I wrote:
>>   Since you mention China there is an
>> explanation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which incidentally
>> originated in the stone age (shamanism) and was adapted to agrarian culture.

On the 1999-364 Digest Rick Strong <[log in to unmask]> responded to my
statement:

>> Don,  I am very interested in "stone age" (paleo) culture and wonder what your
>> source is for this proposition.  Is it a matter of your own inference or can
>> you point me to a reading source.  Thanks.  I enjoy your posts.  Rick Strong

I wish I could point you directly to a reading source.  When I was a student
@ Northwest Insitute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine we of course
studied the history of Chinese Medicine.  All accounts point to great
antiquity of the medicine and I distinctly remember one text going into
great detail about the use of stone probes in the earliest stages of
development of acupuncture practice; unfortunately I do not remember which
text it was and no longer have the texts in my possession.

Traditional Chinese medicine consists of acupuncture, moxibustion, massage
(tui na), herbal medicines, and exercises collectively known as qi
(pronounced "chee") gong.    Massage most certainly was practiced as
medicine in paleo cultures; it is indeed an "instinctive" method for dealing
with discomforts. The Chinese simply took that seriously and refined crude
techniques by learning man's energy anatomy. All paleo cultures I am aware
of gather herbs for medicinal use; it is just part of gathering.  In TCM,
the "herbal" pharmacy includes not only various plant parts, such as roots,
barks, buds, stems, , but also whole animals (gecko lizard, sea horses, ,
insects, worms) and  animal parts (e.g. sea dog testicles, rhino horns, dear
antler velvet, donkey skin gelatin).  I'm sure you can see the connection to
paleo diet.    The pharmacy also includes fossilized animal bones, and
minerals.    There are literally thousands of items in this pharmacy which
represents the accumulation of knowledge of thousands of years of people
engaged in gathering and hunting.  The term "qi" means breath/spirit/vital
energy, "gong" means work/exercise.  The qi gong exercises are usually
postures or sets of movements modeled and named after animals; for example I
learned a set called Wild Goose Qi Gong, and tai chi movements include such
postures as "walk like a monkey", "snake creeps down" and "white crane
stands on one leg".  These exercises are obvioiusly similar to shaman's
dances although refined and certainly reflect observation of animals that
would have been part of hunting.  Many of the Chinese martial arts also are
named after wild animals and include movements mimicing the animal in
question, e.g. the various styles of gung fu, which include monkey-style,
crane-style, tiger-style,  preying mantis style, etc.    Moxibustion
involves burning moxa, which is mugwort herb, over specific points on the
body to affect healing.  Acupuncture may be the latest addition to the tool
box, it uses probes (commonly called needles) to affect energy transfer in
the body, similar to using fingers (i.e. massage)  but more refined.


Jean Claude wrote:
>it sound from what you are writing that in TCM , the kidney concept take in
>accompt the adrenal glands ( located above the kidneys incrusted in the fat)
>which are the source of the life energy ( cortisone is a vital hormone
>without it you can't live more than few hours), the animal essence JIng
>could be those corticosteroids secreted by the adrenals and flowding the
>blood  to fulfill  the vital metabolic processes .
>
Yes the TCM concept of Kidney includes the adrenals, and also the sexual
organs, reproductive function, bones and marrow, brain.  The Kidney houses
the Life Gate Fire (Ming Men) that is the origin of life.  The Kidney Jing
also would include the corticosteroids, and DNA, but is not limited to
materials such as that.  The TCM concept of Kidney is not material but
"spiritual".  Let me put it this way:  What makes corticosteroids?  What
makes sperms or eggs?  What directs the formation of bones, marrow and
brains?  What organizes/integrates the DNA?  Obviously,  materials left to
themselves just dis-organize, like my desk when I don't put Thought into
organizing it; so the DNA is not organizing itself.   So something else is
organizing matter into biochemicals and Life-forms.  According to TCM, the
Kidney is one of several "sprititual" powers, or forms of Intelligence, that
takes raw materials and arranges them into living beings.   Its like the
Intelligence that takes thoughts (spiritual) and, suing material, turns the
Thoughts into words written on a computer screen (material).  The letters
(e.g. DNA bits), words (e.g. biochemicals), sentences (e.g. organs),
paragraphs (systems) and books (living beings) are not the Intelligence,
they are materials organized by the Intelligence.

I hope that's not too far off topic.

Don