KMID : 1145020190360010001
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Journal of Acupuncture Research 2019 Volume.36 No. 1 p.1 ~ p.11
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The Chinese Black Box ? A Scientific Model of Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Theodorou Matthias
Fleckenstein Johannes
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Abstract
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Models of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are still difficult to grasp from the view of a Western-cultural background. For proper integration into science and clinical research, it is vital to think ¡°out of the box¡± of classical sciences. Modern sciences, such as quantum physics, system theory, and information theory offer new models, that reveal TCM as a method to process information. For this purpose, we apply concepts of information theory to propose a ¡°Chinese black box model,¡± that allows for a non-deterministic, bottom-up approach. Considering a patient as an undeterminable complex system, the process of getting information about an individual in Chinese diagnostics is compared to the input-process-output principle of information theory and quantum physics, which is further illustrated by Wheeler¡¯s ¡°surprise 20 questions.¡± In TCM, an observer uses a decision-making algorithm to qualify diagnostic information by the binary polarities of ¡°yang¡± (latin activity) and ¡°yin¡± (latin structivity) according to the so called ¡°8 principles¡± (latin 8 guiding criteria). A systematic reconstruction of ancient Chinese terms and concepts illuminates a scattered scientific method, which is specified in a medical context by Latin terminology of the sinologist Porkert [definitions of the Latin terms are presented in Porkert¡¯s appendix [1] (cf. Limitations)].
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KEYWORD
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traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, information theory, quantum theory
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