky gut=

syndrome

and complex chronic illnesses.

 

 

 

 

 

Endnotes

 

 

 

 

1.  Flaws, Bob,Intestinal dysbiosis, Leaky gut syndrome, Candidiasis and Yi=

n Fire/ Blue

Poppy.com/articles.htm

2.  Fruehauf, Heiner, The Five Organ Networks of / Portlan=

d, OR:

Institute for Traditional Medicine  1998, pg. 82

3.  Rosenberg, Z'ev, A Chinese Look  at Western Pharmaceuticals/Acupunctur=

e.com

4.  Appleton

5.  Ibid

6.  Ibid

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

 

 

Appleton, Jeremy, " Leaky Gut Syndrome " , Advancing the Standard 2:1/Gresham,=

OR: 

Tyler Encapsulations  2/99

 

 

 

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ll

Livingstone  1995

 

 

 

Flaws, Bob, Allergies, Autoimmune diseases and Yin fire/Blue Poppy.com/arti=

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Flaws, Bob,Intestinal dysbiosis, Leaky gut syndrome, Candidiasis and Yin Fi=

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Poppy.com/articles.htm

 

 

 

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s Ideas in

Modern Clinical Practice/Blue Poppy.com/articles.htm

 

 

 

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