What is Chinese medicine?
Medicine that has survived the test of time.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has spread to every corner of the globe and has been widely used for thousands of years. Its age is frequently debated, but the earliest medical text (the Huang di Nei Jing) is believed to be from 206-220 BCE. Chinese medicine is a holistic medicine with a strong focus on treating the individual and treating the root cause of disease. Within Chinese medicine, lies its own complete system of diagnosis that involves asking very detailed questions about all of the body’s physiological processes, as well as looking at the tongue, taking the radial pulse, and sometimes body work and palpation. Examining the mental and emotional body is also an integral part of the diagnosis process. A fundamental theory of Chinese medicine explains that stress and repressed emotions can also be a cause for imbalance and eventually lead to disease. Chinese medicine does not view the body and the mind as two separate entities, but rather co-dependent of one another. In other words, it is believed that the state of our physical health will affect our mental health, and vice versa.
Within Chinese medicine lies several modalities such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping and gua sha, qi gong (movement exercises), meditation, tui-na (Chinese massage) and nutrition.
Chinese medicine is a sustainable, individualized, natural approach to healthcare.
Chinese medicine shouldn’t be considered “magic” or a “quick fix”. It usually takes time, like other modalities such as physical therapy, chiropractic, or psychotherapy. It requires following a treatment plan for several weeks, and sometimes several months depending on your specific goals and other factors such as how long you’ve had the condition, your age, and your overall health. It is a sustainable, and natural approach for lots of common ailments.
Sometimes a condition will respond best with acupuncture, and sometimes it will be imperative that herbal medicine should be included, as well as dietary and lifestyle recommendations.