A common criticism directed at ancient formula structures is that they are simply too old to remain relevant. This reflects the belief that what is ancient must be outdated, and that discoveries made centuries ago cannot adequately address modern illness and disease, nor compare with newly constructed formula approaches.
This assumption rests on a misunderstanding of how true knowledge works. In systems governed by structure and law, age is not a weakness, but a confirmation of reliability and permanence.
Albert Einstein once stated that “the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.” At first glance, this may sound like a clever paradox, but it points to a deeper truth about reality itself. The universe is not chaotic or arbitrary. It operates according to laws, structures, and patterns that are consistent and enduring. These laws do not shift with time or belief. They exist whether or not we choose to recognise them.
This underlying order is why mathematics has often been described as God’s fingerprint. Not because numbers possess divinity, but because mathematics reveals structure. It functions only because order already exists. If reality were truly random, mathematics would have no reliability at all. The fact that mathematical relationships hold across time and space tells us something fundamental: the universe is intelligible.
That same intelligibility is reflected within both the human body and formula structures. The body is not exempt from universal order; it is an expression of it. Health and disease do not arise randomly, nor are they accidents of chance. They emerge from alignment or misalignment with governing principles that are as consistent as the laws that govern all matter. These principles are timeless. They do not change with medical trends, theoretical fashions, or historical eras.
Todo Yoshimasu was once questioned about “new” illness and disease, using acne as an example. Todo replied, “The earliest recorded mention of acne appears in texts from the Eastern Han dynasty, dating from 25 to 202 A.D. There are no disease presentations today that ancient medicine had not already encountered and treated, because heaven, earth, and human beings have remained unchanged throughout time. What was true then remains true now. Every disease manifestation follows a pattern, and every pattern has its corresponding treatment.”
Traditional East Asian Medicine is built upon this recognition of order. Rather than chasing symptoms in isolation, it seeks to understand structure and pattern. These are expressions of the body that can be aligned to herbs and formula structures. Symptoms are not viewed as isolated malfunctions, but as meaningful expressions of an underlying configuration. Health is not random, and disease is not chaos. Both are intelligible states that arise from an underlying arrangement.
When structure is correct, function follows naturally. When pattern becomes distorted, symptoms appear as a consequence rather than a cause. This perspective shifts medicine away from force and suppression and toward comprehension.
Once something can be understood, it can be aligned with. This is the foundation of ancient formula structures. It is not about control or “nourishing” the body, but about recognising pattern and responding to it with precision. Treatment, in this framework, becomes an act of alignment rather than intervention.
This is why classical formula structures hold such importance. They are not arbitrary prescriptions nor historical curiosities. They are precise clinical responses to clearly observed bodily arrangements, refined through centuries of repeated observation. Each formula embodies a coherent internal logic that corresponds directly to a recognisable pattern within the body. To understand a formula deeply is to see disease clearly.
Todo reminds us of this: “With time and unwavering devotion, a deeper understanding emerged. This was not intellectual knowledge, but a living awareness that cannot be explained. Each herb and formula structure became immediately clear. Patterns revealed themselves with certainty, and from that point onward, I was able to correctly identify and eliminate any disease toxin and resolve the countless disease names that arise from it.”
All formula structures must always be grounded in clear reasoning. Any sign or symptom encountered can be traced back to a coherent pattern caused by a structure or obstruction that inhibits natural function. This is not a matter of opinion. It is a universal principle governing how the body reveals illness and disease as a pattern that can be aligned to a precise formula structure.
