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An Overview of the World's Healing Systems

To understand the concept of Planetary Herbology, let's first examine each school and its herbal system. We will then discuss their similarities and differences, using specific herbs as examples.

In Western herbology, herbs are classified according to their therapeutic properties. For example, categories such as alteratives, diuretics, diaphoretics and tonics allow the Western herbalist to group herbs with similar qualities and then use them accordingly. Herbs in this system are recognized primarily by their chemical constituents. In fact, many drugs used in Western allopathic medicine result from extracting an herb's active constituent and synthesizing it, as in the case of aspirin derived from Willow trees, digitalis from Foxglove or reserpine from Rauwolfia.

In Chinese herbology, herbs are categorized by their energies, tastes, directions and actions on the body (moving the blood, getting rid of dampness or heat, breaking up stagnation, building substance or energy, etc.). The Chinese traditionally also include animals and minerals, such as Deer antler and Gypsum, as healing substances. Based on a broad bipolar categorization of Yin (cooling) and Yang (warming) energies, this system considers each herb's constitution, and that of the patient, resulting in a more holistic approach to healing.

Japanese herbology is similar to that of traditional Chinese medicine, using the same herbs but emphasizing stricter conformity to classical Chinese Han Dynasty formulations, mostly derived from Chang Chung-Ching in his pivotal clinical manual, Shang Hang Lun. Japanese Macrobiotics, recently developed in the West by George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi, bases its dietary and philosophic principles on the concepts of Yin and Yang, just as in Chinese medicine.

However, differences in the definitions of Yin and Yang between the Chinese and Japanese systems can create much confusion when trying to learn these concepts. In an attempt to make them more easily understood by the Western mind, Ohsawa reversed certain aspects of Yin and Yang, mainly regarding their directions. These differences are outlined for reference purposes:

Chinese                                                             Japanese - Macrobiotic

Yin                                Yang                             Yin                              Yang

internal                        external                        external                          internal

cold                             hot                                 cold                                hot

wet                              dry                                 wet                                 dry

empty                         full                                  empty                             full

solid organs              hollow organs                hollow organs                solid organs

(heart, liver,               (small intestine,

spleen, kidneys,        stomach, gallbladder,

lungs)                         colon)

Ayurveda, from India, is the oldest known system of natural healing on the planet. It is often referred to as the "Mother of Natural Healing" since many principles of the world's medicines, including Chinese, Japanese, Graeco-Roman, Mediterranean and Tibetan, are derived from it. In ancient times, a renowned wisdom school, Nalandar University, is said to have existed in Northern India. Sages from all over the world would travel there by foot to learn the secrets of nature from the school's masters. Eventually, this knowledge spread from its origins in the Himalayas to the far reaches of Japan and Europe.

Ayurvedic medicine classifies herbs and foods according to the three Doshas or humours. Diseases, as well as a person's constitution, are also categorized in this way. Similar to Chinese and Greek Hippocratic medicines (such as Unani medicine still practiced in the Middle East), the individual is viewed as a union of physical, mental and spiritual energies, with the goal of health achieved through balancing. In the Tridosha system, Vata (Air) corresponds to nervous energy, Pitta (Fire) to circulation, warmth and digestion, and Kapha (Water) to the solid, formative aspects of tissue, fluid and bone. A balance of these aspects ensures health, while an imbalance of any of the three generates disease.

The Native American herbal tradition used plants according to their properties and energies. Some tribes, such as the Tewa Pueblos, even divided them into sun and moon aspects, similar to the Chinese concepts of Yang (warming) and Yin (cooling). Native Americans have discovered the uses of hundreds of indigenous herbs, mostly from the North and Southeast of North America, including Echinacea, False Unicorn, Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh and Slippery Elm.

In reality Acupuncture is a practiced medical treatment that is over 5,000 years old. Very basically, Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles, (sometimes in conjunction with electrical stimulus), on the body's surface, in order to influence physiological functioning of the body.

For thousands of years acupuncture has been used, along with herbal medicine, for pain relief and treatment of various ailments. It has often been combined with moxabustion, the burning of leaves of moxa, the Chinese wormwood tree. Today it is widely used in China in the treatment of hay fever, headaches, and ulcers, and some types of blindness, arthritis, diarrhea, and hypertension. Acupuncture is also used, especially in China, as a general anesthetic during childbirth and some types of surgery. Unlike conventional anesthesia, acupuncture does not reduce blood pressure or depress breathing; in addition, the patient stays fully conscious and there is no postoperative hangover or nausea.

Generally, in the practice of acupuncture, needles varying in length from 12 in. (1.27 cm) to several inches are inserted in appropriate points of the body, not necessarily near the affected organ. The needles are twirled and vibrated in specific ways; the depth of insertion also affects the treatment. Modern technique sometimes adds electrical stimulation applied through the needles. The traditional acupuncture points (there are about 800) are arranged along 14 lines, or meridians, running the length of the body from head to foot.

The traditional Chinese explanation of the effectiveness of acupuncture is based on the Taoist philosophy,according to which good health depends on a free circulation of chi ( qi ), or life-force energy, throughout all the organs of the body. The chi, in turn, depends upon a balance of the two opposing energies of yin (negative, dark, feminine) and yang (positive, bright, masculine). The meridians are the main channels of flow. When energy flow is impeded at any point, e.g., because of a diseased organ or stress, illness in other organs may result. Piercing the channels at the proper points is believed to correct the imbalances.

Western researchers have found that the acupuncture points correspond to points on the skin having less electrical resistance than other skin areas. It has been suggested that acupuncture works by stimulating or repressing the autonomic nervous system in various ways, and there is some evidence that stimulation of the skin can affect internal organs by means of nerve reflex pathways. One theory is that acupuncture stimulates the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins. Another is that it stimulates the pituitary gland, which in turn stimulates the adrenal gland to release anti-inflammatory chemicals.

Since the early 1970s, acupuncture has gradually become more accepted in the United States. Many states now accredit schools of acupuncture and administer licensing examinations for nonphysicians. Some physicians are studying and using acupuncture as an adjunct treatment. In the United States acupuncture has been used most often for pain control and drug and alcohol addiction. One impediment to total acceptance is the difficulty of fitting a traditional technique from another culture into the strict methods of scientific clinical trials customary in Western medicine.

Here is another complete site on acupuncture for you to explore!

What is Acupressure?

Acupressure is a science that deals with the human body and the flow of natural energy within the body. This medical science is practiced with the use of only one human tool: the thumb. Pressure is applied on different 'pressure points' on the body, stimulating the corresponding glands of the body.

How Acupressure Works:

The science of acupressure is based on a theory that is totally different from allopathy (i.e. western medicine). The theory states that the human body has fourteen "imaginary meridians" that carry energy throughout the body. These meridians start at the fingertips, connect to the brain, and then connect to the organ associated with the specific meridian. The names of these meridians specify the organ associated with them. For example, the lung meridian is connected to the lungs via the nervous system. Theoretically, a lung problem arises if there is an obstruction in the lung meridian that slows down the flow of energy. If somehow the obstruction is removed or dissolved, the energy flow becomes regular and the lungs start functioning well. How is the obstruction removed? The answer to this question defines the basic concept of acupressure.

Usually, an analogy of a water pipe makes this concept easier to understand and visualize. A stone in a pipe that carries water lowers the rate at which the water flows through the pipe. If the- pipe is pinched right before the area where the stone is located and the water is allowed to build up, the potential energy of the water that is stopped from flowing rises. When the water that has high potential energy is freed by releasing the pinch, water flows faster than normal, pushing the obstruction alone, with it. The obstruction is thus removed from the area and enables the water to resume its flow. This is exactly the way acupressure works.

The theory states that obstruction in meridians cause the energy to flow slower which results in a malfunction or even dysfunction in the organ that is associated with the meridian. The pressure technique is used to remove the obstruction so that energy can flow with regularity and the organ can be made to resume its normal function.

One interesting theory of acupressure states that it is not necessarily the organ that relates to the system the cause of the problem. It is the "root cause" that is the main cause of the disease/malfunction and if the root problem is cured, the external problem is cured as well. This can be explained in an easier way by using, an example. Suppose a person is suffering from asthma. An allopathic doctor would prescribe a medicine or steroid that would give rest to the lungs and relieve the symptoms because an allopathic thinks that the cause for asthma problems is the lungs. An acupressurist on the other hand, will try to find the root cause i.e. the reason why the lungs are malfunctioning.

An acupressurist would read the whole body by reading energy pulses located on the arms to diagnose the root cause and once the root cause is diagnosed, the doctor will give points to cure that specific problem, not asthma. A root cause could be anything like poor digestion, excessive heat, bad circulation, depression, or bad hormones. A root cause could even be just the organ that is giving the problem. So a person with asthma could have weak lungs that are the root cause of the problem. There have been cases where people with totally healthy lungs suffer from asthma because of other problems like bad stomach, weak circulation, or even bad hormones, and allopathic doctors give them steroids like cortisone to "cure the weak lungs".

The treatment is carried out with PRESSURE points, and NOT NEEDLES.

Please browse the website on acupressure by clicking on the labeled parts of the hand

Let's take a look and see exactly what a chiropractor does!

Let's also make sure to look at research on chiropractic. Also, see what conditions a chiropractor can treat.

Look at a brief explanation of biofeedback and the kinds of health problems it can be used to treat

1) What are your "pre-conceived notions" about alternative medicines? Have you ever used an alternative to regular "Western" medicine? Would you be open to using an alternative like herbs or acupuncture?

2) Name at least four different types of herbology

3) Compare and contrast Western, Chinese, and Japanese herbology

4) Choose three herbs from this website. Explain what they are used for

5) How long has acupuncture been around?

6) Define the following: a. Qi (also spelled chi) b. Acupuncture points c. Meridians

7) In one to two paragraphs, give a basic explanation of how acupuncture works.

8) List some of the most common ailments treated by acupuncture.

9) How does acupressure differ from acupuncture?

10) Briefly explain how acupressure works?

11) What does a meridian do?

12) What does a meridian do?

13) Briefly explain the theory behind chiropractic treatment. How does it work? Write at least a paragraph.