The following is an excerpt from the foreword – written by Ted Kaptchuk – to the book, ‘ Fundamentals Of Chinese Medicine ‘ by Andrew Ellis and Nigel Wiseman.
‘Change is constant. All sensations, motivations, functions, activities and events are a manifestation of complimentary opposites.
This dialectical perspective is symbolically described by the principles of yin and yang, or at other times, by the five phases or other emblematic systems.
There is no sharp dichotomy between mind and body, subjective and objective.
The physical, mental, emotional, behavioural, social, existential and spiritual dimensions of life interpenetrate and are “not considered mutually exclusive, to be accounted for by sharply different varieties of discourse” (Sivin 1982,52)
Health is a dynamic harmony and interaction of an inner environment with an exterior world. Sensory observation and a synthetic thought process allow us to discern and understand the qualities of being and behaviour that define human reality.
Human intervention can effect change. Previous clinical and theoretical understanding can guide current practice.’