https://blog.caleeacu.com/

CALee Acupuncture Age-Related Hypertension — Part 3 Tianma Gouteng Yin: A Formula Aimed at Balance, Not Just Numbers In Part 2, we explored how Classical Medicine views age-related hypertension not as a problem of blood pressure itself, but as a condition in which the body’s foundational regulatory capacity weakens, allowing upward-moving forces to become insufficiently controlled. From this perspective, how is a treatment formula constructed? Looking Beyond Individual Herbs Tianma Gouteng Yin is one of the most frequently referenced formulas in Classical Medicine for this pattern. To understand this formula, it is less useful to list each herb individually and more meaningful to examine the treatment strategies operating simultaneously within it . This formula is not a collection of isolated actions. It is a structured system in which multiple therapeutic directions are applied at once. Composition of the Formula Tianma Gouteng Yin consists of: Gastrodia elata (Tianma) Unc...

  CALee Acupuncture Age-Related Hypertension — Part 2 Classical Medicine does not measure blood pressure. So what does it observe? In Part 1, we explored how modern medicine understands age-related hypertension as a condition shaped by arterial stiffness, endothelial dysfunction, and changes in autonomic regulation. Yet in clinical practice, all of these complexities ultimately converge into a single target: a number. Classical Medicine does not measure that number. It developed in a time before blood pressure monitors existed. So what, then, does it observe? The Same Patient, A Different Question If modern medicine asks, “What is the blood pressure?” Classical Medicine asks, “What process is unfolding within this person right now?” Let us revisit the symptoms often reported by elderly patients with hypertension: Dizziness Headache Facial flushing Tinnitus Insomnia Irritability In modern medicine, these are often considered secondary effects— symptoms expected to improve once blood...

  CALee Acupuncture Age-Related Hypertension — Part 1 When blood pressure returns to normal, has the person truly become healthy? Approximately 70% of individuals over the age of 65 are diagnosed with hypertension . Blood pressure is classified as hypertensive when systolic pressure exceeds 140 mmHg or diastolic pressure exceeds 90 mmHg. In older adults, a specific pattern known as isolated systolic hypertension is especially common—where only the systolic value is elevated. This pattern is closely associated with structural changes in blood vessels that occur with aging (Franklin et al., 2001). Why Does Aging Raise Blood Pressure? As aging progresses, the composition of the arterial wall changes. Elastin decreases, and collagen increases. As a result, the elasticity of blood vessels declines. Even when the heart pumps with the same force, the pressure is no longer absorbed effectively—it is transmitted directly through the arterial system. This phenomenon is known as arterial sti...

CALee Acupuncture Beginning the Series on Age-Related Conditions When the numbers return to normal, has the person truly become healthy? From Previous Series to This One So far, this blog has explored multiple ways of understanding Traditional Asian Medicine through its classical frameworks and diagnostic logic. We examined: The tonification and sedation principles of Saam acupuncture The prescription structures of constitutional medicine The generative and controlling relationships of the Five Phases The combinatory logic of herbal formulations These explorations were meaningful in understanding the philosophical structure and diagnostic reasoning embedded within traditional medicine. 🎯 Oriental Medicine: Principles & Insights 🎯 Korean Acupuncture (K-Acupuncture) 🎯 Korean Herbal Formulation A Question That Kept Returning Yet in clinical practice, one question repeatedly emerged: How do these theories actually operate in front of a real patient? Especially in elderly patients—t...

CALee Acupuncture Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 18] Wind-Damp Pain – Da Qiang Huo Tang and Ma Huang Xing Ren Gan Cao Tang Part 2: External Invaders – The Six Climatic Influences (六氣) and Methods of Defense Sub-Part 2.3: Sticky Dampness – Damp Pathogenic Influence (濕邪) Lecture 16: Wind-Damp Pain – Da Qiang Huo Tang and Ma Huang Xing Ren Gan Cao Tang In the previous lecture, we examined the region-specific herbs used to remove dampness from the body. In this lecture, we analyze how these herbs are combined to treat severe pain caused by the simultaneous invasion of wind (風) and dampness (濕), through two representative formulas. 1. Wind-Damp Binding (風濕相搏) In herbal medicine, pain caused by wind-damp occurs when the mobile nature of wind and the heavy, lingering nature of dampness combine and obstruct the meridians . Nature of wind: mobility; pain does not remain fixed Nature of dampness: heaviness, swelling, stiffness Therefore, the pain may shift from place to place...

  CALee Acupuncture 한국 방제학 [18 편] '풍습'으로 인한 통증 – 대강활탕, 마황행인감초탕 Part 2: 외부 침입자들 – 육기(六氣)의 공격과 방어법 Sub-Part 2.3: 끈적이는 습기, 습사(濕邪) 16강: '풍습'으로 인한 통증 – 대강활탕, 마황행인감초탕 지난 시간에는 우리 몸의 습기를 부위별로 제거하는 본초들의 역할을 살펴보았습니다. 이번 시간에는 이 약재들이 조합되어, 풍(風)과 습(濕)이 함께 침범하여 발생하는 통증을 어떻게 치료하는지 두 가지 대표 처방을 통해 정리해보겠습니다. 1. 풍습상박(風濕相搏): 바람과 습기가 엉길 때 한의학에서 풍습으로 인한 통증은 풍의 성질과 습의 성질이 서로 얽히면서 경락의 흐름을 막아 발생합니다. 풍의 성질: 이동성, 통증 부위가 고정되지 않음 습의 성질: 무거움, 부종, 둔하고 뻣뻣한 느낌 따라서 통증이 이리저리 옮겨 다니면서도 몸이 무겁고 붓는 증상이 함께 나타나는 것이 특징입니다. 2. 사지 관절이 붓고 굳을 때 – 대강활탕(大羌活湯) 전신이 붓고, 관절 마디마디가 부어 굽히고 펴기조차 힘든 상태에서 사용하는 처방입니다. ▣ 주요 증상 풍습사로 인해 사지 관절이 붓고 통증이 심함 굴신 불능(屈伸不能) 상태 ▣ 처방 구성의 논리 강활·독활·방풍 : 상하로 퍼진 풍습을 제거 승마 : 약력을 위로 끌어올려 상체의 흐름을 돕는 역할 백출·복령·택사 : 체내 습기를 배출하여 부종 감소 ▣ 핵심 원리 표의 풍습을 흩어내면서, 내부의 습기를 소변을 통해 배출하여 전신 관절통을 해결합니다. 3. 전신 몸살과 오후 악화 – 마황행인감초탕(麻杏薏甘湯) 전신이 쑤시고 아프며, 특히 오후나 해 질 무렵 증상이 심해질 때 사용하는 처방입니다. ▣ 주요 증상 풍습으로 인한 전신 통증 몸을 돌려 눕기 어려울 정도의 통증(轉側不能) 일포(日晡, 오후 3~5시경)에 악화 ▣ 핵심 약재와 역할 마황 : 표에 머...

  CALee Acupuncture Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 17] The Damp-Removing Specialists – Qiang Huo, Cang Zhu, Fu Ling (Materia Medica Edition) Part 2: External Invaders – The Six Climatic Influences (六氣) and Defensive Strategies Sub-Part 2.3: Sticky Dampness – Damp Pathogenic Influence (濕邪) Lecture 15: The Damp-Removing Specialists – Qiang Huo , Cang Zhu , Fu Ling In the previous lecture, we examined the heavy, sluggish symptoms that appear when dampness enters the body, and we distinguished between internal and external dampness. Because dampness is sticky and lingering—clinging tightly and resisting removal—we need the help of specialized “damp-removing experts” (materia medica) that act according to body region. In Korean herbal medicine , herbs are strictly differentiated based on where dampness is lodged in the body—Upper (Shang Jiao), Middle (Zhong Jiao), or Lower (Xia Jiao). 1. Removing Dampness from the Upper Body (Upper Jiao): Qiang Huo & Cang Zhu When ...

  CALee Acupuncture 한국 방제학 [17편] 습 제거 전문가들 – 강활, 창출, 복령 등 (본초 편) Part 2: 외부 침입자들 – 육기(六氣)의 공격과 방어법 Sub-Part 2.3: 끈적이는 습기, 습사(濕邪) 15강: 습 제거 전문가들 – 강활, 창출, 복령 등 (본초 편) 지난 14강에서는 습기가 우리 몸에 쌓였을 때 나타나는 무거움, 부종, 소화 장애 등의 증상과, **내습(內濕)**과 **외습(外濕)**의 차이를 구분하는 기준을 살펴보았습니다. 습사는 끈적하게 달라붙어 쉽게 떨어지지 않는 특성이 있습니다. 따라서 이를 제거하기 위해서는 단순히 한 가지 약이 아니라, **부위와 병위에 따라 특화된 본초(本草)**를 선택해야 합니다. 한의학에서는 습기가 상초·중초·하초 어느 부위에 머무는지에 따라 사용하는 약재를 구분합니다. 1. 상초(上焦)의 습기 제거 – 강활 & 창출 어깨와 등이 무겁고 뻣뻣하며, 비가 오면 온몸이 쑤시는 증상은 주로 상초 에 습기가 머물렀을 때 나타납니다. ▪ 강활(羌活) 기운이 웅장하고 발산력이 강한 약재입니다. 특히 족태양방광경에 작용하여 등·어깨·후두부의 풍습을 제거 하고, 전신 통증을 완화하는 데 효과적입니다. ▪ 창출(蒼朮) 습기를 말려버리는 대표적인 약재입니다. 비위의 습을 건조시키고, 상체에 정체된 습으로 인해 몸이 무겁고 개운하지 않을 때 강활과 함께 사용됩니다. → 상체가 무겁고 몸살처럼 쑤시는 경우, 강활과 창출이 기본 축이 됩니다. 2. 중초(中焦)의 습기 제거 – 복령 & 택사 배가 더부룩하고 설사를 하거나, 몸이 붓는 증상은 중초의 수분 대사 기능이 저하 되었을 때 나타납니다. ▪ 복령(茯苓) 습기를 아래로 끌어내려 소변으로 배출시키는 이수(利水) 작용의 핵심 약재입니다. 비위를 도우면서도 불필요한 수분을 정리해 주어, 몸을 가볍게 합니다. ▪ 택사(澤瀉) 복령과 함께 사용되어 중초의 습기를 제거합니다. 특히...

  CALee Acupuncture Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 16] When Dampness Accumulates in the Body – Understanding Damp Pathogenic Influence Part 2: External Invaders – The Six Climatic Factors and Defensive Strategies Sub-Part 2.3: Sticky Dampness – Damp Pathogenic Influence (濕邪) Lecture 14: When Dampness Accumulates – Symptoms and the Distinction Between Internal and External Dampness In the previous lecture, we explored Cold pathogenic influence (寒邪) and its treatment principles. From this session onward, we turn to another Yin-type pathogenic factor among the Six Climatic Influences : Dampness (濕邪) . Unlike cold, which constricts and freezes, dampness behaves like a sticky marsh—it slows circulation, weighs the body down, and causes illness to linger. 1. What Is Damp Pathogenic Influence (濕邪)? Dampness refers to excessive moisture from the natural environment or internal metabolic dysfunction that disrupts normal physiological processes. Its defining characteristi...