Yin And Yang In Ancient China

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