Zhuo Zhao
Introduction
Taisu or “Supreme Foundation” therapy is a pattern-based diagnosis and treatment system that I have developed over many years by combining TCM zang-fu organ function theory, yin-yang and five-element theories, and skeletal balance theory with Western medical anatomy, neurology, and muscle kinematics. In accordance with the fundamental principle of “the Dao ［Way］ follows itself”, it is based on the concept of returning from the postnatal state to the prenatal state by using clean, safe, ecological, and natural medical methods to awaken the human body’s self-healing ability. Designed with the goal of activating living potential, it aims to be a natural therapy for self-recovery and health maintenance that relies on one’s own body and self-healing. It is simple, convenient, cheap, and effective, and achieves better clinical outcomes quickly and efficiently.
Keywords:Dao, Daoist medicine, Taisu
Just as the heavens have the “sun, moon, and stars”, humans have “essence, qi, and spirit”. Based on the TCM logic that the prenatal influences the postnatal, human life starts with “essence”, maintains its momentum with “qi”, and is experienced through the activity of the “spirit”. Thus it is said that if essence is sufficient, then one will have enough qi, and if one has enough qi, then the spirit will be exuberant.
Taisu therapy is a redefinition of the theory of essence, qi, and spirit: spirit → qi → essence. It says that only those places reachable by nerves can be nourished by qi and blood, and only by receiving the nourishment from qi and blood can one have the zang-fu essence and spirit as well as normal physiological activities. In modern terms, one must first ensure the nerves are unblocked to allow quick transmission of physiological commands, which in turn enables the abundant and timely provision of qi, blood, and nutrients. Only then can we have a strong and healthy body and spirit, with our original spirit preserved and protected, and our soul rising and flourishing. This is a perfect interpretation of holistic integrated medicine. Simple, convenient, quick, and straightforward, with shockingly swift effects on illness, it is an exemplary model of natural therapy.
The prenatal soul exists in the square-inch space of the Spirit Tower (which is the pineal gland in our diencephalon; the brain is not only the location of spiritual awareness, but also the main control center of the central nervous system according to modern medicine). The point of action of Taisu therapy is human spiritual awareness; it is a pattern-based treatment system built up from where the central nervous system disperses. This system emphasizes starting from the brain and nervous system as the center ofthe human body. It involves the spine as well as the muscles, ligaments, fascia, and joints that support spinal function. Ultimately, it connects to all the tissues and organs on the surface of the body.
Awakening internal “spiritual awareness” stimulates the functions of “mental awareness” and “physical awareness”. This method itself regulates and intervenes in the process of transforming internal non-manifest prenatal energy into postnatal manifest energy. “Taisu ［the Supreme Foundation］ is the Taishi ［Supreme Beginning］ that has changed into form; having form, it then has substance, but it has not yet become a body. Taisu is the stage in which substance has begun to exist, but has not yet become a body.” This method of regulation and treatment can help to explain new energetic manifestations in the body, increase spiritual power, activate living potential, and awaken the self-healing ability of the human body.
Taiyi ［the Supreme Change］, Taichu ［the Supreme Incipience］, Taishi, and Taisu are the 4 stages of the evolution of the universe before heaven and earth formed. Taisu is the fourth stage; it is the primordial material state of the universe.
The text Qianzaodu says: “The sages of the past relied on yin and yang to control growth and change; they established Qian ［first hexagram in Yi Jing］ and Kun ［second hexagram in Yi Jing］ to unify heaven and earth. Indeed, that which has form is born from the formless; how were Qian and Kun born? Thus it is said that there was Taiyi, there was Taichu, there was Taishi, and there were Taisu and Taiji ［the Supreme Ultimate］.”
In chapter 3 of Taisu, entitled “Human Unity”, Yang Shangshan also says: “From 1 qi, yin and yang separate, in order to serve as the root of life and growth. They divide again into the 4 seasons, which then are used for birth, growth, harvest, and storage. They finish and begin again; like a ring, they have no end; this is called the constant.” In philosophical terms, the evolutionary process from 1 qi to yin and yang, and then to 4 seasons, refers to the evolutionary process of the universe in which the original qi of Taiji divided to produce heaven, earth, yin, yang, the 4 seasons, and the 8 solar terms within each season.
The relationship between heaven and humans is a central issue in ancient Chinese philosophy. It sets out from the overall view that heaven and humans are intimately connected, revealing the mutual relationship between humankind and the natural world. Therefore, influenced by their familiarity with the science of medicine, ancient doctors not only did not place humans in opposition to the natural world, but in fact consciously used the general awareness achieved by contemporary science and philosophy to establish a theoretical system of unity between heaven and humankind that followed the laws of heaven and earth. Yang Shangshan utilized the Han-dynasty Yi Jing theory of gua ［hexagram］ qi and the scientific study of astrological phenomena to propose that “humans are born from heaven” in response to the yin-yang growth and destruction perspective that heaven and humankind are unified, representing yet another unique form within this holistic view. In the text Taisu, Yang Shangshan primarily used the “12 sovereign ［or tidal］ hexagrams” from gua qi theory to explain changes in the climate of the natural world as well as excess and deficiency of yin and yang and the theory of 3 yin and 3 yang within the human body.
“Taisu pulse-taking” existed in ancient China; it is a method of predicting people’s character, luck, and future events through changes in their pulse. Taiyi ［Supreme Hologram］ acupuncture is a type of traditional needling in which meridians are selected based on the midnight-noon ebb-flow doctrine. Taisu pulse-taking is an ancient numerological pulse-taking method; through pulse diagnosis, one can know the trends in a person’s luck, whether good or bad. Taisu pulse-taking integrates cultural elements such as TCM pulse theories, yin and yang, the five elements, Hetu ［Yellow River Chart］ and Luoshu ［River Luo Inscription］ theories, and then uses physiognomic standards to contrast and express them, exhibiting a mixture of multiple cultural components. Because this kind of physiognomy is given credence by TCM pulse diagnosis, it attracts people’s attention and convinces them more easily. It was popular for a time during the Ming dynasty, with a reputation for being “foolproof”.
Taisu pulse-taking is based on the “5 yang pulses” and “5 yin pulses”, using the “4 construction pulses” as a system for observation and evaluation. It then incorporates male and female pulse phenomena and physiognomic standards to define a person’s destiny and future. Taisu Mai Mijue ［The Secret of Taisu Pulse-Taking］says:
“Taisu pulse-taking uses lightness, clarity, heaviness, and turbidity as its theory of destiny. Lightness and clarity are yang, and denote wealth and nobility. Heaviness and turbidity are yin, and denote poverty and lowliness. For men, the liver wood position is most important in determining their level of achievement and fame. For women, the lung metal Dui［one of the 8 trigrams］position is most important in determining their happiness and virtue. If the pulse is light and clear, it is like the finger is stroking jade. It is pure, warm, and lustrous, meeting the finger with clarity, and the 6 pulses do not interfere with each other. It flows on like a wellspring, not daring to pause, straight and slightly fast, direct and clear with no turbidity. This means the person’s natural disposition is harmonious, wise, and sensitive, and they are of high and lofty rank. This is the light and clear pulse. The pulse that is heavy and turbid meets the finger without clarity, like retreating dry sand, filling the finger with the same. Its pauses and beats are muddled and chaotic, and it conflicts with itself; this is the heavy and turbid pulse. Apply one’s fingers with detailed scrutiny; ［this method］is foolproof.”
This passage explains the essence of Taisu pulse-taking. The Taisu pulse-taking method simply uses the 4 pulse qualities of lightness, clarity, heaviness, and turbidity as the fundamental principles of its main theory of human physiognomy. Those with light and clear pulses are noble, while those with heavy and turbid pulses are lowly. For a man, one must primarily grasp the quality of the liver pulse; based on this, one can judge how accomplished, famous, wealthy, and noble he is.“If the 3 positions are often slippery, the liver qi is not sufficient”; this is an inauspicious sign for a man’s pulse. For a woman, one must primarily grasp the quality of the lung pulse, from which one can determine her blessings. “If the 3 positions are often wiry, the lung qi is not sufficient”; this is an inauspicious sign for a woman’s pulse.
Taisu Therapy
Traditional treatment methods easily alleviate exterior symptoms by means of medication, but they struggle to illuminate the interior symptoms. Therefore, for those with both exterior and interior illnesses, one first releases the exterior and then treats the interior. Because Taisu therapy provides an awareness of the cause of illness, it first treats the interior and then releases the exterior.
Taisu therapy states that: Heaven created humans in a similar way to how cars are manufactured, installing switches and ports. The formation of disease, blockage, deficiency, stagnation, and excess is because the framework was altered and the password was changed.
Taisu therapy also states that the standard for human health is a single word, “harmony”. First is people’s harmony with themselves, second is harmony between humans and nature, and third is harmony between humans and society. People’s harmony with themselves primarily manifests in the “feng shui” of their own body structure; people’s harmony with nature manifests in the layout of “geomancy”.
The human body is a small universe; every zang-fu organ has its own frequency and signal. Beyond receiving messages from our heart and brain, we are also constantly resonating on the same frequencies with certain astrological bodies in the universe. When these are blocked or jammed, it necessarily impacts the qi and blood circulation in our zang-fu organ systems, reducing their function and power to receive or send signals. At the same time as they lose their postnatal energy wellspring, they also lose their opportunity to capture energy from the universe, and as time goes on, pathological organic changes will appear.
We know that before a child leaves its mother’s body, it is a natural form; excluding congenital genetic diseases and accidents, it essentially will not suffer from other diseases. In terms of the human body, the form of its spine and nerves are in the state of initial substance in the universe, which is the “Taisu” state. At the sound of our cry as we leave our mother’s body, the foramen ovale closes and our tender lungs start their first gas exchange with the outside world. At this moment, the spine is unblocked at the top and straight at the bottom, and the hundred vessels are clear; this“Taisu” body is a gift from nature. It is also in a state of “oneness”; let us denote this with the sequence number “0”. The spine is upright, the hundred vessels are clear, and the muscles and bones are soft. However, as we grow, live, and work, when we maintain abnormal spine positions for prolonged periods of time, the multifidus or rotator muscles on one side alter the original position of the affected spinal vertebrae due to being stretched tight and then relaxed or tensed due to accidental irritation. Moreover, depending on the extent of the shift, nerve roots will be compressed, thereby leading to a decline in the function of the blood vessels and muscles they innervate. Over time, muscle atrophy and pathological organ changes will occur. Taisu musculoskeletal therapy aims to know the location of the source of disease, unblock the associated nerves, restore the Taisu state, awaken self-healing ability, reinforce the root, and return to the source.
Taisu musculoskeletal therapy is a back-to-basics way to return from the postnatal to the prenatal. It uses symptoms to look for the illness, then uses that illness to define a location, reset and seek the source. As a shortcut to awakening life’s self-healing ability, it is a clean therapy based on unity between heaven and humankind that enables each of our zang-fu organs and our body to return to the Taisu principle. At present, I have derived a pure hands-on technique from over 30 years of clinical experience treating more than 400 kinds of complex and difficult diseases. It is a contribution of wisdom that adapts ancient and Western knowledge to serve present TCM practice.
In terms of disease prevention, it has a forward-looking function. Western medicine only tells you that you are sick after 60 to 70% of the zang-fu organ pathological changes have already occurred. TCM improves this percentage to 30%, while Taisu therapy can tell you that you are sick when the framework of your body has just started to experience pathological changes. It will tell you with certainty that, if you do not correct the problem in time, it is extremely likely that you will suffer from certain illnesses, advancing the prevention of disease to the 5 or 10% point where it has just begun.
In the treatment of disease, its function is to search for the root and seek the source. By combining other methods with Taisu therapy, it is easier to alleviate symptoms and thereby achieve extraordinary effects by simultaneously treating the branch and root.
In recovery from disease, its function is to awaken self-healing ability and activate life’s intrinsic potential.
The introduction of author:
Chiropractor Zhao Zhuo，Director of Lou Guan-Tai Dao Medical Culture Research Institute，Founder of Veggie bone Therapy ，The 26th generation of Taibai grass medicine
References
Zhuangzi, chapter 12 (“Heaven and Earth”)
Yi Wei, Qianzaodu
Taisu mai mijue ［The Secret of Taisu Pulse-Taking］
Qietaishang tianbao Taisu Zhang shenxian mai jue xuanwei gangling zongtong
Taisu
Taisu, chapter 3 (“Human Unity”)
Dao De Jing
