What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)?
Chinese medicine is a comprehensive system of health care with a clinical history of more than 5000 years. Chinese medicine includes acupuncture, moxibustion, auricular acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbal medicine, bodywork, Tuina massage, reflexology, exercise, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and dietary therapy based on traditional Chinese medicine principles. These therapies work with the natural vital energy inherent within all living things to promote the body’s ability to heal itself. It can increase our body’s innate self-healing energy and enhance immunity, balance the emotions, and relieve ailments.
TCM observes the person and how they relate to the world around them and the internal aspects as well. To be healthy, a person must be balanced. This balance is profound and must exist at all levels. Traditionally, Chinese medical practice does not separate physical pain and disharmony from emotional and spiritual pain and disharmony … one creates the other and it the relationship between these disharmonies that is treated.
IMPORTANT
Regulations In Ontario Have ChangedInsurance Coverage
As of April 01 2013, TCM and Acupuncture is now a Regulated Profession in Ontario. Many employee insurance plans cover Clinical Services in full or part. Please check with your service provider to determine if you are eligible for coverage.A vital energy behind all life forms and life processes called Qi (pronounced chee) flows along specific pathways called meridians. Each pathway is associated with a particular physiological system and internal organ. The pathways are interrelating and interacting energies. Disease arises due to a deficiency or imbalance (stagnation, interruption) of energy in the meridians and their associated physiological systems. Acupuncture points are specific sites along the meridians. Each point has a predictable effect upon the vital energy passing through it. Modern science has measured the electrical charge at these points, corroborating the locations of meridians. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses an intricate system of pulse and tongue diagnosis, palpation of points and meridians, medical history and other signs and symptoms to create a composite diagnosis. A treatment plan is then formulated to induce the body to a balanced state of health.
Many conditions may be alleviated by acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Patients are encouraged to actively participate in their healing process. The beautiful part of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that it emphasizes prevention of disease by maintaining balance and harmony. Qi, needs to move freely throughout the body. As all levels relate to each other, energy problems eventually become organic problems. A consultation with the TCM practitioner can bring areas of subtle disharmony to your attention before they become a problem. Your TCM practitioner is trained to recognize blockages in this flow, and uses effective tools to stimulate Qi to restore the natural balance and flow of energy in the body, which in turn helps the body to heal itself, all without the use of drugs or surgery.
'Treating an illness once symptoms have begun to appear is like digging a well after you become thirsty'
Can Chinese Medicine Help Prevent Future Health Problems?
A beautiful aspect of Chinese Medicine is its ability to detect imbalances in the body and to address them before they potentially become more serious problems. Chinese Medicine does not rely on laboratory tests to determine the health of an individual. Instead, the condition of different body systems is ascertained through direct observation and questioning. The body is full of different signs that indicate whether a system is functioning optimally or not. Chinese Medicine is an elegant means of maintaining body, which can help prevent future health problems.
How Does Chinese Medicine Work?
Chinese medicine is based on an energetic model rather than the biochemical model of Western medicine. The ancient Chinese recognized a vital energy behind all life forms and life processes. They called this energy Qi (pronounced chee). Healing practitioners discovered that energy flows along specific pathways called meridians. Each pathway is associated with a particular physiological system and internal organ. The pathways are interrelating and interacting energies. Disease arises due to a deficiency or imbalance (stagnation, interruption) of energy in the meridians and their associated physiological systems. Acupuncture points are specific sites along the meridians. Each point has a predictable effect upon the vital energy passing through it. Modern science has measured the electrical charge at these points, corroborating the locations of meridians. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses an intricate system of pulse and tongue diagnosis, palpation of points and meridians, medical history and other signs and symptoms to create a composite diagnosis. A treatment plan is then formulated to induce the body to a balanced state of health.
Many conditions may be alleviated very rapidly by acupuncture and Chinese medicine. However, some conditions that have developed over a course of years will be relieved only with slow, steady progress. As in any form of healing, the patient’s attitude, diet, determination and lifestyle will affect the outcome of a course of treatment. Patients are encouraged to actively participate in their healing process. Although Chinese medicine can treat most conditions, there are circumstances that can be dealt with more effectively by Western medicine. In such cases, your acupuncturist will recommend you contact a Western medical doctor.
What If You Are Already Healthy?
If you are feeling good, you want to stay that way, not wait until disease comes knocking on your door. The beautiful part of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that it emphasizes prevention of disease by maintaining balance and harmony. A consultation with the TCM practitioner can bring areas of subtle disharmony to your attention before they become a problem. Qi, or vital energy, needs to move freely and unobstructed throughout the body. Your TCM practitioner is trained to recognize blockages in this flow, and uses effective tools to keep our inside passages clear. In Chinese philosophy, “stagnation leads to disease.” Just as a sedentary lifestyle leads to heart disease and diabetes on the organic level, blockage in energy movement leads to disease at the energetic level. As all levels relate to each other, energy problems eventually become organic problems.
Your Visit To Our Clinic
A visit to the clinic begins by filling out some forms to provide important background information. After this is completed, during the initial interview you will be given an opportunity to discuss your health problem in depth. Because Chinese Medicine addresses the entire body and not just individual symptoms, you will be asked a number of different questions that may not seem related to your condition but will help to form an overall picture of how your entire body system is functioning.
A sample of some questions you will be asked include how hot or cold you normally feel, your energy level, your emotions/mood, the presence of any sweating, state of digestion, any aches or pains, bowel movements, urination, and sleep. The interview will also include an examination of the pulse and tongue, and may include palpation (gentle pressing) of the abdomen.
The Pulse And Tongue
The pulse and tongue examinations are two pillars of Chinese Medicine diagnosis. The pulse is measured not only for rate but also for strength, depth, and quality. Traditionally there are 28 different pulse types, and many of these can be present in combination. The pulse provides deep insight into how the body is functioning. The tongue also reflects the internal state of the body’s organs. The tongue shape and size, color, coat, and presence of any irregularities are all closely noted to gain greater understanding of how your body is functioning.
After this information is collected, a Chinese Medicine diagnosis is formed and a treatment plan decided. This dictates which body points are selected for Acupuncture and which herbs will be prescribed in an herbal formula. Both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine aim to correct the imbalance of energy in the body. Ultimately, all diagnoses can be broken down to an imbalance of Yin and Yang in the body.
How Is a Diagnosis Made?
In TCM, the diagnostic process is considered in four areas – These are:
- Looking: complexion, eyes, tongue, nails, hair, gait, stature and affect
- Hearing and Smelling: sound of voice and breath, odour of breath, skin
- Questioning: current complaints, health history, family health history, patterns of sleep, appetite, digestion, bowel movement, bladder, sweat, pain, emotional features, lifestyle features and gynaecological features
- Touching: palpation of the body to discover body temperature, body moisture, pain; and taking of the pulse.
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