Yin And Yang In Ancient China

Superior Essays
In ancient China, it was relatively rare to dissect or otherwise violate human bodies due to a teaching from Confucius that the human body is sacred and not to be cut with a knife. Consequently, the knowledge of anatomy in ancient China was not based on scientific knowledge, but instead, assumption and reasoning (Singh, 2008; Quigley, 1996; Newton, 2003). Thus many, if not all, traditional Chinese medicine is considered pseudoscience because it lacks scientific evidence proving its effectiveness (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2013). Any effects from following traditional Chinese medicine is more likely to be psychological, as opposed to any actual biological healing taking place (Wikipedia). It is still important …show more content…
For example, heat would need cold for a balance and vice versa. Yin and yang is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine, as the Chinese believe illness is an imbalance of yin and yang in the body, or because of a blockage of qi (or ch’i, both pronounced like chi) in the body. Qi is a life force, or an energy that flow through the meridian system, the belief that the body has twelve meridians, all of which are connected to a different organ in the body (Cotterell, 2005; Kramer, 2008). However, the existence of the meridian system is non-scientific and cannot be verified as a genuine …show more content…
As fascinating and as powerful as this medicine seems, it is still important to remember to discuss with a doctor regarding one's medicine and if one does want to use alternative medicine, to use it alongside a conventional medicine. In other words, it’s advisable to mainly use a medicine that is proven by research to ensure its effectiveness, as alternative medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, does not have adequate research to prove that it has any long term

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    “Giving the culture respect and honoring that when it is appropriate, shows the patient they can trust you,” (Minority Nursing Staff, 2013). Nurses must have an understanding of the client’s culture. Understanding the client’s culture will promote culturally congruent interventions. Culturally congruent intervention for the Hmong culture regarding Hep B would consist of the use of eastern and western medicine. Eastern medicine that the Hmong culture could practice includes Shamanism, coining, cupping, herbal medicine, spooning or acupuncture (Xiong, M., et al., 2013).…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Medical science doesn’t always solve medical issues based on patient diagnosis. You may find that the the technology and medical science provided by doctors can sometimes create new problems and can result in death. Many medical doctors do not believe that alternative medicine practices in various cultures coupled with technology and medical science produce better medical outcomes. Lia Lee was diagnosed with epilepsy as a baby in the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hmong Culture In America

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hi Jessica! I can relate to lack of exposure to different cultures. I have only recently been exposed to the mass variety of different cultures through classmates, teachers, and courses at Mizzou. Several of my classes have prepared me for working with individuals with different cultures. My food and culture class prepared me for accommodating individuals dietary needs and understanding body language.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Essay On Long Term Care

    • 1684 Words
    • 7 Pages

    These techniques often times are also not utilized in hospitals today due to the fact that some insurance companies might not cover them. Alternative medicine considers health a balancing of the mind, body and spirit. And is used to treat conditions ranging from colds to cancer.” ( ) This type of treatment and medicine can cause conflict and breakdown especially for those illnesses that requires lantern care of not handles correctly. As the population continues to grown the use of alternative, conventional and complimentary medicine has increase.…

    • 1684 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It may be a difficult adjustment, but it is ultimately worth it when it comes to calculating the costs of herbal medicines versus western medicines and treatments. Besides practicing Chinese health practices, sometimes diet and exercise alone can be the solution to a problem. The idea here is to do actions that can only make a person better and not potentially make a mountain out of a…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Men’s superior status to women was raised to a philosophical form, which is the theory of Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun. The metaphor of Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun can be generally treated as the conceptual counterpart of the Western notion of femaleness and masculinity, however, their early forms were not intended to denote any human relations. “Yin-Yang” first appeared as a geographical concept, and with the development of society, was given the different meanings of softness and strength, extending to the metaphor of female and male later. The concept of “Qian-kun”, derived from the ancient divination book of Changes, was to explain the rules of society. The book of Changes noted that Great Righteouness is shown in that man and woman occupy their correct…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    Yin Yang Religion

    • 1938 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The major symbol of Taoism is also yin-yang which is why I connect the two with each other. While the colors may be different, the idea behind the two symbols is exactly the same. When presented with the opportunity to research a critical aspect of religion, I was immediately drawn to the idea of studying the yin-yang and its importance to the teachings of Taoism. My research question is what is the yin-yang and what is its importance to the teachings of Taoism. After choosing my subject to research, I began to investigate the origin of the yin-yang, and what I stands for.…

    • 1938 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What Tu Youyou Commits to Is Not the Nosy Parker Debate The feverish debates on Tu Youyou, lasting for two months, is climaxing as the coming of the Nobel Prize Award ceremony. On 7th afternoon of the local time, Tu Youyou delivered a lecture named" Artemisinin - A Gift from Traditional Chinese Medicine to the World" at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. She elaborated the progress of discovering Qinghaosu, and quoted Chair Mao's words:“ traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacy is "a great treasury."…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Complementary therapy and alternative medicine has not been well interpreter by the public, according to edzard Ernst, MD phd, FRCP from university of Exeter, he said that a big problem is when journalist publish articles on newspapers they rarely do enough background research and lack full medical understanding. He also add poor telephone interviews were the journalist just want a quote that fits into their story. No all is a real alternative medicine, some are consider experimental and investigational, according to aetna.com evidence is the peer-revied published medical literature of their effectiveness. Here some few samples.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The convictions of a person incorporate their suppositions, confidence, and learning with respect to various thoughts of the world. The Chinese culture has been significantly affected by their convictions in Yin Yang, good and evil. Everything to the Chinese, including well-being and life, is a harmony amongst good and evil. Their conviction is that whatever nourishment is eaten impacts their life either for good or for awful. They are right as in we eat affects our body frameworks to keep up or demolish…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Mikayla McClellan Mrs. Belcher CNA 14 September 2017 Chinese Cultural Paper The Chinese have a different way of healthcare vs. Americans. Americans want to find and treat the disease while the Chinese look at the bigger picture. They think that the human body is in some way connected to the environment. Chinese doctors look at the imbalances and disharmonies of the person’s illness. Practices such as acupuncture and herbal treatments can be found in many health care centers.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Biopsychosocial Essay

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The biopsychosocial and the biomedical are different but both models do contain some similarities in terms of treatment process. Biopsychosocial is the combination of the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the health and the well-being of individuals. This approach to health is seen in non-Western cultures. Where the biomedical seen in Western cultures, has more of a focus towards more of the physical and biological approach to health. In Western cultures it is seen as the absence of disease (Gurung, 2014).…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. What are the original meanings of yin and yang in Chinese culture? In the course of history what kind of meanings were added to these concepts? How did Confucians use yin-yang theory to designate human identity, leading to the polarization of gender in pre-modern Chinese society?…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many options are available today for people looking for alternatives to traditional methods of healthcare. Most people are not aware of the different approaches to health and healing that can be taken. The term alternative medicine is, “used simply to denote approaches to health and healing that do not rely on drugs, surgery, and/ or other conventional medical procedures for treating illness.” (Goldberg). When becoming involved in alternative medicine, a world of possibilities is introduced.…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Basic Concept Of Qi

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine While Western medicine emphasizes on physical structures of human body, believing that various organic and inorganic substances made up of proteins, cells, tissues, organs and thus the body systems, Traditional Chinese Medicine views human…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays