Katie Hu, MD, was trained in Western medicine. But her approach to well-being is supported by the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which she calls “a framework for how I understand health and healing.”
Dr. Hu, certified in both family medicine and integrative medicine, discussed TCM’s central concepts at “An Integrated U: Integrative Medicine Across the Lifespan,” a conference presented by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
TCM includes five main practices, Dr. Hu said: herbal medicine; a form of bodywork known as tuina; mind-body exercises such as tai chi (a type of qigong); acupuncture or other stimulation of acupoints, such as acupressure or cupping; and lifestyle counseling, which can include dietary recommendations and stress-management tools.
Dr. Hu practices within the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. The center, celebrating its 30th year, combines conventional and integrative medicine and TCM, providing acupuncture, cupping and lifestyle counseling rooted in Chinese medicine. Practitioners are certified in conventional medicine, integrative medicine and TCM.
Main principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Dr. Hu explained the three main principles of TCM: yin-yang, qi (pronounced “chee”) and the five-element theory.
The yin-yang theory represents balance, Dr. Hu said. The concept of balance also exists in Western medicine – balancing hormones, for example, or blood pressure – but is lacking in American culture, she said.
“Balance is not exemplified in Ironman races and marathons and Orangetheory and CrossFit and eating competitions and diet culture and excessive consumption of coffee and energy drinks so that we can become workaholics,” Dr. Hu said. “This is not balance. When our body is in balance, it heals itself.”
TCM aims to identify and treat the root cause of an imbalance, rather than the symptoms.
“If we treat the symptom without addressing the root, it's like pouring water into a container with a hole at the bottom,” she said.
Another key principle of TCM is qi, or life-force energy. A corollary in Western medicine is ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that provides energy for cells that allow the body to function.
“But we can't measure ATP any more than we can measure qi,” Dr. Hu said.
When qi is sufficient, we have energy to fight infections, transform the food we eat into accessible nutrients, and move the body’s various tracts forward – the respiratory tract, digestive tract and blood flow, Dr. Hu said.
But qi is not infinite, she said: “There’s only so much qi, which is again why this excess culture is harming us.”
Finally, there’s the five-element theory, which Dr. Hu described as “a major diagnostic and treatment tool (that) maps out the extraordinarily complex connections between the mind and the body.”
“It is one of the most important tools that I can incorporate in a clinical setting,” she said.
The five-element theory is a conceptual framework used to understand the relationships between the mind, body and environment. It serves as a guide for diagnosis and treating imbalances within the body, Dr. Hu said. It can also be used to classify individuals’ personality and constitution, which can help guide therapy. Understanding your constitution according to the five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – brings another layer of awareness and understanding to your body, Dr. Hu said.
“Knowing which element or constitution is dominant in you helps you understand your own behaviors and action and thinking,” she said, “and it helps you understand how you are when you’re in balance and how you are when you’re not in balance.”
For example, she said, someone with a wood-element constitution is extroverted, purposeful and assertive when in balance, but impatient, irritable and aggressive when out of balance. Someone with earth-element constitution is kind, loyal and compassionate when in balance, but prone to worry, overthinking and insecurity when out of balance.
Understanding a person’s dominant-element constitution allows for more nuanced and focused treatment, Dr. Hu said. She cited mental health diagnoses of depression and anxiety as an example. In conventional medicine, the standard approach to treating these conditions is typically psychotherapy and medication. Knowing someone’s personality traits according to TCM, however, can help guide more specific recommendations, she said.
Dr. Hu shared a personal story about her young daughter’s struggle with anxiety. Her daughter is a fire element, so Dr. Hu and her husband tailored their parenting style and made changes to their daughter’s diet and schedule to better nurture her well-being in accordance with her element type.
“Finding out your personality type can be really helpful,” Dr. Hu said. “It just adds another layer of therapy.”
