Study on Traditional Chinese Medicine theory of lung being connected with large intestine

OBJECTIVE: The theory of lung being connected with large intestine, which is a major topic in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has guided clinical practice for thousands of years in China. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed the history, main contents, clinical application, and material basis of the theory, to attempt to improve the potential clinical significance of lung being connected with large intestine in China. RESULTS: The lung being connected with large intestine was first described in Huang Di Nei Jing, and formed one of the basic theories of TCM. For thousands of years, the majority of TCM practitioners explored this theory continuously, leading to its development and use as an important theory in the guidance of TCM clinics In the last decade, researchers in the field of integrated TCM and Western medicine have studied clinical applications and biomedical mechanisms with experimental methods to explore the implications of the theory. CONCLUSION: With the further development of science and technology, research concerning the theory of lung being connected with large intestine will be greatly stimulated and contribute to the modernization of TCM. (C) 2012 JTCM. All rights reserved.