The Principle of Emergence and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Considering the human body as a whole,Chinese medicine has demonstrated powerful efficacy in the treatment of disease.However,the human body is a complex and open system with different levels of molecules,cells,tissues,organs,and systems interacting to maintain homeostasis.Moreover,the human body continuously exchanges material,energy,and information with the external environment in real-time.Modern medicine has not yet been able to systematically study and recognize the interaction of different levels that lead to overall changes in the human body and the law of adaptation.Therefore,it is not sufficient to explain the theories and concepts of Chinese medicine.The concept of'emergence'is an important feature of complex systems.Higher levels or wholes exhibit properties that lower levels or components lack,and it is not possible to deduce the properties of higher levels or wholes from the properties of lower levels or components.The principle of emergence has been successfully used to solve problems of complex systems in physics and chemistry.The present study endeavors to delineate the application of the emergence principle in advancing the realm of Chinese medicine research.It aims to elucidate the comprehensive process of leveraging emergence to deepen the understanding of Chinese medicine's underlying principles,thereby addressing long-standing academic conundrums.Furthermore,this endeavor seeks to foster an integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine's systemic thinking,methodologies,and concepts with contemporary experimental sciences,and explore the fundamental laws governing life phenomena and diseases.
complex systems scienceemergence principlesTraditional Chinese Medicineholistic perspective
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万方数据
