Cognitive Science of Acupuncture & Qi（2）Understanding Qi & Reading Mind

As I pointed out in my previous article, cognitive scientists cannot study human mind scientifically. Mind is invisible and intangible. Scientitic approaches in physics, chemistry, biology, and math are not applicable at all.

Likewise, even well-experienced acupuncure doctors cannot define what Qi really is. They treat the patient's Qi. However, it does not mean that the acupuncture doctor takes away the patient's Qi from the body and return it to the patient.

Nevertheless, we know the fact that both mind and Qi have their unique nature, characteristics, and functions. Such traits of mind and Qi often reflect something visible.

Let's imagine this situation: You're walking on the street midnight. You find out something but cannot see it because it's very dark and no light. Although the target is invisble, you can hear sound and see the shadow when the target is exposed to moon light. Then, you will notice it's a cat.

By the way, recently I read an acupuncture magazine, 'Iddono-Nippon (meaning of the title, 'The Art of Japanese traditional Medicine')', Vol. 888, Sept., 2017 (The yellow book, center). This magaine inlcuded a special report that the editors had interviewed with 88 experienced acupuncture doctors.

What I learned from these interviews was that different doctors perceive Qi through acupuncture points or acupoints in different manners. While they have different styles of perceiving Qi, here is a common point: Almost all of them stated that an acupoint is a kind of the 'Gate' for Qi moving in and out of the body.

More interestingly, the acupunctor doctors must treat the acupoints very carefully because the parts of the body are extremely sensitive to Qi. In some cases, the patients will feel ill or become unhealthy if the doctors wrongly stimulate the acupoints.

According to the article on page 133 to 134, President Shinpu Fujimoto of Hokushinkai, one of the biggest Japanese acupuncture society, warned about how to deal with acupoints.

Also, Dr. Renpu Fujimoto, the author of the blue book (right), 'Taihyo-kansatsu-gaku (Diagnostic methods for observing the body surface)', explained that uneven distribution of bad Qi often reflect subtle changes and abnormalities on/under the skin. As the acupuncture doctors have more experience and improve diagnostic skills, they can notice such changes and abnormalties.

In other words, for acupuncture doctors, understanding of the pathogenesis and symptoms (caused by Qi) is far more crucial than understanding what Qi really is.

The same is true of cognitive scientists, especially NDM researchers. Our job is not to define what mind really is.

Rather, our job is to read minds of the experts in the fields: How they work their minds to make important judgments and decisions. In other words, we do investigate their processes of thinking, especially intuitive thinking.

Diagnosing uneven distribution of bas Qi is a job of the acupuncture doctor. Reading the expert's mind is a job of the NDM researcher.

My research has just begun!