WHAT IS CHINESE MEDICINE?
Chinese Medicine is the earliest known complete system of medicine and has been in practice for more than 3,000 years. It is the longest continuously practiced medical system in the world and is an all-natural approach that utilizes the inherent self-healing capacity of the human body. Acupuncture is the most well known modality of Chinese Medicine, but other modalities integrated within this system of medicine include herbal medicine, cupping therapy, moxaibustion, gua sha, qi gong exercises and dietary therapy. All of these modalities contribute to establishing the general principle of health in Chinese Medicine: the restoration of balance and harmony to the body’s vital energy flow (Qi). In situations where this energy flow is restricted, blocked or insufficient, pain and disease will arise in corresponding organs and areas of the body. Maintaining proper flow and balance of the body’s vital energy is essential for the optimal health of the body, mind and spirit according to Chinese Medicine principles.
Due to the lack of technological diagnostic techniques in ancient China, doctors developed a very precise method of diagnostics that corresponds to pathological patterns in the body. This system of diagnosis is based on detailed observations of the patient’s tongue, palpation of the pulse and abdomen, and extensive questioning, that together enable the practitioner to diagnose the underlying pathology and devise a treatment strategy. This healing approach considers all aspects of the patient’s experience to synthesize a holistic treatment plan, through which Chinese Medicine is capable of addressing the root-cause of illness. This aspect is the most distinguishing factor when compared to the symptom management based treatments used in Western medicine.
“It is difficult to dig a well once you are already thirsty.”
Chinese Medicine has a strong emphasis on preserving vitality, anti-aging, and preventing disease by diagnosing and treating problems long before they manifest into serious Western diseases. The concept of true preventive health-based care is foreign to our culture, as our main system of medicine is only focused on disease management instead of actual health. We have been trained to seek care only when our physiology is imbalanced enough to be verified as disease by laboratory testing, and if our complaints are unverifiable we are left without answers or help. Chinese Medicine listens to your unique experience and trusts your knowing of your own body, and is therefore able to fill this void and holistically address health issues before they compound into diseases with complications and more challenging symptoms.
