Beyond Time: The Power that Makes Ancient Medical Systems Work throughout the Ages

As long as humans have walked the earth, we've searched for ways to stay well within the ever-changing conditions of our environment. Deeply connected to nature and completely dependent on it for their survival, ancient peoples tuned in to a level of reality that all but escapes most people today. Their perceptions of invisible aspects of the world and everything in it formed the basis of many ancient systems of medicine. We now call these "traditional" and "indigenous" medicines, and they are found all around the world. Among those from Asia are Ayurveda from India, Tibetan medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. But how can a system of medicine thousands of years old be effective in treating health issues today?

The answer to this question is reflected in what the ancients were able to "see." They peeled back the surface layer of reality to access what they understood was the very source of this dimension—the Universal. And they came to know that the Universal, call it God, Brahma, or Tao, operates according to its own system of laws. These "natural laws" are the way things actually work at the deepest levels of reality. It was then clear that connecting to and following the way of the Universal was the ultimate path to a state of true wellness.

It's interesting that physics has captured and demonstrated these insights in its modern theories. Before Einstein, the physical world, including the human body, was made up of solid matter. Energy and matter were distinct entities, and time was a separate thing from space. This was the perspective that created much of modern Western medicine. After the theory of relativity, the view became less compartmentalized, more fluid: matter is a form of energy and time and space are really fused. Einstein also believed in but ultimately could not demonstrate a "field" underlying all phenomena of this dimension that functioned as a unifying background, making the universe a complete whole. His search for a "unified field" theory later found expression by other physicists in "superstring" theory ("super," in this sense, meaning beyond our dimension), which states there is no separate basic building block of matter when you break atoms into smaller and smaller particles, but rather a wave form, called a "superstring." The current view is that invisible "strings" by the billions in an underlying field give rise to all energy and matter by their varying frequencies. If quantum physics shows us anything it's that the world, including us, is an enormously complex web of interrelations between all aspects of the whole. This understanding of interrelated aspects as an integral part of a whole is the very foundation of many ancient systems of medicine, particularly traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The concept of interrelationship is at the very heart of TCM. One core TCM principle is that the human body is an organic whole. Every part of the physical body is an integral part of the greater being. Along with the mind, emotions and spirit, they form a miraculously intricate system that is continually communicating with each and every aspect of itself. This is why TCM practitioners do not separate the body into expendable parts, nor do they treat just one part or dimension of the individual. All are treated together, looking for the root cause of the problem, with the whole picture in mind.

That we are inseparably connected to the natural world and the Universal is another fundamental TCM principle. Whether we are aware of it or not, the flow in nature is reflected in our bodies. So TCM always factors in the specific season, geographical location, and time of day, as well as the age, genetics and condition of the person in treating health issues.

Perhaps the greatest genius of the ancient Chinese sages, and the insight that has given TCM its uninterrupted longevity and effectiveness as a complete medical system, was their discovery of Qi (pronounced "chee"), the vital energy that gives life to everything in the universe and is everything in the universe at the very root of reality. It's impossible to really understand TCM and its incredible healing power throughout the millennia without realizing the importance of Qi. The unseen power and intelligence that animates and orchestrates all physical and metaphysical processes is Qi. It is Qi that delivers the necessary information and messages between all body structures and systems, and it is Qi that enables us to connect with the natural world and the Universal.

Essentially TCM views the body as a microcosm of the universe. It understands the body must follow its own natural laws, the way the individual parts must function as part of the whole, yet to have optimum wellness and a long life we must also be in harmony with nature and the Universal, the organizing principle of all things. However, in order to connect in this deep way to nature and the Universal, your body must first be balanced and then in harmony within itself. Aren't balance and harmony the same thing? Actually they aren't. Balance implies that two or more things are equal. A equals B, but they are separate. Harmony is a completely different state. It moves beyond balance to a realm where A not only equals B, but the two coexist perfectly, blending into a seamless whole. Harmony allows each to flow totally into the other. This is the interrelationship with the Universal that TCM seeks to help you create, and through this connection, give you a fountain of health. Because we are a microcosm reflecting the macrocosm, we have the same regenerative power that nature has. This means that everyone has a natural, inborn self-healing ability. Sometimes this ability may appear to be dormant or difficult to access, but it is never completely lost. Authentic TCM treatment aims to restore this function.

The TCM path to this goal has always been, first, through prevention. Ancient Chinese doctors were paid only if their patient remained well! TCM's focus is still on educating you about what to do to stay well. This can involve lifestyle changes and suggestions about diet as well as instruction in meditation and Qigong, a system of postures and movement that increases and balances your Qi. And to achieve wellness, TCM uses natural methods including acupuncture, acupressure and herbal formulas.

The terms "ancient" and "traditional" for this type of medicine really are misnomers in a way because the quality that has made them so powerful and what has allowed them to remain completely current and effective throughout the ages is due to the source they access—the Universal. Science may not as yet be able to prove the existence of their principles and concepts—it still measures the measurable and in a sense, cannot accept what it cannot ultimately see. But the sages and rishis of old used a different, deeper vision to create their medicine, and their wisdom has much to teach us still today. And the foundation it rests upon will never grow old or out of date because it is beyond time itself.