Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the world. It is a coherent and independent system of thought and practice that has been developed over two millennia.
It has its own distinct way of seeing health and illness as well as of diagnosis and treatment that is based on ancient texts and refined through a continual process of critical thinking and clinical observation and testing.
It is composed of several
types of therapy that include:
acupuncture
moxibustion
herbal medicine
massage (Tuina)
Qi Gong and exercise
techniques
Chinese medicine defines
illness in terms of:
an imbalance in
the flow of energy (Qi) - when Qi flows harmoniously there is
health. If Qi stagnates or if there is Qi deficiency, there is
illness
a disharmony of
Yin and Yang - polarities which explain opposite (but interconnected
processes) in the body and mind
Wellness is seen not just as the absence of disease but as a dynamic balance in the flow of Qi and harmony between Yin and Yang.
This implies not only that the body is working as if should be, but that our lifestyle is balanced - that we are living in harmony with Nature.
Treatment aims at restoring BALANCE and HARMONY in terms of Qi flow and Yin-Yang balance.
The following table may illustrate the differing approaches of modern western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
|
|
|
| Concerned with isolated disease categories or agents of disease which it tries to change and control, or destroy | Looks at the complete physiological and psychological individual, treats the person rather than the disease |
| Tends to separate physical symptoms from emotional and psychological | Does not separate the physical from the mental/emotional |
| Starts with the symptom and then searches for the underlying mechanism - a precise cause for the disease | Treats "patterns of disharmony" that describe a situation of imbalance in the patient |
| Is concerned with quantity - makes extensive use of blood tests, scans etc. in diagnosis | Makes use of all the senses of the clinician as well as the subjective symptoms reported by the patient |
| Diagnosis frames an exact, quantifiable description of a narrow area | Looks at relationships more than causes |
Whereas a western doctor may give a single diagnosis, say of a peptic ulcer, there may be several different diagnoses in Chinese medicine, depending on the accompanying signs and symptoms. Each will be treated differently despite the western diagnosis. This is why acupuncture given according to western diagnosis is less likely to be effective.
When you come in for a treatment the first session could take up to an hour. I would take some time taking a full case history.
Important diagnostic tools include:
Questioning about your condition such as
how long you have had it, did it come on suddenly or gradually,
what makes it better and worse as well as specific questions about
your particular condition and your general health that assist
in identifying a pattern of disharmony.
Pulse
diagnosis - this is taken at the radial pulse at three
positions and three positions. The speed, depth, force of the
pulse, as well as its quality can tell a lot about your overall
condition
Tongue
diagnosis - also tells a lot about your condition. We
look at the colour and condition of the tongue body and also of
the tongue coating.
The above information helps to reach a diagnosis based on the following principles
|
|
|
| Exterior - conditions affecting skin & muscles, colds and flu, musculo-skeletal conditions; acute conditions with rapid onset, Floating pulse | Interior - internal disharmony affecting the organs; chronic deep-seated condition with gradual onset, Deep pulse |
| Full - attack by viruses etc., overactive function, obstruction by accumulation of substances : e.g. loud voice, scanty urination, thick tongue coating, Strong pulse | Empty - Insufficient Qi and Blood - e.g. frailness of movement, shortness of breath, copious urination, spontaneous sweating, pale tongue, Weak pulse |
| Heat - A preponderance of Yang, e.g. quick, agitated movement, delirium, red face & eyes, heat, fever, thirst, constipation, dark urine, red tongue, Rapid pulse | Cold - Insufficient Yang-Qi - slow movement, cold limbs, aversion to cold, pale face, diarrhoea, clear urine, pale, swollen tongue, Slow pulse |
This helps us to make a diagnosis and develop the principles of treatment and treatment strategies - how we are going to treat the condition. For instance sometimes we may decide to treat the root of the disharmony. At other times we may want to treat the branch - symptoms that need to be cleared before we treat the root cause of the problem.
Acupuncture treatment consists of the insertion of very fine, sterilized needles into carefully selected points of the body which are stimulated to balance the circulation of energy in the body.
Acupuncture is effective in treating a wide variety of conditions. Generally acupuncture is successful in treating conditions where there has not yet been significant structural damage to the body. However, acupuncture is particularly effective as a form of preventive medicine, for maintaining health, strengthening the body's immune system and helping to avoid the development of more serious conditions.
The number of needles
varies, and they are typically left in place for 20-30 minutes.
The number of treatments depends on both the patient and the nature of the condition being treated. In general the older or more deep-rooted the illness the longer you will need treatment.
In the West acupuncture usually forms the basis of treatment, because this is the part of TCM that is better-known and accepted.
A distinction should be generally made between 'medical acupuncture' based on western medical diagnosis and acupuncture based on TCM diagnosis. Research has shown the latter to be the more effective*
NOTE::
* See - Bensoussan & Myers, Towards a Safer Choice: the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia - University of Western Sydney, 1996
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