Medical Acupuncture (cont.)
Medical Author:
Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP
Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEPDr. Sciammarella graduated from American University of the Caribbean in June, 1985. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has practiced Emergency Medicine for 19 years. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical EditorMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. IN THIS ARTICLETaoist OriginsThe ancient Chinese viewed all of nature as the expression of a universal, natural law called Tao ("Dao"). As described by Lao-Tze (the "Ancient One") in the Tao Te Ching in the 5th century BC, Tao is the force that creates all things in the universe. The Tao gives rise to the dual polarity of nature, embodied in the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang represent the two extremes found in nature. The original meaning of the term Yang, as reflected in its Chinese ideogram, is the sunny side of a hill. Yin, on the other hand, represents the shady side of the hill.
The Tao creates Yin and Yang. The dynamic polarity between Yin and Yang produces the flow of a "life force" called Qi (pronounced "Chee" or "Chi"). Qi is omnipresent in nature, manifesting as change and movement. In the body, Qi accumulates in the organs and flows through a series of channels or meridians. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the flow of Qi in these meridians can become deficient, excessive, stagnant, or wayward. When this occurs, the symptoms of disease become manifest.
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