What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or sometimes called Chinese medicine (CM), is a traditional medical system. It has a holistic approach to diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases by identifying patterns and then applying the individual or combined therapies of Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tuina – a therapeutic massage; and other techniques. Its unique characteristics which distinguish it from ‘orthodox’ medicine are rooted in the “concept of holism – zheng ti guan nian” and “treatment according to syndrome differentiation – bian zheng lun zhi”. It is essential to recognize that the fundamental theory of TCM includes those of Qi, Yin Yang, the five elements, zang-fu, the four diagnostic methods and syndrome differentiation systems.  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems still widely practised today. It is a unique and independent medical system which originated from China and developed down through the centuries imbued with the spirit of Chinese civilisation and culture. For thousand of years, TCM has played a major role in maintaining the health of Chinese people. Acupuncture involves sticking needles or sharp points into the body at specific meridian sites to change / flow the Qi (energy force) , Xue (Blood)  and balancing of Yin Yang. An acupuncture treatment often involves fire cupping, moxibustion, message, acupressure (tuina) or other techniques as well. The needles may be heated by burning mugwort herb for moxibustion. Methods There are various styles of acupuncture. Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and the various styles of Chinese acupuncture differ. For example, Korean acupuncture methods focus on manipulating the hands since the hand is thought to represent the whole body. A Korean acupuncturist may use needles, moxibustion, cupping, and even magnets to manipulate the qi in the body. The Japanese methods also differ from Chinese methods in that they believe in a slightly different acupuncture site map and aim for efficiency in minimizing needling and pain. Japanese needles are smaller than Chinese needles, and the treatment is said to be less painful. They may follow a five step treatment process called the Five Phase Treatment Protocol. Though the various national styles differ, the procedure of treatment is usually the same. The first step is generally diagnosis, and the second step involves various manipulations of the body. Diagnosis The Pulse Diagnosis First, the acupuncturist tries to determine what the problem is. They may examine the tongue, the pulse, the patient’s body, and his or her behavior and smell. They may also try to determine the cause of the problem by questioning the patient about what he or she has experienced or what happened when the problem started. Factors such as environmental conditions or traumatizing events are believed to effect the body’s balance. The tongue is important to examine because it is thought to be a virtual map of the patient’s body. It is thought that various regions of tongue represent various regions and organs in the body. They believe that people may bite the part of the tongue that represents the unhealthy part of the body, so they look for tooth marks, cuts, or tell-tale color or texture differences on areas of the tongue. Needling may be done as well. An acupuncturist touches or slightly pricks sites on the body to sense the qi or stimulate reactions. It is said that an acupuncturist may sense the presence of qi by an electrical tingling sensation. Treatment In the second step, the practitioner tries to manipulate the Ying, Yang, qi, blood, or body fluids. They do this by using needles and a variety of other techniques such as moxibustion, cupping, acupressure, message, herbs, and needles. Some people also use electrical stimulation, magnets, or other methods. Effectiveness In an official report, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, the WHO (WHO) has listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture : Low back pain Neck pain Sciatica Tennis elbow Knee pain Periarthritis of the shoulder Sprains Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders) headache Dental pain Tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction Rheumatoid arthritis Correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation) Morning sickness Nausea and vomiting Postoperative pain Stroke Essential hypertension Primary hypotension Renal colic Leucopenia Adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy Allergic rhinitis, including hay fever Biliary colic Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke) Acute bacillary dysentery Primary dysmenorrhea Acute epigastralgia Peptic ulcer Acute and chronic gastritis Share this post Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn