Dr. Hammer’s teachings and axioms have been and remain the cornerstone of my understanding of Chinese medicine. And in my years of studying with other teachers, I’ve never encountered another teaching that doesn’t align with these core tenets.

In the practice of Chinese Medicine, we are always protecting the Heart. We use other channels and pathways to divert pathology away from the Heart. One of our foundational classical texts, the Su Wen, states: “As the Heart is the monarch in the organs, it dominates the functions of the various viscera, so when the function of the Heart is strong and healthy, under its unified leadership, all the functions of the various viscera will be normal, the body will be healthy and the [person] will live a long life, and in [their] life long days, no serious disease will occur.” When we experience joy, the Heart sings, and all other organs/ channels benefit.