Auto-Immune Progressive Patterns

Chinese medicine has been used in the treatment of autoimmune type disorders since antiquity. The Chinese medicine classics describe one of the five channel systems as being suited to treat chronic degenerative disease progressions, this is the Divergent Channels. This channel system is used to address diseases affecting the deepest regions of the body, the bones, brain, spine, endocrine system, and marrow. Commonly treated disorders include:

Hormonal Disorders - PCOS, Cushing’s Disease, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes Mellitus, etc.

Rheumatic Disorders (Pain in the joints)

Viral Latency Including: Herpes Simplex (Cold Sores), Herpes Zoster (Shingles), HIV, Hepatitis, etc.

Autoimmune Conditions Including: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, Grave’s Disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Addison’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Alopecia, etc.

The purpose of the Divergent Channels is to divert pathogens away from the vital organs in order to maintain maximum function in the body and preserve health. Given the option between an acute, more severe disease progression and a chronic, more slowly developing disease progression, the body will always choose the latter. This is known as disease nemesis theory and it is seen in the case of nearly every type of disease in one way or another. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, autoimmune conditions are related to this process. The body encounters a pathogen - let’s say a virus (though the same process can occur with a bacterium, fungus, or other parasite such as the recently infamous spirochete) - and this pathogen enters into a struggle against the immune system of the body. Maybe this strain of virus is particularly strong, so the immune response progressively becomes more and more intensive in an effort to neutralize the pathogen. This will lead to the mounting of a high fever, extreme fatigue, dehydration, malaise, etc. If the body is unsuccessful in eliminating the virus and the circumstances become severe such that the organs themselves become threatened, the body may resort to a tactic which will divert this pathogenic process away from the organs and to a place in the body where it may be held in latency. Since the immune system was unsuccessful in eliminating the virus, the next best thing is to neutralize the virus by making it latent. This latency is achieved at the level of the bones/marrow, and specifically at the region of the large joints — that is the hips, sacrum, pelvis, spine, shoulders, scapulae, and cranium. These are the regions where the body may divert pathogens into a state of latency.

Now, once latency is achieved, it can be maintained for some time if the body has sufficient strength of resources to do so. This can be seen, for example, in the very common progression of the Varicella-Zoster Virus which causes chicken pox in childhood. A child contracts the infection, the body struggles with the virus for several days, mounting a fever and reacting strongly. The virus is then made latent in the body only to re-emerge 70 or 80 years later in the form of shingles. The virus is made latent at the spine, and upon re-emergence it expresses along the dermatome of whichever nerve it is located. In some cases, the latent pathogen continues to display some degree of activity periodically. This may happen due to the strength of the pathogen, due to a deficiency of the host body’s resources, or it may occur as a result of the environmental circumstances such as seasonal change, or exposure to irritating or stimulating chemicals. If the latent pathogen becomes active to some degree, the immune system will respond to this in an effort to maintain latency, or in some cases just because the antibodies for this pathogen exist and its activation generates an immune response. Since the pathogen is being held latent at the level of the joints, the activity of the immune system expresses in this location. In the most direct sense, this is called Rheumatoid Arthritis. This immune system activity in the internal layers of the body can also cause interruption in endocrine function, which is directed in the brain. It may cause a host of symptoms and, depending on the severity, can progress into a number of full blown so-called autoimmune diseases.

The treatment for these types of diseases involves doing one of two things: Either provoking the release and complete resolution of the latent pathogenic factor utilizing a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine, or re-establishing complete latency of the pathogenic factor so that it becomes dormant once again. These are two radically different treatment methods, utilizing opposite methods. The choice of which to follow depends on the strength of the person being treated, their age, and their willingness to follow one treatment course or another. Within the context of allopathic treatment methods, corticosteroids are often used to relieve systemic inflammation and ease symptoms in may of these disorders, especially those characterized by pain. This method re-establishes latency. Another popular treatment method is the use of immunosuppressant pharmaceuticals to relieve the symptoms. This method, though it can provide immediate relief, is the worst course to take, as it weakens the body directly and will ultimately lead to more severe disorders.

If you are interested in utilizing Chinese medicine to treat a divergent / autoimmune type disorder, you should see a classically trained licensed acupuncturist for complete evaluation.