WHAT IS CHINESE MEDICINE & HOW DOES IT WORK?

Chinese medicine is the oldest, professional, continually practiced, literate medicine in the world. This medical system’s written literature stretches back almost 2,500 years. And currently ¼ of the world’s population makes use of it. One can say that modern Western and traditional Chinese medicines are the two dominate medical systems in the world today.

WHAT IS HERBAL MEDICINE?

Herbal medicine is the main modality or treatment method within Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. TCM is the world’s oldest, continually practiced, professional medicine. Its written history stretches back not less than 2,500 years and its practiced is undoubtedly much older than that. Although acupuncture was the first Chinese modality to gain wide acceptance in the West, Chinese herbal medicine is quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular and effective alternative therapies in the West.

ISN’T CHINESE MEDICINE JUST A SYSTEM OF FOLK HEALING?

No. This system has been created by some of the best educated and brightest scholars in Chinese history. These scholars have recorded their theories and clinical experiences from generation to generation in literally thousands of books. It is estimated that there are between 30-40,000 extant books on Chinese medicine written before the turn of the century. Since then, thousands more books and articles in professional journals have been written and published in the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

HOW DOES CHINESE MEDICINE WORK?

Chinese medicine works by re-establishing balance and harmony within the body. This means balance between yin and yang, balance between the five phases, balance between the viscera and bowels, and balance between the qi, blood, and body fluids. This balance is re-established by supporting the body’s healthy or righteous energy and attacking the unhealthy or evil energy.

HOW DOES THE CHINESE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER DETERMINE WHAT IS OUT BALANCE?

Practitioners of Chinese medicine diagnose what is out of balance in a person’s body by employing four basic examinations. The first is questioning about one’s signs and symptoms, medical history, and course of disease. The second is visually inspecting one’s face, body, and especially one’s tongue and its coating. The third is listening to one’s voice and the sound of one’s breathing as well as smelling any odors emanating from one’s body or excretions. And fourth is palpating various areas of the body and especially the pulse at both wrists. Using a combination of one’s signs and symptoms, tongue diagnosis, and pulse diagnosis, the practitioner can determine the pattern of disharmony which requires rebalancing.

HOW IS THIS REBALANCING ACCOMPLISHED?

If something is too hot, the practitioner seeks to cool it down. If something is too cool, they try to warm it up. If something is too wet, they seek to dry it, while something is too dry, they moisten it. If something is too much, they try to make it less. And if something is too little, they try to build it up. If something is stuck, they try to move it, and if something is flowing inappropriately, then they try to make it flow in the right direction and amount.

WHAT METHODS ARE USED TO RE-ESTABLISH BALANCE WITHIN ONE’S BODY?

The main professionally applied methods of re-establishing balance are Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture/ moxibustion. Chinese herbal medicines may be prescribed internally or applied externally. Acupuncture and moxibustion seek to regulate the flow of qi and blood within the body by either inserting fine, sterile needles at certain acupoints or warming certain acupoints by various methods. In addition, Chinese medical practitioners may also use tui na or an mo , styles of Chinese massage, they may prescribe remedial or preventive exercises, such as tai ji, qi gong, or dao yin, and they typically counsel their patients on diet and lifestyle, all according to the theories of Chinese medicine.

WHAT IS CHINESE MEDICINE GOOD FOR?

Chinese medicine is a complete medical system which attempts to threat the full range of diseases, acute and chronic, traumatic, infectious, and internally generated. That being said, if a disease is extremely virulent or far advanced, and especially if there are serious changes in organic tissue, Chinese medicine by itself is sometimes not powerful enough or too slow. In particular, Chinese medicine is an excellent and effective choice at the beginning of any disease or for diseases which modern Western medicine either does not understand or for which it has no effective treatment.

IS CHINESE MEDICINE SAFE?

Very. When practiced correctly by trained, qualified professional practitioners, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are extremely safe. In fact, when practiced correctly, they have no side effects and produce no iatrogenic or doctor-caused disease. If a patient reports side effects from a Chinese medical treatment, the practitioner modifies the treatment until there is healing without side effects. This is balance to the entire person, not just the piece or part. Side effects mean there is and imbalance which needs to be corrected.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WESTERN FOLK HERBALISM AND CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE?

Western folk herbalism primarily treats diseases or symptoms, such as headaches, runny noses, menstrual pain, etc. Chinese herbal medicine, when practiced as part of TCM, is based on an individualized pattern diagnosis as well as a disease diagnosis. This means the TCM patient receives a custom written herbal prescription designed to treat both the symptom or disease and also their individual pattern. Such a TCM pattern is made up of a person’s signs and symptoms as well as their emotional temperament and bodily constitution.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER DIFFERENCES?

Western folk herbalism primarily uses single herbs or groups of herbs which treat the same symptom or disease. TCM formulas include from 6-18 herbs. They are carefully crafted to include herbs addressing a person’s main symptoms as well as their entire pattern.

ARE ALL THE “HERBS” VEGETABLE IN ORIGIN?

Although called Chinese herbal medicine, TCM practitioners use ingredients from all three kingdoms, vegetable, animal, and mineral. However, the majority of these are from vegetable sources. Leaves, flowers, twigs, stems, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and barks are some of the many vegetable parts used.

DO CHINESE HERBS WORK FOR WESTERN PATIENTS?

Yes, empirical evidence has proven that Chinese herbal medicine works for Westerners just as well as Chinese. Chinese herbal medicine has been used successfully in North and South American, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and all throughout Asia.

WHAT IS CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE GOOD FOR?

Chinese herbal medicine treats the full range of human disease. It treats acute diseases, like intestinal flu and the common cold, as well as chronic diseases, such as allergies, gynecological disorders, autoimmune diseases, chronic viral diseases, and degenerative diseases due to aging. In particular, Chinese herbal medicine is especially good for promoting the body’s ability to heal and recuperate.

CAN CHILDREN TAKE HERBAL MEDICINE?

Yes. Pediatrics is a specialty within TCM and children can be given reduced doses. There are also special prepared pediatric medicines in pill and powder form. Chinese herbal medicine can treat colic, the fussiness of teething, earache, diarrhea, cough, and fever in babies and children.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS IN CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE?

In acute conditions, results can be expected in a matter of minutes. In chronic conditions, some results should be seen within two weeks. Although chronic conditions may require taking Chinese herbal medicine for a long time, nonetheless, signs that the medicine is working should be apparent to patient and practitioner alike almost from the very start.