From: The OMA

<info@theorientalmedicineassociation.com>
Subject: The Point newsletter of The Oriental Medicine
Association
Date: April 30, 2012 10:35:45 AM MDT
To: Dr Jonas Skardis <DrJ@NMPM.com>

April 2012 Newsletter of The Oriental Medicine Association


Representing & Serving Oriental Medicine in New Mexico Since 1979

Yin and yang for plasma:
Generally speaking, the increasing of
serum total protein and albumin, the
rising of ratio of albumin to globulin
(A/G ratio), and the increasing of
fibrinogen are yang; while the
decreasing of serum total protein and
albumin, the falling of A/G ratio, and
the decreasing of fibrinogen are yin.
The increasing of nonprotein nitrogen
(NPN) is yang, while the decreasing
of it is yin. The increasing of
carbohydrate and lipid in plasma is
yang, while the decreasing of it is yin.
Such positive ions as Na+, K+,
Ca++, Mg++ in plasma are yin, while
such negative ions as Cl-, HCO-3,
HPO-4,SO-4 in plasma are yang. The
increasing of plasma total osmotic
pressure, crystal osmotic pressure and
colloid osmotic pressure is yang, while
the decreasing of them is yin. The
increasing of plasma acidity,
or decreasing of its pH is yang; while
the increasing of plasma alkalinity, or
the increasing of its pH is yin. When
Associate Profession Chen Hua
Sun Yat Sen University
Guangzou, China
plasma acidity goes beyond certain
limit, acidosis will occur. Acidosis
belongs to the category of yin
exhaustion syndrome. When plasma
alkalinity goes beyond certain limit,
alkalosis will occur. Alkalosis belongs
to the category of yang exhaustion
syndrome.
Yin and yang for erythrocyte:
The increasing of the number of the
erythrocytes is yang, while the
decreasing of that is yin. The
increasing of ATP produced by the
erythrocytes is yang, while the
decreasing of that is yin. Under the
situation that the number of the
erythrocytes is normal, the decreasing
of hematocrit and average volume of
the erythrocytes is yang, while
the increasing of them is yin.
Yin and yang for leukocyte:
Generally speaking, the neutrophilic
granulocyte and monocyte belong
to yang; the acidophilic granulocyte,
basophilic granulocyte, T lymphocyte
and B lymphocyte belong to yin.
Yin and yang for thrombocyte:
Generally speaking, the increasing of the
number of the thrombocytes is yin, while
the decreasing of that is yang. cAMP
which inhibits aggregation of the
thrombocytes is yang; while cGMP
which strengthens aggregation of the
thrombocytes is yin.
Yin and yang for coagulative system and
fibrinolytic system:
The strengthening of activity of
coagulative system is yin, while the
weakening of that is yang. The
strengthening of activity of fibrinolytic
system is yang, while the weakening of
that is yin.
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The Five Phases of Acupuncture in the Classical Texts
by Dennis Willmont
Willmountain Press, 765 pp., www.willmountain.com

Dennis Willmont is perhaps the most important English language OM author that you may not be familiar with. Let me start
with somebody else’s review of this book:

"Unbelievable manuscript!!!! This is a monumental contribution to East Asian medical literature based on detailed linguistic
excavations of ancient Chinese texts and astute interpretations of the classical and contemporary world. Dennis has unearthed
a precious stratum of classical thought that is sure to have a major impact on the scholarship and practice of Asian medicine."

-Ted Kaptchuk, author of "The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine"

Dennis is a soft-spoken, quiet man, whose has demonstrated over a lifetime that what matters to him is to be fully taken up with
Daoism, treating patients, practicing taiji, practicing what he teaches regarding oriental dietary therapy, and living immersed in
the world of the theoretical concepts of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Within that world of concepts, he has been
unrelenting in pursuing the truth that bridges ancient texts and terminology with the cultural reality and language of our
Western world. Said another way, he has probed, perhaps as deeply as anyone, into not just translating the classic concepts of
acupuncture, but also re-discovering them from the ground up, still founded in accurate renderings of ancient acupuncture
point names, 5 phase understandings, and yin-yang itself.

It sounds like a lot, but it is true. You may not know Dennis because he is not heavily on the lecture circuit, and his 10 books to
date have been self-published (www.willmountain.com). But the book in this review is obviously monumental, as Ted
Kaptchuk states above. I’ll try to communicate some of its numerous features, but click here to scan its lengthy table of contents
to get a real feel for the amazing amount of ground that it covers.

The title, The Five Phases of Acupuncture in the Classical Texts, says a great deal. The text is classically based, down to great
detail. Acupuncture is mentioned in the title, indicating that Dennis’ theoretical discussions relate more to acupuncture than the
historically different constructs that hold together herbal medicine. Finally, you can’t miss that the title speaks of Five Phases
and not five elements. From late night discussions going back to the mid-1970’s, we’ve been clear in our minds that the “Five”
must not be objectified as elements, for that quickly starts to obscure the truth that the Five are but nominal marking points,
phases, or dynamic stages in the transformation from yin to yang and yang to yin. Just this understanding alone, when applied in
this lengthy 765 page text, can forever open up your understanding of meridians, points, behavior and emotion.

Speaking of emotion, has, of course, always been a valued clue to the essence of each phase in Dennis’ decades of study, like in
other schools of thought. But as you can see in his table of contents, Dennis has gone far, far beyond. He details not only
emotions associated with each phase, but such concepts as each phase’s spirit, dreams, virtues, and temperament, and psycho-
emotional presentations in patients. With the wood virtue of “humanity”, he details central importance, outward extension,
family extension and self-reflection. His psycho-emotional interpretation just for heart yin fire is broken down into deficient
heart qi, deficient heart blood, deficient heart yin, deficient heart yang, flaming heart fire, and phlegm obstructing the heart,
AND each of those gets identified in general, family, love, livelihood, activity and dietary habit psycho-emotional
interpretations! Then the psycho-emotional interpretations in each subcategory get treatment strategies with acupuncture,
Chinese herbs, Western herbs, essential oils, and food. So, in whatever school you may have learned about five phases or five
elements, I have a hard time believing that there will be any other source that will provide this much detail, this much insight.
And, it is all explicitly classic based. It is also based on the key, pivotal premise that we are not talking about some elements,
objects, or things, but of process, dynamism, and ultimately yin-yang.

I challenge you to click here and read the full table of contents and not be intrigued by the clues that there is more to know that
what you have been taught in the past.

Jonas Skardis