Directional Flows In The Six Channels According To The Shanghan Lun: A Six-Channel Qi Functional-Transformative Activity Analysis

Research Introduction:In Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM),it is understood that life is a dynamic process,and the human body is an organic,holistic system exhibiting patterns of self-repetition.TCM theories reflect the correspondence between man and the cosmos(tianren xiangying????)in that the two are mutually responsive to each other,in the sense that the structural patterns of our bodily states are inherently related to the conditions of our surrounding environment.The theory of Six-Channel Qi Functional-Transformative Activity(liujing qihua lilun????)in TCM physiology and diagnostic methods is based on the ancient medical and philosophical text The Inner Canon of The Yellow Emperor(Huangdi Neijing??????).In this paper,the theory of Manifestation,Root Cause and Medial Qi(biaoben zhongqi????)is applied to the physiological and pathological patterns observed in the Six-Channel Pattern Identification Analysis(liujing bianzheng ????)to elucidate on the core thought in The Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders(Shanghan Lun?????),the pivotal text in TCM,where the Six-Channel pattern identification theory sees that the progression of disease is a cyclic,oppositional struggle between vital energy and pathogeny.Such application may expand our understanding on the principles,methods,formulas,and medicinal relations between human physiology and pathology in terms of viscera,channel networks,and vital energies and substances described in the Shanghan Lun,which is the main purpose of this paper.Research Method:This paper uses ancient and modern sources for research purposes,in particular the analysis of Shanghan Lun as well as referencing other important texts such as Basic Questions(Suwen ??),the first of two texts in the Huangdi Neijing,so as to deepen our comprehension of the Six-Channel pattern identification theory in Shanghan Lun.Firstly,in the "Seven Treatises on the Five Phases and the Six Atmospheric Influences"(yunqi qipian ????)chapter in Basic uestions where the correspondence between man and the cosmos is explained,and secondly,in the relevant chapters in The Classic of Difficult Issues(Nan Jing??)where the relationship between the viscera and the channel networks is described,the directionality and dynamics of vital energies(qi ?)in the channel networks are explained by the Six-Channel theory,which is further demonstrated via the theories of Opening,Closing,and Pivoting Mechanisms(kai he shu ???)and Manifestation,Root Cause and Medial Qi in the aforementioned theory of Qi Functional-Transformative Activity in the Six Channels,to arrive at an understanding of the changes in the body's qi conditions in terms of the ever-changing yin-yang equilibrium,as well as its various states in terms of the Lifting,Lowering,Entrance and Exit movements(sheng jiang chu ru ????)in the Six Channels.Results:It is found that the theory of Qi Functional-Transformative Activity links the formless,outer Six Atmospheric Influences(wind,cold,heat,wetness,dryness and fire)to the bodily,inner Six Vital Energies(essence,qi,thin fluids,thick fluids,blood,and vessels),in which regulatory patterns are found within the vital energies of the bodily systems as well as their interactions with the ever-transforming external environment,all regulating the maintenance of qi movements as explained in the Manifestation,Root Cause and Medial Qi and the Opening(outward dissipation),Closing(inward concealment),and Pivoting(in-out coordination)Mechanisms theories.Altogether,these important discoveries seek to expound on the theoretical basis of the correspondence between man and the cosmos in TCM thought,fusing traditional Chinese medical theories and philosophical theories,such as the Daoist-Confucian concept of "inner sageness,outer kingliness"(neisheng waiwang????).Furthermore,the Six Channels of the bodily vital energies also correspond to the Six Levels(liujing??),which can be divided into Greater(i.e.,opening)Yang and Yin,Bright Yang(i.e.,closing),Lesser(i.e.,pivoting)Yang and Yin,and Terminal(i.e.,closing)Yin components,which altogether influence each other physiologically as well as pathologically.Research Conclusions:In order to successfully treat a disease,the genesis and movement of vital energies as well as the patterns of transformation in the Six Channels as expounded in the Shanghan Lun must be understood first.It is through this that difficult diseases could be analyzed,and the progression and prognosis could be grasped.In this paper,the achievement of therapeutic effects is evident in clinical settings,which is the proof that classical TCM theories are still meaningful and valuable in modern times.In conclusion,the processes by which humans adapt to the environment in terms of the theory of Qi Functional-Transformative Activity should be understood in order to treat diseases such as cancers,tumors,kidney stones,and cellulitis.etc.