78 Pei Zhengxue's Traditional Chinese Medicine—The Fusion of TCM Theory and Clinical Cases, Published by Guoshu Publishing House

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"Treating different diseases with the same method" serves as an important principle that permeates every aspect of traditional Chinese medicine theory and clinical practice, thereby forming a significant characteristic of the Chinese medical academic system. Whether in reinforcing vital energy or eliminating pathogenic factors, due to the embodiment of the academic thought of "treating different diseases with the same method," TCM can adapt to infinitely varied clinical needs with a limited set of principles and prescriptions. This objectively reveals to people: through the complex and changing external manifestations of diseases, one should seek their underlying essence; any "different diseases" that fall under "the same treatment" must inevitably share certain common internal connections in terms of etiology and pathology. With the development of integrated Chinese-Western medicine work and the gradual deepening of experimental research on TCM theory, some substantial breakthroughs have already emerged in this regard.

78 Pei Zhengxue's Traditional Chinese Medicine—The Fusion of TCM Theory and Clinical Cases, Published by Guoshu Publishing House

Shanghai Second Medical College, represented by Shen Ziyin and others, through experimental research on renal parenchyma, revealed that the TCM concept of "kidney qi" is equivalent to the modern medical hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal cortex system. Beijing Normal University and other institutions, through experimental studies on spleen deficiency, demonstrated that TCM's spleen deficiency is closely related to the body's autonomic nervous system, metabolism, endocrine system, and immune system. These studies have provided an intrinsic material basis for TCM's "treating different diseases with the same method" in tonifying the kidney and strengthening the spleen, allowing the traditional TCM theory of "treating different diseases with the same method" to shine with tremendous brilliance. It is hoped that the integration of Chinese and Western medicine will be carried out more extensively and deeply, and that traditional Chinese medical theory will continue to innovate and flourish, radiating even greater brilliance in the global medical community.

(From "Research on the Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine," February 1983)

Strengthening Vital Energy and Immunity

The human body inherently possesses a function that protects it from disease, which is accomplished through two factors: specific immunity and non-specific immunity. This is one of the fundamental concepts of modern immunology. As early as 2,000 years ago, Chinese medicine had views similar to these in the field of human pathogenesis. The "Plain Questions·On the Methods of Acupuncture in the Lost Chapters" states: "When vital energy is preserved within, evil cannot invade." The "Plain Questions·On the Evaluation of Febrile Diseases" further says: "Wherever evil gathers, the qi must be deficient." Among the two factors of "vital energy" and "pathogenic qi," Chinese medicine emphasizes the crucial importance of the human body's "vital energy" in the occurrence of disease, explicitly stating that "when vital energy is preserved within, the body can be protected from the interference of pathogenic qi." The "Dialectics of Contradiction" states: "External factors are the conditions for change, while internal factors are the basis for change." Since "vital energy" belongs to internal factors and "pathogenic qi" to external factors, TCM's emphasis on the pathogenic role of "vital energy deficiency" is entirely consistent with this view. Based on this, TCM takes "deficiency of vital energy" as the root cause of disease and proposes the therapeutic principle of strengthening vital energy and nurturing the root, aiming to activate and mobilize the body's own disease-resistant capabilities. This perspective shares great commonality with modern immunology.