What Traditional Chinese Medicine can teach us: a comparison of Chinese and Western medicine brain models and their effect on our understanding of anaesthesia - a review article

This article aims to highlight the enormous predictive power of the ancient texts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), part of which has already been verified by modern scientific research. Although these predictions are written in metaphors and need to be "translated" into modern Western medical language, they can certainly help us better understand the human body and direct future research.

Key messages:

1. acupuncture is based on embryological development along the fascia according to the fascial growth control theory
2. neurovisceral integration helps explain why ancient Chinese texts mostly mention peripheral organs but not the brain - they treat the peripheral organ - brain functional unit from the peripheral organ - end.
3. According to Pollack, general anaesthetics propofol and isoflurane, the local anaesthetics bupivacaine and lignocaine reversibly diminish Exclusion Zone water.
4. Connections may be made between the Chinese medical and Western terminology in INFLAMMATION
5. Connections may be made between the micro level in the cells and macro level in the body
6. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) predict Qi as the connection between body and mind - this is partly verified by research into microtubular function in the neurons and the mechanism of action of general anaesthetic agents.
7. Organs and their respective meridians work together. Herbs recognize meridians and organs, acupuncture manipulates the meridians and the organs change simultaneously.

Keywords:

Biophoton, Exclusion Zone (EZ) water, dielectric capacitance, proton battery, mitochondria, fascial growth control theory of acupuncture

1. The fascial growth control theory (FGCT) of acupuncture

In 2004, Dr. Charles Shang from Harvard Medical School invented the fascial growth control theory which gives (to date) the best explanation to all of acupuncture's effects and what acupuncture points are: embryological orgranising centres (OC) signalling change in growth based on human embryological development, anatomy and physiology. The following table gives a good overview of the 3 theories ie. gate control theory, endorphin theory and fascial growth control theory.

2/ Neurovisceral integration and its Chinese counterparts: HUN, PO, YI, ZHI and SHEN

It is getting widely accepted that different visceral neural circuits play an important role in neurological processes similar to the brain itself. Part of this concept is called in Western medicine as the gut-brain axis or second brain theory. The most commonly implicated peripheral nervous system is the gut-brain or the myenteric and submucosus plexuses of the intestines. Similarly there are other areas in different organs such as the heart, the pancreas, the liver, the lungs and the adrenals which send information from the relevant organ to the brain and vice versa through the vagus nerve (polyvagal theory). The Chinese view these peripheral neural circuits together with their central nervous system counterparts.

HUN - Liver, posterior part of the vagus nerve innervating the organs below the diaphragm

PO - Lungs and subcutaneous matrix, ACE system, anterior part of the vagus nerve innervating organs above the diaphragm

YI - Spleen, mitochondria, concentration - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8007172/, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091302218300062, 

ZHI - Willpower, Adrenals, Cortisol - evidence between Cortisol, adrenal fatigue and willpower: Cortisol: The stress hormone, cortisol, can have a negative impact on willpower. Chronically high cortisol levels can lead to fatigue, decreased motivation, and difficulty concentration - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379022762_The_relationship_between_willpower_and_hormones#:~:text=3.,4.

SHEN - Heart and vessels, the mind

3. General anaesthetics and EZ water

According to Pollack, the volatile general anaesthetic Isoflurane and the local anaesthetic agents Lignocaine and Bupivacaine diminish EZ water - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27054588/

4. Mini Western - Eastern dictionary

Qi deficiency - mitochondrial dysfunction, reduced transmembrane potential and reduced ATP synthesis in a specific organ leading to damaged cooperation, coordination and communication via the microtubular - biophoton signalling system

Blood deficiency - hormonal deficiency, mostly estrogen which is a weak chaotrope - stimulant

Qi stagnation - local histamine release from mast cells due to Endoplasmic Reticulum stress

Blood stasis - blood stasis (blood sludging and reduced Zeta potential) due to increased endothelial adhesion and coagulation triggered by local histamine release = a local or general inflammatory process

Yin deficiency - organ tissue / parenchyma loss - reduced dielectric capacitance of the membrane to hold charge separation and EZ water

Yang deficiency - reduced sympathetic response, reduced proton battery in the EZ water

Dampness and Phlegm - slow and energy - deficient metabolism leads to the accumulation of osmotically active dysfunctional metabolites, abnormally folded proteins, the UPR (Unfolded Protein Response). The body develops a sterile inflammation to self-digest this debris via autophagy - this is called Phlegm.

Wind - histamine release from mast cells triggered by emotions or various chemicals

5. Microsystem on the cellular level and macrosystem on the body level comparison

Liver - Endoplasmic Reticulum

Heart - microtubules

Lungs - macrorespiration, mitochondria - microrespiration (here there may be an overlap with Spleen)

Spleen - stomach - lysosomes

Kidneys (Adrenals) - gonad, DNA and nucleus 

6. Mitochondria, Biophotons, Microtubules and the collagen extracellular matrix - the Qi system

Hameroff and Penrose also demonstrated that the microtubules are important structures in neural function (Qbit and Orch-OR hypothesis) and the generation of consciousness (). It is likely that the Chinese concept Qi starts in the microtubules and their structured water which is continued extracellularly in the extracellular matrix collagen connective tissue. From a Chinese medical perspective these microtubules are the place where the Qi communication starts. From here it extends into the extracellular matrix via the basement membrane and the whole connective tissue collagen tensegrity system. This intracellular - extracellular structure coordinates embryological organisation of the body well before the development of the nervous system and this structure also maintaines normal cellular communication, cooperation and coordination and becomes disrupted when cells disconnect from the basement membrane, lose their connection with the "central signal" and become cancerous.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Disturbed Coherence: Gate to Cancer - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26437417/

7. What the Chinese predicted: Qi connects body and Mind

In Chinese medicine the Qi is one of the 3 treasures (Essence Qi and Mind). Qi is taught to be responsible for the connection or coupling of Essence (ie. body) and Mind. Pollack also demonstrated that electrons in interfacial water adjacent to hydrophylic surfaces can become delocalized () and this structure facilitates electrical conductivity. It is also known that collagen better conducts electricity in a hydrated form () and the high proline - hydroxyproline content of collagen builds a liquid crystalline matrix in the extracellular space. The fascial growth control theory and the work of Mae Wan Ho who put a Drosophyla larva under the polarizing microscope demonstrated that aligned water in the extracellular matrix is responsible for morphogenesis (). So it seems that this whole-body microtubules - collagen - connective tissue matrix organises morphogenensis in the embryo and the blocking effect of the general anaesthetic propofol on microtubular function and its effect on EZ water seem to be suggesting evidence for the Chinese medical prediction about body - Mind (ie. consciousness) connection.

Discussion

This article was intended to explore innovative ideas with supportive evidence which may give a satisfactory explanation to such events as how Propofol may induce general anaesthesia or the working principle behind acupuncture. In my opinion, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a very strong predictive power: I spent the last 4 years translating and verifying their predictions written in metaphors - they were always right, we just could not understand them. Therefore, TCM can be used to direct future research to discover hidden relationships in medicine.