The idea of “treating the untreated disease” is a high summary of the concept of disease prevention and control in Chinese medicine [1], and Chinese medicine has always attached importance to treating the “untreated disease”. The spine consists of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae, which are responsible for movement, support of the body, shock absorption, protection of the spinal cord, and protection of the thoracic and abdominal internal organs. Degenerative diseases of the spine such as cervical spondylosis and lumbar disc herniation are formed due to degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, strain or wind, cold and dampness. This article briefly discusses the application of the Chinese medicine idea of “treating the untreated” in the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal diseases.
Current status of modern medicine in the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal diseases
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine says, “Therefore, the sages do not treat the sick and treat the unwell, and do not treat the chaotic and treat the unrest, as it is called. If the disease has become and after the medicine, chaos has become and after the treatment, like thirst and wear well, bucket and cast cone, is not also late! The most brilliant doctor is not the one who is good at treating diseases, but the one who can prevent them. It can be seen that Chinese medicine has always been more about prevention than cure. Zhu Zhenxiang said in the “Ge Zhi Yu”: “Instead of seeking treatment after a disease, it is better to take care of it before there is no disease; it is futile to take medicine after the disease has become a disease, so it is the timidity of the doctor; before the disease is treated first, so it is clear the theory of regimen. In the face of modern medicine with lifestyle changes, the age of onset of degenerative spinal diseases is becoming lower and lower, is mainly based on treatment and rehabilitation after treatment, often neglecting prevention. Modern medicine has both surgical and non-surgical treatments. In the case of degenerative spinal diseases, patients with indications for surgery account for only about 5% of the patients seen in this category. There are many non-surgical treatments for degenerative spinal disorders, and treatment is mainly based on the principle of eliminating inflammation and relieving symptoms such as pain and numbness. This treatment-focused medical model has significant shortcomings.
Degeneration is a natural law, everyone is subject to spinal degeneration, the difference is only the early or late degeneration and the degree of degeneration. Due to the accelerated pace of modern life and the increase in chronic strain injuries from long-term head-bending, the incidence of degenerative spine diseases has become increasingly high under the modern medical model that focuses only on treatment and neglects prevention.
Spinal degeneration is a manifestation of systemic degeneration of the human body in the spine. Surgical treatment of degenerative spine disease targets the most severely degenerated segments of the spine and generally has an immediate effect. The long-term results of surgical treatment are poor because degeneration continues in other segments and can cause pathological changes.
Spinal degeneration involves a variety of organs and tissues, including the spinal cord, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, bones, joints and muscles. Modern medical treatment, whether surgery to relieve compression, or non-surgical anti-inflammatory and pain relief, improving blood circulation and nerve nutrition, is mostly single-target targeted therapy. As degeneration is a systemic disease, single target targeted therapy cannot solve all the problems, and even if a certain problem is solved, it is easy to relapse. Many foreign scholars have now also realized that therapeutic modalities used for single-target therapy cannot effectively treat complex diseases [1]. Therefore, in recent years the combined treatment modality has started to receive attention in the West [2], and attempts have been made to use combined treatment modalities to treat complex diseases [3]. However, the combined application of single targeted therapeutic modalities for degenerative spinal diseases is again often difficult to achieve the desired effect due to the high side effects.
Experience of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal disorders
Under the guidance of the idea of “treating the untreated”, traditional Chinese medicine has five major advantages in the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal diseases [4]: (1) effectiveness: over the past 40 years, the efficiency of Chinese medicine in the treatment of such diseases is about 95%; (2) diversity: Chinese medicine is used internally, externally, in acupuncture, moxibustion, tui-na, traction, and guided massage, etc. (3) Complementary: when surgical treatment fails or is not fully effective, TCM can often complement the effect, and some cases can have significant effects; (4) Harmless: except for massage, which requires strict mastery of orthopedic manipulation indications, all other treatments are non-invasive; (5) Sustainable: according to the characteristics of progressive and recurrent degeneration of such diseases, long-term treatment with TCM can combine prevention with treatment, making Prevention, treatment and rehabilitation are unified in one [5].
Advantages of the idea of “treating the untreated disease” in Chinese medicine
To discuss the concept of “treating the untreated”, we must first clarify the concept of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “health is not only the absence of disease and infirmity, but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being” [6]. The opposite of health is sub-health and disease. For disease, it is better recognized, but for subhealth, there is no uniform definition until now. According to the definition of health, a subhealthy state can be considered as a state in which the organism, although not clearly diagnosed with disease, prematurely shows reduced vitality, reduced adaptability to the outside world, low physiological and metabolic functions of the human body, degeneration, aging, and is a type of state between health and disease [7], and thus can also be called “third state”, “critical state”, and “critical state”, “gray state” or “sub-healthy state” [8].
In TCM, “unwellness” includes the following meanings: (1) “unwellness” is “no illness”, that is, the healthy state of the human body; (2) “unwellness” is (2) “unillness” is “solution also”, which refers to “sleepiness and thinness of the limbs, laziness of speech and slackness of bones and flesh”, which is equivalent to the state of subhealth [9]; (3) “unillness” is “sick but not yet developed”, that is, the disease is in a latent state; (4) “not yet diseased” is “already developed but not yet transmitted”, that is, one organ is already diseased but other organs are not yet diseased; (5) (5) “unillness” is “new healing”, that is, the disease is temporarily healed, there is a possibility of recurrence.
From the above meanings, we can see that the idea of “treating the untreated” in TCM is based on the holistic concept of TCM theory, which covers the whole process of prevention, health care, treatment and rehabilitation of diseases.
The application of the idea of “treating the untreated” in the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal diseases
In the prevention and treatment of spinal disorders, it is important to start from the theoretical basis of the “holistic concept”, which is the idea of “treating the disease before it happens”, and actively treat the disease before it happens according to the results of evidence identification.
In the process of spinal degeneration, the ideas and methods of treatment vary from one “undisease” to another. “When there is no disease, it is important to preserve the righteousness and avoid evil to prevent the disease from descending; when the disease has not yet developed, it is important to support the righteousness and drive away evil to prevent the disease from occurring; when the disease has not yet spread, it is important to treat the disease early to prevent it from worsening and to protect it. When the disease has not yet been transmitted, we should treat the disease early to stop it from getting worse, and protect other organs to prevent other organs from developing; when the disease is newly healed, we should prevent it from happening again.
Active prevention in a healthy state
The Nei Jing emphasizes prevention before illness. It has been discussed in many chapters, such as Shanggu Tianzhen, Si qi tune Shen Da Lun, Qi Tongtian Lun, Jin Kui Zhen Ren, and Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun. In the Nei Jing, it is emphasized that “treating the undiseased” must be done from two aspects. The first is that “when the righteousness exists within, evil cannot be interfered with”, and the second is that “when there is a deficiency of evil and a thief, there is a time to avoid it”.
Strengthening the righteousness
The so-called “positive qi is stored within”, that is, to strengthen the body, is to improve the ability of positive qi to resist evil. Su Wen? The Four Qi and the Four Spiritual Discourses” says: “The yin and yang of the four seasons is the root of all things. So the sage spring and summer nourish Yang, autumn and winter nourish Yin, in order to from its root, so with all things floating in the door of growth. Against its roots, it will cut down its capital, bad its true carry on. Therefore, the four seasons of yin and yang, the end of all things, the root of life and death. Against it is disaster, from it is harsh disease, is said to be the way. The Tao is the sage of the line, the foolish admire. If you follow it, you will be born, if you go against it, you will die: if you follow it, you will be ruled, if you go against it, you will be in chaos.” Emphasis on the unity of heaven and man.
To survive between heaven and earth, man must conform to nature. The Nei Jing suggests that “the law of yin and yang, and in the arts and figures, diet in moderation, regularity in rising and living, and not delusional labor, so that the form and the spirit, and the end of its heavenly life, and a hundred years to go”, emphasizing that people’s own purification of mind and desire, diet and labor in moderation can strengthen the body, so that “the righteousness of the internal “and not depleted.
Nowadays, many chronic degenerative spinal diseases are due to the irregularity of living, work, diet and other daily life points of long-term inattention. For example, many of the spinal deformities of adolescents are caused by being in the developmental period and long-term inattention to proper sitting posture; another example is the lumbar disc herniation caused by sedentary; cervical spondylosis of various types caused by long-term ambulatory writing or operating a computer so that the cervical spine is in a flexed position for a long time. Therefore, in order to prevent diseases, it is necessary to strengthen one’s physique by means of moderate work and rest, moderate diet, regular living, and strengthening exercise, so that the “righteous energy can be stored inside”. Zhang Zhongjing pointed out in “The Essentials of the Golden Horoscope”: “If one can nurture caution and not make the evil wind dry disobedient meridians? The limbs only feel heavy stagnation, that is, guidance, exhaling, acupuncture, moxibustion, cream mo. Do not make the nine orifices closed; more without violating the king’s law, animal calamity, room do not make exhausted, eat and drink its cold, hot, bitter, sour, pungent, sweet, do not leave the body has decay, disease is no reason to enter its couples.” Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, created the Five Animal Play fitness method to prevent and treat the undiseased, and Ge Hong in the Jin Dynasty emphasized qigong regimen to treat the undiseased, and he pointed out in “Baopu Zi? The ground true” pointed out, “is the sage to eliminate the unstarted problems, cure the disease of the disease, the medical before nothing, not forced to both after death.”
Prevention of external evil
The so-called avoidance of evil is to prevent the invasion of disease and evil. Therefore, while strengthening the body and improving the ability of the righteousness to resist evil, attention should be paid to preventing the attack of disease and evil. Chinese medicine emphasizes that “the righteousness exists within, evil cannot dry up”, while pointing out that “the arrival of five epidemics, all of them are contaminated and easy”, and cautions people to “avoid its poisonous gas”.
Degenerative diseases of the spine belong to the category of “paralysis” in Chinese medicine. Paralysis theory” cloud: “wind, cold and damp three gas mixed to, combined with paralysis.” Therefore, the prevention of external evil in degenerative spine diseases mainly refers to the prevention of wind, cold and damp stimulation. In the current situation where young people wear halter tops, low-waisted pants, plunging necklines and ultra-short skirts, it is especially important to prevent the stimulation of wind, cold and dampness. From the perspective of preventing degenerative spinal diseases, should advocate wearing high collar, high-waisted clothing and pants and long skirts, especially for white-collar workers in the office, at work should pay attention to the air conditioning temperature is not turned on too low, not the neck and waist directly to the air conditioning, electric fans blowing directly to get cool. If limited to the work environment, can not change the position of the neck and waist and air conditioning blowing mouth, should be draped with a scarf or jacket at work, pay attention to keep warm.
In addition to prevent the occurrence and spread of disease with drugs and other treatments, is also to avoid the evil should be intended. For example, people who work or live in a cold place for a long time, you can dredge the blood vessels by means of medicine baths, hot springs or medicine to prevent the occurrence of degenerative diseases of the spine caused by cold into the body; long-term low desk workers, you can prevent the occurrence of cervical spondylosis by means of massage and other means.
Early intervention in subhealth states
The manifestations of sub-healthy state are various and different, but the common manifestations are: (1) reduced function (vitality); (2) reduced adaptability; (3) abnormal sensation; and (4) basically normal physical examination indexes (there may be some abnormal indexes, but the specific indexes are normal). According to this, the subhealth state is actually a state that appears to be a disease but not a disease, or a low-level physiological state. The proposed subhealth state reflects the change of medical model from pure biomedical model to social, physical and psychological medical model. Because the subhealth state does not have the Western medical
Western medicine is often helpless to deal with them because they do not have the diagnostic criteria of Western medicine [10]. Chinese medicine, on the other hand, focuses on the examination of function, which has obvious advantages for the subhealth state without organic organ pathology.
Intervention from spinal dynamic balance
Modern medicine believes that the onset of degenerative spinal disease is often due to a decrease in spinal stability, and that the onset of degenerative spinal disease is often due to endogenous or exogenous instability, i.e., predominantly fascial lesions. Spinal stability refers to the absence of abnormal strain on the spine under physiological load and the absence of overactivity of the functional units of the spine. Normal human spinal stability is maintained by two major components: (1) endogenous stability, including the vertebral body, attachments, intervertebral discs and associated ligamentous structures, i.e., static balance; and (2) exogenous stability, mainly the regulation of the muscles and ligaments surrounding the spine, which is the original driving force for spinal motion, i.e., dynamic balance. If the cervical and lumbar vertebrae are more mobile than the thoracic vertebrae, they are prone to strain degeneration. Instability of the cervical and lumbar spine is one of the factors in the development of cervical spondylosis and lumbar disc herniation. When the spine is unstable but there are no obvious symptoms or imaging features it can be considered a pre-morbid state of degenerative spinal disease – i.e., spinal subluxation [11]. It is important to intervene at this time to prevent the transmission of spinal subhealth to degenerative spinal disease [12]. In this case, we advocate intervention through the “Three Steps and Nine Methods” [13] and the “Shi’s Twelve Characters of Health Care” [14], which were created by Professor Shi Qi to restore the mechanical balance of the spine, and the patient’s self-regulation. The “three steps and nine methods”, namely the three steps of tendon management, bone correction, and ligament circulation, and the nine methods of “kneading, holding, rolling, lifting, loosening, wrenching, moistening, shaking, and kneading”, can correct the imbalance of dynamic and static forces in the spine. The “Shi’s Twelve Characters for Health” movements include “washing, combing, kneading, rubbing, loosening, pressing, rotating, grinding, squatting, moistening, spitting and adjusting”.
Intervention from liver, spleen and kidney
Degenerative diseases of the spine are closely related to the liver, spleen, and kidneys [18], and the liver is the master of tendons, the kidneys are the master of bones, and the spleen is the master of muscles of the limbs. impotence theory, “Zong tendon main binding bones and joints also”. Therefore, tendons are the tissues that connect the bones and joints and are responsible for the movement of the limbs. The contraction and relaxation of the tendons ensure the flexion and extension of the bones. For some white-collar workers or adolescents with long-term poor sitting posture, the most likely to occur is spinal instability, spinal subhealth such as fatigue, weakness, pain and other conditions, these are for the future of the spine
These are the foundation for future degenerative diseases of the spine. These occurrences are often closely related to the liver, spleen and kidneys. It has been found that patients with liver deficiency and spleen deficiency often suffer from a deficiency of energy substances, resulting in a loss of nourishment of the musculofascia and a decrease in locomotion, which is particularly important in middle-aged and elderly people [15-16], and it has been found through experiments that rats with spleen qi deficiency suffer from a deficiency of energy production and energy substances, a decrease in ATP content in rats with spleen qi deficiency, and a decrease in the morphology and number of skeletal muscle mitochondria The ATP content in rats with spleen qi deficiency decreases, and the morphology and number of skeletal muscle mitochondria are abnormally altered, causing the muscle fascia to lose nutrients, making it easy to develop weakness and atrophy of the limbs [17]. It has also been shown that the antioxidant capacity of skeletal muscle tissues can be further improved by tonifying the spleen and kidney, so that the skeletal muscle can be nourished and reduce the appearance of fatigue [18]. Strengthening the connection between tendon and flesh by tonifying the liver, spleen and kidney helps to strengthen spinal stability and is an important measure to interrupt the progression of spinal subhealth to spinal degenerative diseases.
By intervening in the sub-healthy state, the functional state of the body can be improved and the onset of degenerative spinal diseases can be delayed.
Early treatment before the onset of illness
The disease has not yet started is the latent state of the disease. If the disease is not treated in a timely manner, it may gradually deepen and spread from the surface to the internal organs, making the disease more and more complex and difficult to treat. Suwen? Yin and Yang should be the elephant in the room, said: “the evil wind to, as fast as the wind and rain, so the good treatment of the skin, followed by the skin, followed by the tendons, followed by the six internal organs, followed by the five organs. The “Treatise on Typhoid” 54 “The patient’s organs are not other diseases, when the fever, sweating and does not heal, this Wei Qi is not harmonious. The first time to sweat will be cured, it is appropriate to Gui Zhi Tang main.” The importance of treating the disease before the onset of the disease and when the evil is superficially located is eloquently explained. Early treatment of established diseases, not only easy to heal, and avoid the disadvantages of change. In this regard, Xu Chunfu also played: “The sage treats the undiseased, not the already diseased, not that the already diseased and not treated, nor that the already diseased and can not be treated. Covering the treatment of the untreated disease, in the beginning of the careful, to prevent the micro to cure, it is more successful and less victimized, the beginning of the slight, reckless and unscrupulous, resulting in a big problem”. Therefore, at this time should be early detection of hidden diseases, early treatment, prevention before it is too late, prevention is better than cure, to promote the healing of the disease, to prevent the disease from revealing. As stated in Su Wen? The name of the treatment is to treat the disease before it starts. The Book of History? In the “Bianyi Magpie and Cang Gong’s Biography”, Qi Huanhou, who kept his illness a secret, thought that he was not sick. From his self-perception, he was “not yet sick”. The symptoms of his disease were in a latent state and must be treated early to prevent the latent symptoms of the “undiseased” from occurring. When Marquis Huan was sick in the couples, his blood vessels were “not yet sick”; when he was sick in the blood vessels, his intestines were “not yet sick”; when he was sick in the intestines, his bone marrow was “not yet sick”. Therefore, Bian Magpie’s request to the Marquis of Qi Huan for early treatment, so that the symptoms of the disease could be manifested and nipped in the bud, should be regarded as a typical case of preventing the disease before it occurs. For people in today’s society, it is important to have frequent medical checkups to detect existing degeneration early and take preventive measures as early as possible.
With the improvement of the living standard of our people and the development of people’s health care, it was found during physical examinations of various groups [20]: but pure cervical degeneration, or simple cervical degeneration called asymptomatic, is not uncommon in the clinic without any complaints and signs. At this point, while promoting the prevention and treatment of systemic bone and joint disorders through forms of popular science education, it can be purposefully pointed out that special attention should be paid to the prevention of cervical spine injuries, including the protection of the cervical spine in special situations such as emergency braking (e.g., do not doze off in a moving car) to prevent adverse effects on the spinal cord in the event of an accident with a degenerative phase. Such people should be cautioned to perform moderate functional spinal exercises to maintain the dynamic balance of the spine; however, care should be taken that the exercises are not excessive, as excessive spinal movements will increase the load on the spine and make it more prone to aging.
Preventing transmission of diseases that have already occurred
Another layer of treating the untreated disease is to prevent the spread of the disease. For an organism that is already sick, it is already sick, but for different internal organs and meridians, one organ is sick while other organs are not; one meridian is sick while other meridians are not. So diseased and disease-free are relative. At this time, to treat the undiseased, we should actively and effectively treat the diseased internal organs and meridians to prevent their condition from being aggravated, and predict the other internal organs and meridians that may be involved and treat them early to prevent them from developing diseases. In ancient times, Zhang Zhongjing proposed that “those who treat the undiseased, seeing the disease of liver, know that liver transmits spleen, when first strengthening spleen”. What’s more, Article 8 of “The Essentials of the Golden Horoscope” says: “For those who want to make a retransmission of the Sun, needle the foot Yangming so that the spleen is not transmitted will be cured.” It indicates that in the process of clinical evidence, careful observation should be made to find out the pattern of disease development, and appropriate treatment measures should be taken to prevent the transmission of disease.
Combination of regulation and treatment
In the treatment of degenerative spinal diseases, Professor Shi QI focuses on the combination of regulation and treatment [21, 22]. The “treatment” is to cure the disease, treating the disease of the organs and meridians that have been affected by the evil, and the “adjustment” is to adjust the yin, yang, qi, blood, meridians and internal organs of the person, adjusting the organs and meridians that have not been affected by the evil, and adjusting the quality of life of the person, such as the diarrhea, stomach and sleep, so that ” first, to improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
If the body is injured or strained due to various reasons, causing qi stagnation and blood stasis, all can cause the fluid to stagnate and turn into phlegm; and phlegm stagnation blocks the qi mechanism, and increases the stagnation of water and dampness. “Cover the spleen is the main wet, wet move and phlegm; kidney is the main water, water flooding is also phlegm.” Therefore, it is said that phlegm stasis and blood stasis for a long time must be accompanied by water-dampness, and water-dampness stagnation adds to the generation of phlegm stasis. Treatment is based on the regulation. “All blood evidence, always to remove stasis as the key”, “phlegm, must be to regulate the qi and blood, open phlegm or turbidity as the method. Injury for a long time, such as residual pain, swelling, joint constriction and flexion and extension of the affected area, or skin is not benevolent, muscle atrophy, tendons into lumps and other symptoms, this is a deficiency of qi and for the evil to come together. This is a deficiency of qi and is the result of evil. Or the original deficiency may be mixed with the real, or the real may be mixed with the real. It is important to know that over time there must be a combination of evil, phlegm, stagnation and water-dampness intermingled and caused. Yan with and “Ji Sheng Fang” said: “are due to body deficiency, the coup void, by the wind, cold and dampness and into the closed”. Chen injury or strain, and so on, more Yang deficiency deficiency, Wei Yang is not solid, so the couples are empty, easy to be mixed with wind, cold and damp three gas to flow through the meridians, stagnation of blood vessels, and thus become paralysis, the condition is often more complex. As the meridians of the human body originate from the internal organs, the flow of qi and blood is not smooth, water and dampness stagnate in the internal organs, thus aggravating the disease and making treatment more difficult, so timely warming of the spleen and kidneys, harmonizing qi and blood, in order to reflect the “upper work to cure the disease before it happens”.
Emphasis on tonifying the kidney
In the process of preventing the transmission of changes, we should pay particular attention to the kidney. According to Chinese medicine, the kidney collects essence, which produces marrow, and the marrow nourishes the bones and is connected to the brain. The essence of the kidney is the vital energy that is generated by the kidney, which has the role of promoting human growth and development, warming and stimulating the physiological activities of the body’s organs, meridians and other tissues and organs, so it is the root of all the vital energy in the human body. Kidney energy is abundant, the human body is vigorous, strong and healthy. The middle age is the most energetic time in a person’s life, and it is at this time that the functional indicators of the body begin to fall. The reason for this is that the kidney qi is not full, so it is important to supplement the kidney qi first. Kidney qi is the kidney yang vaporizing kidney yin, one without the other. That is, “Jing Yue Quan Shu” so-called: “Yin and Yang original the same gas, fire is the main water, water is the source of fire, water and fire are not separated from each other, …… its in the person that is yuan yin yuan yang, the so-called innate energy.” Therefore, “good at supplementing Yang must seek Yang in Yin, then Yang to Yin help and biochemical endless; good at supplementing Yin must seek Yin in Yang, then Yin to Yang and inexhaustible source of spring. Degenerative diseases of the spine are based on the deficiency of the positive due to strain or the feeling of external evil leading to the blockage of Qi and blood, phlegm and stagnation of the internal nodules, the meridians are closed and the disease develops, which is characterized by the deficiency of the original symptoms, so the focus of prevention and treatment is to support the positive and eliminate evil. Degenerative diseases of the spine belong to the category of paralysis, “Su Wen? Paralysis”: “wind, cold and dampness are mixed to the three gases, combined with paralysis”, wind, cold and dampness must be combined with the body’s positive Qi deficiency to develop. The deficiency of kidney qi is an important cause of the deficiency of positive qi. Therefore, in the prevention and treatment of degenerative diseases of the spine, special attention should be paid to kidney tonification [23].
Pay attention to the transmission of changes
For example, cervical spondylosis can be treated from “paralysis” [24]. If the paralysis does not heal over time and the wind, cold, and dampness are repeated, the paralysis develops from the five body paralysis of skin, flesh, tendons, veins, and bones [25] to the internal organs that coincide with them, and the five organ paralysis such as liver paralysis, heart paralysis, spleen paralysis, lung paralysis, and kidney paralysis occurs. Among the five types of cervical spondylosis, the cervical, nerve root, and vertebral artery types mostly show symptoms of five-body paralysis, while the spinal cord and sympathetic types mostly show symptoms of visceral paralysis. It is the initial stage of external evil invasion of the body, and is the superficial evidence of the sun in external diseases. Visceral paralysis is divided into solar disease variant, yangming disease, shaoyang disease, shaoyin disease, taiyin disease, and syncope disease, all of which are classified as internal evidence [26]. The law of transmission in the six meridians can be well applied to the “prevention of change in both diseases”, such as the transmission through the meridians, the transmission across the meridians, and the transmission between the surface and the interior, as proposed by Zhang Zhongjing, which can also occur in the case of combined diseases, concurrent diseases, and direct diseases.
Holistic concept
The holistic concept of Chinese medicine believes that human being is an organic and unified whole. All parts of the human body are closely related to each other, which is reflected in mutual coordination in physiology and mutual influence in pathology. The holistic concept plays an important guiding role in the understanding and treatment of diseases in Chinese medicine, and attention should be paid to the fact that lesions in one part of the human body may be caused by lesions in other parts or have an impact on other parts. The book “The Essentials of Jin Kui? On the contrary, if we see liver disease, we do not solve the problem of the spleen, but only treat the liver, which is a lack of a holistic view, and we will not receive satisfactory results. In the clinical management of degenerative spinal diseases, the idea of preventing the transmission of disease is also the application of the holistic view of Chinese medicine to the holistic view of the spine. In degenerative spine diseases, “cervical and lumbar syndrome” is very common. When lesions occur in the cervical spine, we should consider the spine as a whole and pay attention to whether it will cause lesions in the corresponding thoracic and lumbar spine, and make advance judgments to treat the cervical and thoracic spine together and the thoracic and lumbar spine together; considering the relationship between the spine and the extremities, when the spine is diseased, we should make advance judgments about the possible lesions in the extremities. In the case of spinal degenerative diseases, we can make a prediction in advance. In the treatment of degenerative diseases of the spine as well, for the cervical spine, we must pay attention to the control areas of the innervated nerve segments, such as the possible upper limb lesions and cervicothoracic lesions, which cannot be achieved by treating the cervical spine in the treatment of acupuncture and massage.
New healing and prevention of recurrence
When the disease is first healed, the balance of yin and yang in the human body has not been fully restored, and the function of the body is not completely normal, so if you do not pay attention to the regulation at this time, not only can the disease recur, but even aggravate life-threatening. Zhang Zhongjing attaches great importance to the newly healed regimen, the “treatise on typhoid” 398 article “to sickness new poor, people strong with grain, the spleen and stomach gas is still weak, can not eliminate the grain”, 393 article “after the big sickness poor, labor recovery, heliotrope gardenia soup main” are hinted at the importance of the regimen after the disease, which is also This is also an important part of the idea of treating the untreated disease.
Poulticing
For patients with degenerative spinal diseases or after surgery, Professor Shi QI asks the patient to take measures such as guidance, but also pay attention to conditioning, and advocates that the patient take poultices to prevent recurrence of disease. The poultice formula regulates the stomach and strengthens the spleen and balances yin and yang, so that the patient can eat well, have regular bowel movements and sleep well, and can persist in taking the formula to bring out its long-lasting nourishing effects.
In the preparation of the formula, Professor Shi QI used the Ming? Gong Yanxian’s “The Return of All Diseases to Spring” is the basic formula. The formula is composed of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Six Flavored Di Huang Wan), Yi Dan Pi (Ground Bone Bark), Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan and San Cai Tang with Cistanches, Bacopa Monnieri, Eucommia Ulmoides, Niubizi, Calamus, Yuan Zhi, Pai Zi Ren and Guang Mu Xiang. When applied, it is combined with Douwuxiaosheng Tang to benefit the liver and kidney and to nourish the qi and blood. At the same time, with the application of aromatic herbs and other drugs that help digestion, the function of the spleen and stomach is improved in advance, so as to “first strengthen the stomach” and “stabilize the place where the evil is not yet received”, thus achieving better results.
Warm acupuncture for winter and summer treatment
One of the eight great schools of wound medicine in Shanghai, Lu’s wound medicine specializes in warm acupuncture for orthopedic diseases [27], and often performs warm acupuncture “winter and summer treatment” for healed degenerative spinal diseases during the three volt days of summer each year.
”Winter disease and summer treatment” is an important feature of traditional Chinese medicine [31], based on the principles of “unity of heaven and man”, “nourishing yang in spring and summer, nourishing yin in autumn and winter” and In accordance with the Chinese medical theory of “the unity of heaven and man”, “nourishing yang in spring and summer, nourishing yin in autumn and winter” and “using the time of summer when yang is in full bloom to help the body that is deficient in yang”, we select the “time of summer when yang is in full bloom” for the treatment of pathologies that tend to occur in winter or worsen in winter. This is exactly what is stated in the Suwen? This is the clinical application of the medical idea of “not treating the sick to cure the untreated” as proposed in Suwen?
In the summer, especially the three volt days, due to the rise in temperature, the body’s Yang Qi outreach, meridians and channels, easy to stimulate, in order to adjust the internal organs, balance the Yin and Yang, stimulate the positive Qi, get rid of chronic diseases, and reserve Yang Qi for the autumn and winter, so that the body Yang Qi sufficient to the winter solstice is less likely to be injured by the cold. The treatment of warm acupuncture on the day of three volcanoes belongs to the category of “treating the untreated”, which has been in existence since ancient times, reflecting the important academic thought of “treating the untreated”, which is based on prevention, and is also known as “reverse acupuncture” in ancient times. In ancient times, this is also called “reverse acupuncture”, that is, “no disease and acupuncture first said reverse. The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you want to do. The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you are doing. Warm acupuncture on the day of three volcanoes is to take advantage of the high temperature in summer, when the body is full of yang energy, to stimulate the qi of meridians by means of warm acupuncture, to adjust the balance of yin and yang in the body, and to strengthen the body’s resistance, so as to prevent the recurrence of disease or reduce the number of recurrence of disease [28].
In conclusion, the idea of “treating the disease before it occurs” in Chinese medicine has been used throughout the prevention and treatment of degenerative spinal diseases, and we should make full use of the theory of “treating the disease before it occurs” in Chinese medicine to guide clinical practice.