Today, my paper was finally published online in the Journal of Integrative Medicine (JIM). This article took six months from submission to acceptance after review by three reviewers. Even during the proofreading stage after acceptance, it took nearly a month. During this time, the editor-in-chief unexpectedly made some “minor suggestions“ regarding the content of the paper. The whole process was not easy! According to the deputy editor of the journal, only 65 out of more than 3,000 submissions are accepted for publication each year, with a rejection rate of nearly 98%! If I had known that the review process for this journal would take so long and that the acceptance rate was so low, I probably would not have chosen to submit to this journal. After all, this paper, written for the sake of truth rather than for awards or promotions, is the crystallization of my wisdom and effort, and I cherish it like a precious treasure. How could I bear to let it suffer such twists and turns?
There is a saying in the TCM community: ”Scholars learn medicine as if catching chickens in a cage“. This means that in the past, as long as one could recognize Chinese characters and understand Chinese culture, learning TCM was very easy. Indeed, many people view TCM as culture, as a liberal art, rather than a science. For example, many believe that concepts like yin-yang balance and the unity of heaven and man are cultural categories, seemingly unrelated to the rigorous logic and quantitative precision of the natural sciences.
Today, my article was published, describing the birth of the first mathematical formula for the mechanism of TCM treatment of exogenous diseases! This formula tells you: TCM is actually a science!
When you argue with TCM skeptics, you can slam this formula on the table to silence them (of course, provided that the skeptics believe they understand science better than you), because the mathematical logic of the formula is indisputable. One formula can replace ten thousand words.
The inspiration for deriving this formula comes from the “host-pathogen interaction model” that I have been discussing for the past year or two, and the dialectical relationship between self-healing power and immunity that I have derived from this model.
Please refer to the previous article: In-depth Science Popularization: Is Stronger Immunity Always Better? Please like if you understand! I published a review paper on TCM treatment of COVID-19: proposing a theoretical model for TCM treatment of infectious diseases for the first time. This “host-pathogen interaction model” is a model recognized in the fields of infection and immunity in modern medicine. It is summarized from a large amount of clinical and research practice and is established knowledge. However, for various reasons, the mainstream academic community has not deeply explored the profound connotations of this model and has not paid attention to the dialectical relationship between self-healing power and immunity implied in the model. Therefore, although this model exists, the mainstream medical community still ignores the role of self-healing power and focuses mainly on controlling pathogens and immune regulation (please refer to the previous article on why the modern medical dictionary does not include “self-healing power”).
Inspired by TCM thinking, I discovered that this model contains the scientific principles of TCM treatment. Thus, I summarized the following key points:
1. When the host is infected by pathogens, an immune response occurs. The immune response is a double-edged sword, both inhibiting pathogens and causing harm to the host.
2. Therefore, in infectious diseases, the host suffers harm from two aspects: one is the harm caused by pathogens; the other is the harm caused by the host’s immune response to itself.
3. Where there is harm, there is disease. Disease arises from harm to the structure and function of the host.
4. Self-healing power is the main force for the body to control and repair damage. Therefore, self-healing power is the most direct and primary force for the body to recover from disease.
5. Self-healing power is equivalent to a country’s comprehensive national strength, which is the force for construction and repair; immunity is equivalent to a country’s defense force, which is the force for combat and destruction. Comprehensive national strength determines defense power; self-healing power determines immunity.
6. The best strategy for treating infectious diseases is: first, enhance self-healing power. Improve the host’s ability to control and repair damage; second, balance immunity. Immunity must be strong enough to inhibit and eliminate pathogens, but also restrained so that the damage it causes can be promptly repaired by self-healing power. Third, if possible, use drugs to kill and inhibit pathogens. However, these drugs should not have strong toxic side effects, as the essence of toxic side effects is to damage the body’s righteous qi/self-healing power.
7. The main principles of TCM treatment of infectious diseases corresponding to this model are: first, to support the righteous qi and eliminate pathogens. Supporting the righteous qi means enhancing the body’s righteous energy, that is, enhancing self-healing power; eliminating pathogens means removing pathological factors that hinder the function of self-healing power, which is essentially also enhancing righteous qi/self-healing power. The second is the balance of yin and yang. Regulating the balance of yin and yang is to adjust the stability of the system, to adjust homeostasis. In infectious diseases, the balance of yin and yang is more about regulating immune balance.
Alright, the key points of the model have been explained.
Now let’s see if this formula can accurately express the interrelationships of various factors in this model.
The derivation process of the formula is as follows (since some mathematical symbols cannot be inserted into the article, I have textually processed the formula):
First, we define the health status of the human body H (health) as the ratio of the body’s self-healing power S (self-healing) to the damage suffered D (damage), formula (1): H=S/D
Damage includes damage caused by pathogens Dp (damage by pathogen) and damage caused by the immune response Di (damage by immune response), formula (2): D=Dp+Di
From formulas (1) and (2), we obtain formula (3): H=S/(Dp+Di)
Since Di is positively correlated with the immune response I, so formula (4): Di=Ki*I (Ki is the immune response coefficient)
Since Dp is positively correlated with pathogens P and negatively correlated with the immune response I, so formula (5): Dp=（Kd*P）/（Ki*I） (Kd is the pathogen coefficient)
From formulas (3), (4) and (5), we derive formula (6): H=S/(Ki*I+Kd*P/Ki*I)
For qualitative analysis, we can omit the coefficients, and formula (6) can be simplified to (7): H=S/(I+P/I)
Through formula (7), we can qualitatively analyze the relationships of various variables in the formula.
1. S is positively correlated with H. Therefore, enhancing S is the most direct and effective means of medical intervention and should be a primary consideration.
2. P is partially negatively correlated with H. The impact of P on H is constrained by S and I, so whether P increases or decreases, its impact on H is limited. Therefore, inhibiting pathogen P’s impact on health H is far less effective than enhancing self-healing power S. This directly proves that the Western medicine strategy of combating pathogens is not as effective as TCM’s strategy of enhancing self-healing power. Of course, if P is very large, then (I+P/I) will also be very large, and thus H will become small. This indicates that if the pathogen is very strong (high toxicity, large quantity), it will cause severe harm to the host. For example, some virulent infectious diseases and plagues, such as the plague, smallpox, and even the SARS virus and early COVID-19 virus. At this time, treatment needs to be multifaceted: enhance S, inhibit P, and balance I to achieve good therapeutic effects.
3. I has a non-linear complex relationship with H. From the formula, it can be seen that whether I increases or decreases, the impact on (I+P/I) is uncertain. Mathematically, we can analyze the effect of changes in I on (I+P/I) by taking derivatives. For specific derivation, please refer to the paper. Here, for simplicity, we only analyze the situation when I becomes infinitely large or infinitely small.
When I is infinitely large: P/I approaches 0, (I+P/I) approaches infinity, thus H approaches 0. This indicates that when the immune response is too strong, although it suppresses the pathogen, the host suffers damage from the immune response, leading to disease or even death. When I is infinitely small: P/I approaches infinity, (I+P/I) also approaches infinity, thus H approaches 0. This indicates that when the immune response is too weak, it cannot control the pathogen, and the host also suffers damage from the pathogen, leading to disease or even death.
From the above derivation, it can be seen that immunity must be balanced; it cannot be too strong or too weak. It must suppress pathogens while reducing harm to the host.
In summary, this formula accurately and perfectly expresses the mathematical relationships among the health status of the host (H), self-healing power (S), immunity (I), and pathogens (P). This is the first mathematical formula describing the “host-pathogen interaction model” and also the first formula revealing the principles of TCM treatment of exogenous pathogens.
Using this formula, we can clearly explain several outcomes of the host-pathogen interaction:
|
Can self-healing power repair damage? |
Can immunity eliminate pathogens? |
Possible outcomes of infection |
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Yes, then H>1: The host has no disease symptoms or recovers from the infection. |
Yes, then P=0, H=S/I>1:
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Self-healing power repairs damage, and immunity eliminates pathogens. The host recovers from the infection. |
|
No, then P>0, H=S/(I+I/P)>1 |
Self-healing power repairs damage, but immunity does not eliminate pathogens, and the host becomes an asymptomatic carrier. |
|
|
No, then H<1: The host exhibits disease symptoms. |
Yes, then P=0, H=S/I<1
|
Self-healing power fails to repair damage, but immunity eliminates pathogens, and the host becomes a patient with post-infection sequelae. |
|
No, then P>0, H=S/(I+P/I)<1 |
Self-healing power cannot repair damage, and immunity cannot eliminate pathogens. The host is continuously infected and harmed, remaining in a state of disease. |
Conclusion:
Before this formula, the interaction between the host and pathogens, the dialectical relationship between self-healing power and immunity, and the scientific principles of TCM treatment of infectious diseases could only be described using language and schematic diagrams. These descriptions often miss the point, are unclear, ambiguous, and vague. Mathematical formulas are the most beautiful language of science; one formula is worth a thousand words. It succinctly completes a comprehensive and precise description of these complex relationships and principles.
This formula tells us that the treatment of infectious diseases can be approached from three directions: enhancing self-healing power, balancing immunity, and inhibiting pathogens. TCM focuses on the first two, centering on the regulation of the host; while Western medicine emphasizes the third, centering on combating pathogens. The direction of integrative medicine development is to organically combine the three under the guidance of TCM’s holistic view to maximize therapeutic effects and patient benefits. This formula also establishes the basic principle of treatment, which is that one should not harm self-healing power while inhibiting pathogens. Therefore, those drugs that can kill pathogens but have toxic side effects on the body need to be used with caution.
If you understand the Shang Han Lun, you will find that thousands of years ago, TCM was already treating diseases according to the principles embodied in this formula. It not only has principles but also methods and medicines. Now, the principles of Shang Han Lun finally have a mathematical expression. This formula gives undeniable scientific validity to Shang Han Lun and TCM through modern scientific mathematical logic. This is the confidence and significance of my modern interpretation of Shang Han Lun.
