What is Chinese Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the world’s oldest, continuously practiced professional medicine.
Written history dates back over 2,500 years, and
the practice is believed to be 5,000 years old.
TCM is a healing art and science which views the person
as body-mind-spirit. No symptom or complaint is viewed
in isolation.
- TCM recognizes health as harmony and balance with
nature, and illness as disharmony and imbalance.
- The goal of TCM is to restore harmony and balance and therefore health, in an individual. It is also a preventative medicine, which strives for the creation and maintenance of health through balance in our lives, in diet, exercise, work, emotions, and sex life.
The TCM system of examination, diagnosis, and treatment is based on the laws of nature and the Life Energy or the Qi (chee) energy. The life force energy flows through us via interconnected pathways called meridians and reflects nature’s principles of balance and harmony. The focus of acupuncture is to balance the vital life force of Qi, to release any blockage, and to activate the body’s own healing powers.
The meridian systems are the paths through which the Qi life energy flows and are a a means of communication and connection for the body. In a disease process where the energy is not being distributed properly or is blocked, problems result. By inserting needles at specific acupuncture points on the meridian, energy begins to flow again in the appropriate pathways and directions, to begin the process of healing and balance.
The Five Elements system of acupuncture is based on the elements of nature of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood (see Chinese symbols at left). The premise is that we all are a part of nature in the universe, and to understand the 5 Elements is to understand their harmonious balance within ourselves as well as in nature. When the elements are not in balance, an imbalance (“dis-ease”) results. Each person has a “predominant element” and other secondary elements that make up their true nature. The color (skin tones), sound, odor, and emotion of the individual establish this diagnosis. The 5 Element treatment uses acupuncture to balance the meridians.
Acupuncture is the insertion of hair-thin, sterile, disposable needles into specific points in the body to regulate the flow of Qi and blood and restore harmonious energetic balance to the body. When the Qi is tapped into at the acupuncture point, the patient may feel a pinch, distension, heaviness, tingling, achy, or an electric sensation. If there is any discomfort, it is usually mild and transitory. Most people find acupuncture relatively painless and calming. The initial interview and treatment may take up to 2 hours and subsequent treatment lasts 1 to 1.5 hours.
Using a holistic approach, the TCM diagnosis is made by asking, listening, smelling, looking, and palpating. After the interview, we look at the tongue and take the pulse in both wrists and this reflects the health of the corresponding twelve meridians. Using all of this information, a diagnosis is established and an individual treatment plan is created with your input that may involve acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal therapy, and dietary and lifestyle changes.
Moxibustion is a process in which an herb, Ai Ye or mugwort/moxa, is applied, when appropriate, to acupuncture points or needles to create heat and regulate the flow of Qi and blood in the area.
Chinese Herbal therapy is individualized and provides an effective and natural treatment to bring you back to your proper balance. It works simultaneously with your acupuncture treatment and is prescribed according to your TCM diagnosis. It has very few side effects and can come in many forms, such as tablets, tea pills, powder concentrations or a raw herbal formula that is cooked and taken as a tea.
