Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced in China for over 47 centuries based on the conceptual theory of Qi. Today, TCM is included in the national health care systems of major countries in East Asia, but still in back alleys in North America and Western Europe—for its lack of scientific bases. In July 2018, this author began to develop the theory of Chee in scientific language and mathematical format. (Chee is coined to differentiate with Qi.) The theory was presented in four international symposiums and published in a medical journal during 2022-2023. Recently, all postulates of the theory of Chee, including the canonical biomarker Chee, were empirically validated and partially published. This paper updates and summarizes empirical validation on the theory of Chee, STCM, and the biomarker Chee, as well as their implications on biology, physiology, medicine, etc. for humans and other vertebrates. Experimental validation of the canonical biomarker Chee and the theory of Chee were successfully conducted. Significant implications to physiology, medical diagnoses, and therapy for humans and other vertebrates are envisioned. It is recommended that external validations be conducted, especially in countries which operate electrical power supply at 50 Hz.

Abbreviations

AD: Anno Domini; BC: Before Christ; BC: Biochemical; CNS: Central Nervous System; dB: Decibel; dbm: Decibel-Milli Watts; ECG: Electrocardiogram or Electrocardiograph; EEG: Electroencephalograph; EKG: Electrocardiogram; EM: Electromagnetic; FFT: Fast Fourier Transform; Hz: Hertz; ME: Mechanic; MΩ: Mega Ohm; m/sec: meter/second; µV: Micro-volt; mV: millivolt; mV/div: millivolt/division; ns: Nano second; NCCIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health; NIH: National Institute of Health; STCM: Scientific TCM; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; TH: Thermal; Watt/m2 : Watt/square-meter

Keywords

Traditional Chinese Medicine; TCM; Chee, theory of Chee; Biomarker; Scientific TCM, STCM, Field equation; Qi, Qi therapy; Biology; Physiology; Diagnosis; Medicine; Jing Luo; Shua

Introduction

Since 1990, healthcare systems in developed nations have been degrading, with rising costs, rampant chronic diseases, and aging demographics. In response, governments and private sectors have been seeking solutions from untapped fields. Notably, in 1991 the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) took the first step in creating today’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). A major focus has been the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Today, TCM is included in the national health care systems of major countries in East Asia, used by 60-75% of the population [1- 2]. TCM is also used in the Russian Federation and countries of the former Soviet Union [3-5]. However, in North America and Western Europe, TCM operations are still mostly in back alleys with meager annual sales of $163 Billion in 2023. TCM’s dilemma is rooted not only in its failure to meet the standards of evidence-based modern medicine, but also in its lack of support from modern physiology.

Nevertheless, TCM has been a pseudo-evidence-based medicine practiced in China for the past 47 centuries with remarkable success. It is based on the conceptual theory of Qi (or chi) (phonetic translation for the Chinese words “氣”) with the central theme that the vitality of human body relies on adequate Qi continuously circulating and permeating throughout the entire body. Since 1800 AD TCM has been declining due to its inability to modernize like the Western medicine, which has been able to ride on historical advances in science/technology and several industrial revolutions. After World War II, TCM slowly began its first step in modernization, as reflected by the book of Guo in 1963 [6]. While the World Health Organization had a well-thought-out project to standardize TCM terminologies, leading to an eBook in 2022 [7], the voluminous book contains mostly ineffective transliterations. Currently, a journal is organizing a special issue on standardization of TCM’s terminologies, instrumentations, and procedures.

This author’s research in TCM formally started in July 2018, inspired by the discovery of a new human organ named “Interstitium” [8], which resonated throughout the media, claiming broad implications for all organs, most tissues, and the mechanisms of most major diseases. The scientific theory of Chee and its field equations were formulated by following the pioneering footsteps of Albert Einstein in creating the theory of relativity [9] and Julius Stratton in consummating macroscopic electromagnetic (EM) theory [10]. For clarity, the word “Chee” was coined to differentiate from the commonly used “Qi” and “chi”. The work also leveraged this author’s experience in numerical computations and EM measurements [11,12], which provided this author with the confidence to begin distilling and synthesizing TCM procedures, one by one, to metamorphose TCM to Scientific TCM (STCM). The results were presented in international IEEE symposiums [13-16] and published in a medical journal during 2022-2023 [17,18].

As for testing Chee, it is worth pointing out that the TCM community never had a clear definition for Qi [19]. From 1978 to 1999, a large number of experts and scholars in China tested, by using an oscilloscope, the external Qi of qigong; i.e., the electrical signals (ES) released from human practitioners [20]. Perhaps due to the ambiguity of Qi, this large endeavor concluded that “a type of discharged electromagnetic field (EMF), with a frequency of approximately 0.3- 200 MHz, was recorded.”

Our empiric validation of the canonical biomarker Chee was successfully conducted from November 2024 to this date, with key results published [21-23]. This paper summarizes and updates the results and their implications to biology, physiology, medicine, therapy, etc. for humans and other vertebrates, beginning with a brief review on the macroscopic field equations for Chee.

Macroscopic Field Equations for Chee

The macroscopic field equation for Chee begins with defining the general macroscopic problem of interest, as follows. A live human body occupying a subspace H, which may be stimulated or explored by an applicator or instrument. The environments exterior to the human body is generally: temperature between 1º C and 45º C, atmospheric pressure 700-800 mm Hg, and oxygen level 14-24%. The sources are either external or internal, denoted by JE and JI, where JE is generated by applicator/instrument and J^I is by the human body. Chee in the field equations is denoted by the Greek alphabet χ. Thus, total Chee is denoted by χ^T(r,t), where r is the position vector for the location of the field and t is time [11]. Total Chee, denoted by χ^T, contains electromagnetic (EM), mechanical (ME), thermal (TH), and biochemical (BC) components denoted by χ^EM, χ^ME, χ^TH, χ^BC, respectively. χ^T is a function, denoted by Ƭ, given by

χ^T (r, t) = Ƭ [χ^EM (r, t), χ^ME(r, t), χ^TH(r, t), χ^BC(r, t)]               [1]

Note that each χ in Eq. (1) is in the time domain thus italicized. Numerical solution of vector field equations in the time domain is generally difficult and costly, thus often performed in the frequency domain. By Fourier Transform (FT), Eq. (1) can be transformed to the frequency domain as

χ^T (r, ⍵) = Ƭ [χ^EM (r, ⍵), χ^ME (r, ⍵), χ^TH(r, ⍵), χ^BC(r, ⍵)]             [2]

Where ⍵=2 , and f is the frequency. In Eq. (2), each χ is in the frequency domain thus not italicized. This new scientific theory of Chee and its field equations are created like Julius Stratton for his EM theory: “Eventually, the field vectors must be defined in terms of the experiments by which they can be measured. Until these experiments are formulated, there is no reason to consider one vector more fundamental than another, and we shall apply the word intensity to mean indiscriminately the strength or magnitude of any of the four vectors at a point in space and time” [10] pp.1-2.

It is also enlightening to cite the lucid remarks by Albert Einstein on the experimental confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity” [9] p.133.

“From a systematic theoretical point of view, we may imagine the process of evolution of an empirical science to be a continuous process of induction. Theories are evolved and expressed in short compass as statements of a large number of individual observations in the form of empirical laws, from which the general laws can be ascertained by comparison. Regarded in this way, the development of a science bears some resemblance to the compilation of a classified catalogue. It is, as it were, a purely empirical enterprise....

Corresponding to the same complex [sic] of empirical data, there may be several theories... As an example, a case of general interest is available in the province of biology, in the Darwinian theory of species by selection in the struggle for existence, and in the theory of development which is based on the hypothesis of the hereditary transmission of acquired characters. We have another instance of far-reaching agreement between the deductions from two theories in Newtonian mechanics on the one hand, and on the general theory of relativity on the other…..”

Validation of the Canonical Biomarker Chee

Our method of attack on validation of the canonical biomarker Chee began with a closer look into the EM component of Chee, χ^EM. Chee is likely miniscule in magnitude in view of the difficulties encountered by the large China team working over two decades [20]. Its frequency should be below 200 Hz as it is the vectorial sum of emissions from a cluster of neurons, each of which emit EM signals within 0.1-200 Hz and since the human body per se contains no nonlinear materials to cause frequency multiplying. And luck was also on our side as our 1992 HP two-channel oscilloscope 5420A covered the frequency range of DC (0 Hz) to 500 MHz. (Most oscilloscopes produced before 2000 cover frequencies no lower than 10 MHz, 1 MHz, or several KHz).

To catch the EM component of Chee, we set up the time scale for signals within 1-200 Hz range and placed the current probe on the human skin. We soon captured a robust and consistent signal on the entire surface of the human body on 25 November 2024 [21]. Thus, the existence of Chee consistent with the theory of Chee was empirically detected—for the first time—with instrumentation meeting the standards of modern science.

Within a week, considerable amounts of data were generated for Chee. We began to acquire a number of new oscilloscopes, from fullsize 4-channel models to portable 2-channel models and to minimodels, for verification and calibration of the data as well as for other considerations. These oscilloscopes generally can display both timedomain waveform and, via Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), power intensity in the frequency domain. Figure 1 shows an oscilloscope screen displaying EM Chee in time domain (20.0 mV at level “1” over 16.75 ms) and “freq=59.7 Hz.” Note that the signal level of Chee is robust; displaying 4 pulses about 40 mV high, with interfering signals approximately 5 mV in strength. The signal strength is about 1,000 times higher than the signal picked up using a tungsten probe invasively at the axon of a single neuron in microneurography, which is ~20 µV peak-to-peak or lower [24].

Figure 1: Oscilloscope screen displaying EM Chee in time domain (20.0 mV at level “1” over 16.75ms) and “freq=59.7 Hz.”

The large amount of Chee data collected revealed that they were all centered at 60.0 Hz, such as the “freq=59.7 Hz” reading on the screen in figure 1. Further study led to the discovery that our Chee data originated from the wireless stimuli from the power supply cables around the human under test. (The electric utilities in North America, where our laboratory is located, are universally at 60 Hz, but 50 Hz in most other countries). Therefore, the data were “modulated biomarker” Chee, and appeared to be essentially amplitude modulated, as reported in [22,23]. Due to the low frequency, Chee can be conveniently modeled as quasistatic fields.

Modulated biomarkers are very common in biological systems, which are much more complex than non-biological systems. In fact, most biological processes are regulated dynamically; and the levels of various molecules can fluctuate in response to different stimuli. These fluctuations can serve as biomarkers, indicating normal or abnormal processes. Biomarkers can be influenced by a variety of factors, including environmental exposures, disease states, therapeutic interventions, etc. One of the most notorious modulated biomarkers is Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in urology for detecting prostate cancer. Knowing that TCM has long been applied to veteranian medicine, including many vertebrates such as birds, snakes, fish, horses, cattle’s, etc. from the beginning days of TCM, we were not surprised to find, in our tests, that a 10-lb cat has readings similar to those of an adult male human.

Measurements on the ME component of Chee, χ^ME, employed a sound level meter with backlight display measuring over 30dB130dB. As shown in figure 2, the sound level meter is mounted on a tripod positioned near a human under test in the anechoic chamber. The detected signal is processed and then transmitted to a computer outside the chamber via a long USB cable.

Figure 2: Sound level meter mounted on a tripod and connected to a computer via USB cable.

On the PC, the sound from the blood circulatory system, which is generally 1 to 3 Hz since the pulse rate 60 to 180 per minute, can be filtered out after FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) processing. Sound noises coming into the anechoic chamber through its floor and sidewalls can also be eliminated in the spectral domain. The passing trains on the railroad about ⅓ mile away from our site are avoided when their schedules are fairly regular and known to the public in advance. We also think the ME component of modulated Chee (around 60 Hz) can be further differentiated from these noises.

Measurements on the TH component of Chee were made using a Thermal Imaging Camera, USB-connected to a smart phone, as shown in figure 3. This test is likely useful in clinical settings.

Figure 3: Thermal Imaging Camera USB connected to a smart phone.

The BC component of Chee is transported in interstitium and the blood stream. We are evaluating various entry points’ options for testing. At present the accuracies of testing on the ME, TH, and BC components are much lower than those for the EM component due to instrumentation limitations and environmental noises, among others.

The Theory of Chee-After Validation of Chee

The theory of Chee, after the validation of Chee, has led to the validation of the following theories.

Theory of Jing Luo

Jing Luo is the phonetic translation of the Chinese word 經絡 , meaning meridians or networks, serving as pathways (or channels) for the transport of Chee. Major thoroughfares for Chee transport include Jing Luo, as well described by Guo [6], which appears to be the only book that used the vector sign in Jing Luo to display the vectorial characteristic of Chee. There are fourteen (14) main networks and eight (8) secondary networks, distributed mostly below the dermis layer of the skin and with right-left symmetry. Each Jing Luo connects, directly or indirectly, the central nervous system (CNS) (including brain and spine) with an internal organ and ending (or starting) at the tip of a finger or toe, as shown in figure 4 for the right side and the center of the body [25]. Not shown are the Jing Luo’s on the left side which is symmetrical to Jin Luo on the right side. Jin refers to parts that are generally vertical, deeper, and larger effective diameter; Luo refers to parts that are generally horizontal, shallower, and smaller in effective diameter.

Figure 4: TCM Jing Luo: 14 main networks, Shua’s and a table of legends.

Our limited preliminary measurements also enable us to see TCM’s Jing Luo’s (networks), such as figure 4, looming as treasure maps for neuroscience. Specifically, each Jing Luo is between brain and bodily organs or the world outside human body-thus matches the definition of either interoception or in neuroscience. To understand the maps of Jing Luo, it helps to know that the descriptive title of Jin Luo follows the convention shown by the flow chart in figure 5. In this convention, the title invariably starts with the word “hand” or “foot,” next the word “Ying” or “Yang,” and ends with a bodily organ.

Figure 5: Flow chart for Jin Luo’s descriptive title.

An example “Hand yang large intestine Jing” is shown in figure 6, in which “Hand” is the starting point. The direction of Chee flow is upward (the arrow sign); thus Yang. The end is the organ “large intestine.”(The full title has a word on the strength of Ying and Yang, which is sometimes ignored for simplicity, as in this case). Another example “Foot yin liver Jing flow network” is shown in figure 7, in which “Foot” is the starting point. As discussed earlier, to the best of our knowledge, TCM books are vague on the vectorial characteristic of chi and Jing Luo-except the book by Guo [6], which uses arrow signs to indicate the direction of the vector, as in figures 4,6,7.

Figure 6: Hand yang large intestine Jing flow network.

Figure 7: Foot yin liver Jing flow network.

Theory of Shua

Acupuncture points, called Shua (Chinese word “ 穴”), and are located along Jing Luo. There are over 2000 Shua’s, which regulate and optimize Chee under the top command of the brain, shown in figure 8 as black colored dots for the right side and the center of the body. Major Shua’s have direct fast links to one another, to specific organs, and to specific parts of the brain. There are super-Shua’s that can generate a powerful signal that mimics distributions or generalized functions [11,26].

Figure 8: Anatomical sketch of Shua.

Acupuncture points, also known as acupoints, are specific locations on the body that are targeted in acupuncture and acupressure treatments. These points are believed to be where Chee flows and can be accessed to influence the body's power pathways, or meridians. By stimulating these points, practitioners aim to regulate Qi flow, promoting healing, pain relief, and overall well-being.

Implications on Biology, Physiology, Medicine, etc. For Humans and Other Vertebrates

As discussed earlier, TCM lacks support from modern physiology. Consequently, the newly validated biomarker Chee and the theory of Chee are now looming like an iceberg that would impact biology, physiology, and medicine for humans and other vertebrates. Since TCM has been practiced and refined in China for a long time of 47 centuries with remarkable success, the size of this iceberg is conceivably paramount. The implications can be highlighted in the famous words of Issac Newton:

“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, diverting myself in now and then finding a brighter colored pebble or shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

Most historians commented that this quote acknowledged the vastness of undiscovered truth. In this research, this author envisions the vastness of undiscovered truth in TCM built up over 47 centuries.

Concluding Remarks

Experimental validation of the canonical biomarker Chee and the theory of Chee were successfully conducted. Significant implications to physiology, medical diagnoses, and therapy for humans and other vertebrates are envisioned. It is recommended that external validations be conducted, especially in countries which operate electrical power supply at 50 Hz.

References

1. Cheung F (2011) TCM: Made in China. Nature 480: S82-S83. [Ref.]
2. Park HL, Lee HS, Shin BC, Liu JP, Shang Q, et al. (2012) Traditional Medicine in China, Korea, and Japan: A Brief Introduction and Comparison. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2012: 429103. [Ref.]
3. Novikov YO, Akopyan AP, Gerasimova LP, Letzkus P (2024) Restorative capability of traditional Chinese medicine in autoimmune diseases of nervous system: a literature review. Vopr Kurortol Fizioter Lech Fiz Kult 101: 64-70. [Ref.]
4. Ignashov AY, Deng B, Kuzmin IV, Slesarevskaya MN (2018) Methods of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Urologiia 134-137. [Ref.]
5. Gasmi A, Tippairote T, Mujawdiya PK, Menzel A, Lysiuk R, et al. (2024) Traditional Chinese Medicine as the Preventive and Therapeutic Remedy for COVID-19. Curr Med Chem 31: 3118-3131. [Ref.]
6. Guo JL (1988) Treatise on Practical Chinese Acupuncture, hyperthermia, Jing Luò, and Chee Cavity. 6th Edition. Tson Wen Book Company, Taipei.
7. World Health Organization (2022) WHO international standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine. [Ref.]
8. Benias PC, Wells RG, Aboagye BS, Klavan H, Reidy J, et al. (2018) Structure and distribution of an unrecognized Interstitium in human tissues. Sci Rep 8: 4947.[Ref.]
9. Einstein A (1920) Relativity—The Special and the General Theory. Henry Holt, United States. [Ref.]
10. Stratton JA (1941) Electromagnetic Theory. McGraw-Hill, United States. [Ref.]
11. Wang JJH (1991) Generalized Moment Methods in Electromagnetics- Formulation and Computer Solution of Integral Equations, Wiley. [Ref.]
12. Wang JJH (1988) An examination of the theory and practices of planar near-field measurement. IEEE Trans Antennas & Prop 36: 746-753. [Ref.]
13. Wang JJH (2022) Theory and applications in biomedical engineering after discovering a new human organ “interstitium.” Internat Symp IEEE MTT-S IMBioC. [Ref.]
14. Wang JJH (2022) The Theory of Chee that Transformed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into Scientific TCM. Internat Symp on Antennas and Propag. [Ref.]
15. Wang JJH (2022) Validation, Instrumentation and Procedures in Scientific Traditional Chinese Medicine (STCM). Internat Symp on Antennas and Propag. [Ref.]
16. Wang JJH (2023) Metamorphosis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into Scientific TCM (STCM)-New Visions and Principles for Human Physiology and Medicine. Internat Symp on Antennas and Propag. [Ref.]
17. Wang JJH (2022) Theory and applications in biomedical engineering after discovering a new human organ “interstitium.” J Clin Trials 12: 20. [Ref.]
18. Wang JJH (2023) Scientific Theory of Chee and its New Principles and Visions for Physiology, Medicine and Healthcare. J Clin Trials 13: 534. [Ref.]
19. Flowers J (2006) What is qi? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 3: 551-552. [Ref.]
20. Zheng Y, Zhang H, Yip K, Zheng Z, Yang S (2016) Preliminary measurement of electromagnetic fields and microdischarges from the human body. Altern Ther Health Med 22: 20-31. [Ref.]
21. Wang JJH (2025) Validation of theory of Chee and characterization of biomarker Chee for Traditional Chinese Medicine-on a trajectory converging with modern medicine-bringing new Concepts in physiology, diagnosis, therapy, and Whole-body Health. J Clin Case Stu 10: 1-6. [Ref.]
22. Wang JJH (2025) Empiric and theoretical study on Chee as a fundamental biomarker with new and broad Implications for physiology, diagnosis, therapy, and Whole-body Health. Arch of Clin Case Stu 4: 1-3. [Ref.]
23. Wang JJH (2025) Empirical demonstration of Chee-canonical biomarker in Traditional Chinese Medicine-with fundamental implications to biology, physiology, and medicine. Am J Biomed Sci & Res 26: 733-735. [Ref.]
24. Vallbo AB (2018) Microneurography: How it started and how it works. J Neurophysiol 120: 1415-1427. [Ref.]
25. Guangdong Chinese-Medicine University (2003) Chart of the Points of Meridians, Guangdong, China: Guangdong Science and Technology.
26. Wang JJH (1982) A unified and consistent view on the singularities of the electric dyadic Green’s function in the source region. IEEE Trans Antennas and Prop 30: 463-468. [Ref.]

Download Provisional PDF Here

 

Article Information

Article Type: RESEARCH ARTICLE

Citation: Wang JJH (2025) Empirical Validation of the Theory of Chee and its Canonical Biomarker Chee in Traditional Chinese Medicine— with Implications on Biology, Physiology, Medicine, etc. for Humans and other Vertebrates. J Clin Case Stu 10(2): dx.doi.org/10.16966/2471- 4925.280

Copyright: © 2025 Wang JJH. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication history: 

Received date: 27 Jun, 2025

Accepted date: 22 Jul, 2025

Published date: 30 Jul, 2025