Library

(From "Kao Jing Luo")
Zhang Siquan said: The Zang-Fu organs and Yin-Yin each have their respective meridians, and the limbs and sinews-bones each have their respective governors. By clarifying the affected area to determine the meridian, and following the flow to trace the source, one can understand the pathology. To abandon this and attempt to locate the disease is like intending to go to Yan but traveling south; would it not be more exhausting and further from the goal? Medical texts state, "If one does not study the Twelve Meridians, opening one's mouth and moving one's hands will lead to errors." This is indeed a correct statement. People regard the study of meridians as merely the domain of acupuncturists, remaining ignorant and uninvestigative, making arbitrary claims and discussions. For instance, regarding headache, it is divided by left and right meridians and differs in anterior-posterior locations. Similarly, abdominal pain varies between the Zhongwan (CV12), umbilical, and Shaofu regions. Eye diseases differ among the large black pupil, small black pupil, white sclera, and upper/lower eyelids. If heart-meridian herbs are used for lung diseases, the lung pathology remains while the heart meridian is damaged. If Qi-moving herbs are used for blood disorders, Qi is injured, and the blood pathology worsens. Li Dongyuan stated, "When pathogenic factors of Cold Damage are in the Taiyang Meridian, misusing Gegen Tang (Pueraria Decoction) draws the pathogen into the Yangming Meridian. This is because Gegen is a herb for the Yangming Meridian, not the Taiyang Meridian." From this, one can infer that countless people have perished due to medication errors. Benevolent gentlemen should not speak lightly on this matter but should pay close attention to it.

(From "Yi Xue Yuan Liu")
In the world, there are cases where the same disease is cured effectively in one person but fails in another, or even causes harm. This is because although the disease is the same, the individuals differ.
The influence of the Seven Emotions (Joy, Anger, Worry, Thought, Sorrow, Fear, Fright) and Six Excesses (Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire) affects individuals differently. Some have strong or weak constitutions, some have Yin or Yang natures, some grow up in the North or South, some have rigid or gentle temperaments, some have firm or fragile sinews and bones, some are diligent or lazy in physical activity, some are young or old in age and vigor, some consume rich foods (Gao Liang) while others eat coarse vegetables (Li Huo), and some have minds burdened with worry and labor while others are peaceful and joyful. Furthermore, seasonal climates vary in cold and warmth, leading to differences in the depth of illness. If treatment is applied uniformly, although the symptoms may appear targeted, the patient's constitution may be opposite, resulting in opposite benefits and harms. Therefore, physicians must carefully examine the various differences in each individual before determining methods of severity, urgency, size, and sequence. The Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) discusses this in great detail, and this applies equally to acupuncture and surgical treatments. Thus, anyone treating diseases must examine carefully.