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4.Research on the principle “If it is not thriving but surviving, maintain it with Sutra”

Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2013;63(1):50-62

[Objective]Although “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”is considered the most important treatment principle in acupuncture, its interpretation is confusing and inconsistent. Thus, in order to clarify this principle, we examined its original meaning and report the results here.
[Method]After investigating the source of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”within the “Huang-di nei-jing”(traditional Chinese medical text) and revealing the state of past research regarding this principle and its associated problems, we identified its background and used the “Zhangjiashan Han bamboo text Maishu”and “Dashu ,”which are only quoted in the “Jin fu” chapter of the Huangdi Neijing-Lingshu (the Yellow Emperor’s Canon), to trace a path back to the roots of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”and to elucidate its original meaning.
[Results]We were able to confirm that although there have heretofore been a total of four theories and 13opinions, none have been rationally interpreted.
[Conclusion]The facts that 1. “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra”is based on a method of diagnosing pulses across the entire body, 2. the interpretation of the “Jin fu”chapter of the Huangdi Neijing-Lingshu contradicts the “Dashu ,”which is quoted in this text, and 3. the statement in the “Zhangjiashan Han bamboo text Maishu”that “when it is calm, then maintain it ”is the original form of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ,”suggest that the original meaning of “If it is not thriving but it is surviving, maintain it with Sutra ”was likely that in cases where the form and rhythm of a pulse were normal, it should not be treated but instead addressed as usual.

Although there have been substantial evidences on the usefulness of electrolytes for the diagnosis of disease, the evidences for a direct link between serum sodium and serum potassium in relation to a specific disease are very limited. This study was performed to investigate an association between diseases and Na:K ratios in dogs. From January 1997 to December 1999, a total of 39 cases with an Na:K ratio less than 27 were retrieved from the medical records of Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Seoul National University. Ten dogs (25.6%) had a renal or urinary disease, and six (15.4%) had a parasitism. Other miscellaneous diseases included deep pyoderma, grade III patellar luxation, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes, pancreatitis, and pyometra. The Na:K ratio was significantly lower in dogs with renal failures than those with parasitic diseases (p=0.0735). With the criterion of the Na:K ratio < 27, twenty seven dogs (69.2%) had hyperkalemia, whereas thirteen dogs (33.3%) had hyponatremia. Of 13 dogs with Na:K ratios between 20 and 24, six were diagnosed as a renal or urinary tract disease, two as diabetes, and two as a parasitism. The Na:K ratios of 9 dogs were < 20, being with the most prevalent with the disease of renal failures (55.6%). The serum Na:K ratios were more closely related to serum potassium concentrations (gamma= -0.8710) than serum sodium concentrations (gamma=0.4703). Two dogs with diabetes had an electrolyte pattern of hyperkalemia with normonatremia. Further studies are needed to determine the usefulness of Na:K ratio for diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism, and to establish a relationship between patellar luxation and electrolyte unbalance.
Animals ; Biological Markers/blood ; Dog Diseases/*blood ; Dogs/*blood ; Hyperkalemia/blood/*veterinary ; Hyponatremia/blood/*veterinary ; Korea ; Potassium/*blood ; Reference Values ; Sodium/*blood ; Water-Electrolyte Balance