This year, Dr Wang Juyi has worked as a doctor in Chinese medicine for fifty years. He became known in the West through the book Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine, written with his apprentice Jason Robertson. Dr Wang is famous for his research into the clinical application of Chinese medicine, his appreciation of the Chinese medical Classics, his system of channel theory and palpation, and his constant wish that his students surpass him in skill through applying these principles. This is the first article and interview where we begin looking at Dr Wang´s system and his own history – which spans half of the 20th century of Chinese medicine into the 21st.
Dr Wang Juyi graduated
with the first university class in Chinese medicine in 1962. His
teachers were all trained in older styles of Chinese medicine, among
them names that later became famous in the West too, like master
herbalist Qin Bowei and ”Golden Needle” Wang Leting. Dr Wang´s
working life has been in the state hospitals in China; he has seen
TCM be created out of the Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM), been head
of the hospital he worked, editor of Chinese
Acupuncture (Chinese version of the Lancet
for Chinese medicine) and finally gone into privat practice in
Beijing, which he still maintains. Today, he is 75, tall, with good
energy and a strong, gravelly voice. He takes obvious joy in
transmitting his research and knowledge to younger generations, and
really wants to help us deepen his research into both the Chinese
medical Classics and into other clinical applications of Chinese
medicine.
”How
come
you
went
into
Chinese
medicine
to
begin
with?
Dr
Wang
laughs.
”I
didn´t
know
anything
about
it.
My
maternal
grandmother
got
sick
and
died,
which
affected
me
and
my
mother
a
lot.
I
found
out
later
that
the
doctor
had
misdiagnosed
her,
because
his
skill
was
low,
and
he had given
her a
bad
treatment.
It
seemed
an
important
skill
to
me
to
have
good
doctors.
So,
first
I
had
the
desire
to
become
a
doctor.
I
then
thought
about
it
for
a
few
years.
At
the
time,
I
didn´t
even
know
the
difference
between
xiyi
(Western
medicine)
and
zhongyi
(Chinese
medicine),
I
just
thought
it
would
be
great
to
be
a
good
doctor
and
be
able
to
extend
the
lives
of
people
who
were
ill.
When
I
saw
Western
medicine,
I
didn´t
like
it
that
much.
Chinese
medicine,
though,
inspired
me.
I
didn´t
understand
much
of
it
at
the
beginning,
but
I
kept
reading
anyway.”
He
studied
for
three
years,
then
a
further
three
into
six
years.
They
read
philosophy,
history,
the
Neijing
and other medical classics,
different
schools,
and
the
huge bank of clinical
knowledge
that
builds
up
Chinese
medicine.
Personal experiences
with Chinese medicine
There
were
four
choices,
and
all
his
classmates
were
surprised
when
Dr
Wang
chose
Chinese
medicine.
”Later
on
I
thought
about
this,”
he
says,
”and
realized
that
one
reason
was
that
back
in
1946-47,
my mother
was
treated
for
problems
during
menopause,
and
treated
with herbs
by
a
doctor
called
Li
Guohua.
Dr Li came
home
to
us by
rickshaw,
carrying
herbs.
Then
she
recovered
in
April,
but later
started wheezing
a
bit,
windy,
with
bad
hives
and
swollen
cheeks,
and
Li
Guohua
again
came
and
treated
her
for
2-3
days
with
herbs,
and
she
had
no
relapse
after
that.
Li
Gonghua
later
came to treat myself too. When
I was
at
boarding
school,
I got
a
high
fever
in
a
late
stage
of
an
illness.
I went
home
and
literally
expected
to
die.
They
called
Dr
Li
to
our house.
He
said
it
was
a
very
grave
condition,
very
serious,
and
that
it
might
help
or
might
not,
but
we could
try
for
2-3
days.
I slowly
got
better,
and
finally
had
a
month-course
of
Li´s
herbs.
I
think
both
these
events
gave
me
a
subconscious
focus
on
Chinese
medicine
later
on.
His grandfather knew a bit of Chinese medicine, but he didn´t treat much with it. Back before the Cultural Revolution, many educated had a bit of Chinese medical knowledge. His grandfather was self-taught from books. He had a lot of notebooks, pills, herbal medicines and herbal plasters. Dr Wang still has some of them left.
His grandfather knew a bit of Chinese medicine, but he didn´t treat much with it. Back before the Cultural Revolution, many educated had a bit of Chinese medical knowledge. His grandfather was self-taught from books. He had a lot of notebooks, pills, herbal medicines and herbal plasters. Dr Wang still has some of them left.
And
that background
was
probably
what
made
him
gravitate
towards
Chinese
medicine.
But this turned out to only
be the
start
of
a
long
and
exciting
journey.
Channel
palpation
and
channel
theory
In
2012,
Dr
Wang
held
a
longer
course
on
his
system
of
channel
palpation
and
channel
theory
in
Dublin.
It
was
hosted
and
arranged
by
Cyrille
Bonnard,
along
with
a
small
group
of
helpers,
and
pulled
in
a
good
group
of
enthusiastic
practitioners
who
spent
four
days
learning
Dr
Wang´s
system
and
drinking
deeply
of
the
knowledge
in
Chinese
medicine
he
has
gathered
over
the
last
56
years.
We
were
helped
greatly
by
Mei
Li,
one
of
Dr
Wang´s
apprentices,
who
with
her
translation
and
further
explanations
made
the
course
even
better.
The
channels
determine
life
and
death,
play
a
role
in
all
disease
and
regulate
deficiency
and
excess;
they
must
be
free
of
obstruction.
– Neijing
Lingshu,
chapter
10,
Jingmai,
On
Channels.
Wang
Bing
version,
762
AD,
Tang
Dynasty.
From
Yellow
Emperor´s
Canon
of
Internal
Medicine,
transl.
by
Wu
and
Wu,
China
Science
and
Technology
Press,
2005
Channels or meridians are
two ways of translating the Chinese term jingluo.
Jingluo covers both the so called Primary Channels (jing)
and the smaller networks, the Collateral Channels (luo).
”Meridian” comes from the french translation méridienne
with the idea of the mercator meridians surrounding the globe, but
jing
actually has the connotation of the warp and weft in fabric and
cloth. Jingmi,
for example, is ”warp density, ends per inch”, jinglun
”to comb and arrange silk threads”. In most Chinese medical
Classics, the channels are often likened to canals and drainage
ditches in a farming landscape.
There
are then also deeper channels than these – the next deeper level
the jingbie,
the Divergent Channels, and at the deepest levels, the qijing
ba mai, the
Eight Extraordinary Channels. Daoist spiritual work and some qigong
add deeper ones still after these.
The
qi and connections of information that are the channels go through
our physical tissue. Changes in health in an organ will show as a
change on its associated channel; it is a system for mapping and
palpating these changes that Dr Wang has made part of his life´s
work.
What happened to
channel theory?
During
the course,
Dr
Wang
started
off
with
an
introduction
to
channel
theory
and
his
views
on
why
it
has
been
lost.
He
asked
how
long
time
everybody
had
practiced.
After a chorus of answers, he said, ”If you have that training and experience, why do you need to be here studying with me today? It means your knowledge in channel theory is probably either incomplete or not detailed enough. This lack of understanding of channel theory exists in China too. I had the same problem when I started out.”
After a chorus of answers, he said, ”If you have that training and experience, why do you need to be here studying with me today? It means your knowledge in channel theory is probably either incomplete or not detailed enough. This lack of understanding of channel theory exists in China too. I had the same problem when I started out.”
In
Japanese acupuncture, palpation has remained much more vibrant over
the centuries, with an especially strong focus on abdominal palpation
and diagnostics. The Chinese version of channel theory and palpation
was deeply studied in older chinese medicine and seen as crucial
there, but then came and went depending on what dynasty it was. The
20th century became a weak era for it in China.
Dr
Wang
got a
lot
of
information
and
skills
from
his
university
studies,
but
found
it
very
difficult
to
get
good
results
without
channel
theory.
When
he
started
out
he
didn´t
believe
in
channels.
Then
slowly
he
began
to
understand
the
importance
of
them
in
Chinese
medicine,
and
over
time,
went
deeply
into
researching
them.
”It´s not your
fault”
”It
is
not
your
fault
if
you
lack
information
on
this
subject.
In
this
point
in
time,
channel
theory
has
either
been
ignored
or
forgotten.
There
are
two
ways
for
most
acupuncturists
to
understand
points
– experiential
points,
where
a
function
has
been
tried
and
tested
in
clinic
in
a
specific
tradition
or
style.
Then
there
is
looking
the
point
functions
up
in
books.
But
when
they
don´t
work,
the
doctors
who
taught
the
experiential
points
can´t
be
asked
– they´re
dead,
like
my
father
and
grandfather
are.”
In
clinic,
he
found
that
with
these
two
versions,
sometimes
it
worked,
sometimes
it
didn´t.
The
failure
of
those
two
methods
plagued
him
for
many
years.
But
channel
theory
explained
them
and
gave
a
deeper
understanding
of
how
points
actually
worked.
It
also
increased
the
effect
of
his
treatments,
suddenly
making
most
of
them
work
all
the
time
and
with
much
better
effect.
It
was
through
his
studies
of
that
from
the
Classics
and
the huge amount of patients that often is standard in Chinese
hospitals, that
he
realized
that
Chinese
medicine
had
a
very
strong
theoretical
foundation
in
channel
theory.
During
his
decades
in
the
hospitals
he
also
saw
many
acupuncture
doctors
who
quite
quickly
went
on
to
do
herbal
medicine
instead
of
deeply
researching
the
acupuncture
system,
often
because
they
misunderstood it
as
too
simple,
and
because they
lacked
a
cohesive
whole
through
which
to
understand
the
treatments.
”Don´t
make
the
mistake
that
using
more
acupuncture
points
is
better.
It
is
quite
harmful
to
the
body.”
– Dr
Wang
Juyi
in
lecture
”Don´t traumatize
the point”
”Life
is
like
a
good
instrument,"
Dr Wang said
one
afternoon.
"You
have
to
play
it
well.
Needling
is
like
playing
the
violin.
A
gentle,
very
refined
movement.
You
are
not
needling
any
tissue,
you
are
needling
the
areas
between
tissues.
If
you
have
the
right
technique
when
playing
the
violin,
you
can
produce
the
best
sounds.”
Over
the
course
Dr
Wang
used
the
simile
of
playing
an
instrument
several
times.
He
encouraged
the
students
to
think
deeply
about
it,
and
make
their
skills
gentle
with
patients.
Needling,
he
repeated,
should
not
be
painful
or
hard.
”Life
is
a
very
gentle
instrument.”
”Needling
is
like
playing
the
violin.”
– Dr
Wang
Juyi
in
lecture
Just
as
he
taught
this,
he
also
taught
how
to
use
other
point
pairs
to
”strum”
the
patients
system:
”If
strings
are
loose,
you
have
to
tighten
the
strings
on
the
violin
before
you
can
play
it.”
During
the
palpation
lessons
his
phrase
was,
”You
want
to
ice-skate,
not
tap-dance”.
Each
point
location
should
be
based
on
palpation
skills,
and
each
location
will
be
guided
by
several
of
the
five
different
tissues.
We
will
look
at
these
in
the
next
instalment
in this
series,
in
the next
issue.
”Some
in
chinese
medicine
who
don´t
get
effect,
they
just
needle
deeper...”
Dr
Wang
said
he
has
seen
this
uncountable
times
in
China
in
the
hospitals
where
he
worked,
and
he
thinks
it
is
a
sign
that
the
practitioner
doesn´t
understand
Chinese
medicine.
Part
of
his
palpation
system
is
how
to
open
the
point
(kaixue)
before
needling,
and
how
to
help
open
the
channel
to
make
sure
the
treatment
effect
is
even
more
precise.
Classical Chinese Medicine-practitioner and Daoist priest Jeffrey
Yuen
has
a
great
phrase
to
remember:
”Don´t
traumatize
the
point.”
Courses with Dr Wang
in Europe 2013
Dr
Wang
Juyi
will
be
returning
to
Europe
in June
2013.
One of the courses will be in Dublin, arranged again by Cyrille Bonnard. This time there will be two courses, one for people who have attended previous trainings with Dr Wang, and one for students who want to have a first look into the system and Dr Wang´s experience from half a century working in Chinese medicine. You can read more and book your place at http://www.equilibreacupuncture.ie/education/index.php
Part 2 of this article will appear in the next issue of Tai Chi Chuan and Oriental Arts Magazine in the UK. Then we will look more at Dr Wang´s channel theory, specifics of palpation, how the channel theory weaves together with qigong- and IMA-practices and take a closer look at Dr Wang´s research into point-pairs, a way of treating that makes acupuncture treatments simpler yet more effective.
”The
Yellow
Emperor
answered:
The
state
of
the
channels
and
vessels
determines
life
or
death.
Hundreds
of
diseases
are
managed
(according
to
their
condition),
and
emptiness
and
fullness
are
regulated
through
them.
Therefore
one
cannot
be
unfamiliar
with
them.”
–
Jia
Yi
Jing,
the
Systematic
Classic
of
Acupuncture
and
Moxibustion,
Chace
and
Yang,
Blue
Poppy
Press
1993
Daniel
Skyle
©
2013.
Daniel
Skyle
is
a
student
of
Dr
Wang
Juyi.
He
has
trained
in
Daoism,
qigong,
the
internal
martial
arts and chinese medicine
for
more
than
twenty
years.
He
currently
has
two
clinics
in
Sweden
where
he
works
with
Classical
Chinese
Medicine
and
acupuncture.
His
blog
can
be
found
at
www.acupractitioner21.blogspot.com.
”The
acupuncture
points
have
become
my
friends
over
the
years”
”When I first began studying, I believed that points were just measured places on the body that might be located on a cadaver or in an anatomy text. Also, I believed that all points on the body were roughly the same: that they are all openings between the various structures of the body. Later, I began to appreciate subtle differences among the points. Some have more qi or more blood, some have less. In some places the type of qi is different than in others. Importantly, the exact nature of qi sensation that should be generated from each point varies, and should be varied depending on the desired effect. Each point actually has its own nature or personality. Once I began to truly note these differences among the points on my patientes, I became more and more interested in the classical point categorizations. It is from here that I began my explaration of the source, collateral and five transport points.
In fact, after many years, I now think of many of the points on the body as old friends. I know what they are like, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and when to call on them for help. When you get to know the points in this way, treating in the clinic is kind of like waking good friends from a slumber – gently prodding the points to wake them up and send them on their way. Also, as I´ve said before, some of the points are like jacks-of-all-trades, friends that you might call on to help with a wide variety of projects. Other points have very specific strengths and should be used in more specific cases. The points, to me, really do seem to have these different personalities.”
-
Extract from Applied
Channel Palpation in Chinese Medicine by
Dr Wang and Jason Robertson. It can be bought here on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Channel-Medicine-Lectures-Therapeutics/dp/0939616629/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341144742&sr=1-1&keywords=wang+juyi
Daniel Skyle © 2013.
First published in Tai Chi Chuan and Oriental Arts, Winter 2013
