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  CALee Acupuncture Age-Related Hypertension — Part 5 Where Do the Two Systems Diverge? Throughout this series, we have examined age-related hypertension through two fundamentally different perspectives. Modern medicine measures: arterial stiffness endothelial function autonomic regulation and works to normalize these through measurable values. Classical Medicine observes: the weakening of foundational regulation the loss of balance in upward-moving activity and attempts to restore that balance. The difference between these approaches is not merely methodological. It begins at a more fundamental level. What Modern Medicine Asks Modern medicine asks: “What is wrong?” This question divides the body into: normal abnormal 140 mmHg is abnormal. 130 mmHg is normal. Treatment, then, is the act of returning the abnormal to normal. Within this framework, aging can be understood as a form of dysfunction— a deviation to be corrected. This approach is powerful. It is:...

CALee Acupuncture Age-Related Hypertension — Part 4 How Does Modern Research Evaluate This Formula? In the previous parts, we explored how Tianma Gouteng Yin is designed not simply to lower blood pressure, but to restore regulatory balance within the body. So how does modern research evaluate a formula built on that premise? What Clinical Studies Report A number of clinical studies suggest that Tianma Gouteng Yin may influence both blood pressure control and symptom improvement in patients with hypertension . In combination therapy studies, when the formula is added to standard antihypertensive medications , there is often a greater reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to medication alone. Some studies report overall response rates in the range of 85–90% (Xiong et al., 2015). Beyond numerical changes, improvements have also been reported in symptoms such as: dizziness headache tinnitus insomnia This is a notable point. These symptoms often persist even af...

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) ...

  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 b...

  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 ...