FAQ:

Q: What is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (中医 Zhong Yi)?

A: Originated in China and has more than 5,000 years history, TCM is an ancient and still very vital holistic system of health and healing. It is based on the concepts of harmony and balance with the nature and within the human body, employs the ideas of moderation and emphasizes prevention.

TCM is a complete system of health-care with its unique theories of anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. It has been established as early as 2.500 years ago in the book named Nei Jing (the Classic of Internal Medicine). It was developed from the observations of the natural phenomena, the experiences of fighting with the diseases and the nature, and was hugely influenced by the ancient philosophy, especially Yi Jing (I Ching, Book of Changes ). It emphasizes diet and prevention and uses acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage), and exercise (Qi Gong, Tai Ji) as the primary treatment methods; and focuses on stimulating the body's natural curative powers (Qi) to achieve optimal health (Yin Yang balance).

In the theory and practice, TCM is completely different from Western medicine, both in terms of considering how the human body functions, how diseases occurs and how should be treated. Holistic concept, Treat diseases according to an overall differentiation of symptoms and signs, and Focusing on Prevention are the three major characters of TCM. Disease is considered of the failure of preventive health care and a falling out of balance or harmony of Yin Yang. In TCM, both philosophically and medically, moderation in all things is advocated, as living in harmony with nature and striving for balance in all things. Prevention is a key goal of Chinese medicine, and much emphasis is placed on educating the patient to live responsibly. The TCM practitioner is more of an advisor than an authority; he or she believes in treating every patient differently, based on the notion that not treating the disease or condition but rather the individual patient. Thus two people with the same complaint may be treated entirely differently, if their constitutions and life situations are dissimilar, and two completely different complaints or diseases may be treated with same principle or method, if their etiology and pathologies are similar.

Q: What is Yin Yang (阴阳)?

A: The concept of Yin and Yang is the generalization of the two opposite aspects in some related objects and phenomena in the natural world. Not only it can be represent the two opposite objects, but also it can represent the two opposite aspects existing within the interior of the same object.

All the objects in the universe include the two opposite aspects of Yin and Yang, such as day and night, heat and cold, motion and stillness, and male and female, etc. Due to the motion and change of the two aspects of Yin and Yang, all the objects are formed and the development and change of the objects are promoted. Therefore it is said: “Yin and Yang are the way of heaven and earth.”

In TCM, the interdependent relationship of opposing but complementary forces is believed to be necessary for a healthy being. The goal of treatment is to modify and maintain a relatively balance of Yin and Yang in all things.

Q: What is Five Elements (Five-Phase, 五行 Wu Xing)?

A: The theory of the Five Elements holds that all the objects and phenomena in the universe are composed by the movement and mutation of the five basic substances: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In TCM, the Five Elements theory is also grounded in the notion of harmony and balance. The attributes of these five substances are deduced abstractly, by assistance of the inter-promoting and inter-restraining relationship existing among these five kinds of substances, to explain the physiology and pathology of the human body as well as the relationship to the natural environment, therefore to guide the diagnosis and treatment.

Q: What is Qi (Chi, Vital Life Source, Energy, 气)?

A: Qi is a plain perception of the ancient Chinese people on the natural phenomena. It is believed that Qi is the basic substance to compose the world and that all matters in the universe appear by the movements and mutations of Qi. In TCM, it is believed that Qi is the fundamental constituent to form the human body and that the movements and mutations of Qi can explain all the physiological activities and pathological changes.

The basic concept of Qi, means something like "life force" or "energy," is perhaps most different from Western ideas. TCM asserts that Qi is an invisible energy force that is abundant, flows freely but well-regulated in a healthy person and is weakened or blocked or disordered when a person is ill. Tonifying and regulating the Qi could help patient to achieve Yin Yang balance and reach the optimal state of health by Acupuncture and/or Chinese Herbs.

Q: TCM differs from Western Medicine in what ways?

A: Not only the philosophical concepts differ considerably from infection-based principles of modern medicine, the treatment methods employed by TCM are also quite different. If allopathic Western practitioners could be described as interventionist and dependent on synthetic pharmaceuticals, TCM methods are mostly natural and noninvasive. For example, where Western physicians might employ surgery and chemotherapy or radiation for a cancer patient, a TCM practitioner might use Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and dietary changes. TCM believes in "curing the root" of a disease and not merely in treating its symptoms.

Another major difference is how the patient is regarded. In Western medicine, patients with similar complaints or diseases usually will receive virtually the same treatment. In TCM, however, the practitioner treats the patient not the condition, believing that identical diseases can have entirely different causes thus should be treated differently and different diseases could be cause by similar causes therefore should be treated in same way. In terms of the principles upon which it is based and the methods used, TCM therefore, is considered by many in the West to be a radically different system of healthcare.

Comparing with Western medicine, TCM offers a more humane, patient-oriented approach that encourages a high degree of practitioner-patient interaction and is not overly dependent on technology. For example, during a consultation with a TCM practitioner, the patient will receive a considerable amount of time and attention. During the important first visit, the practitioner will conduct four types of examinations, all extremely observational and all quite different from what patients usually experience. First, the practitioner will ask many questions, going beyond the typical patient history to inquire about such particulars as eating and bowel habits or sleep patterns. Next, the practitioner looks at the patient, observing his or her complexion and eyes, while also examining the tongue very closely, believing that it is a mirror of the body that different areas of the tongue can reflect the functioning of different body organs. After observing, they listen to the patient's voice or cough and then smell his or her breath, body odor, urine, and even bowel movements. Finally, the practitioner touches the patient, palpating his or her abdomen and feeling the wrist to take up to six different position and three levels of pulses. It is through these different pulses that the well-trained practitioner can diagnose any problem with the flow of the all-important Qi. Altogether, this essentially observational examination will lead the practitioner to diagnose or decide the patient's problem. This diagnosis is very different from one in contemporary Western medicine. No blood or urine samples are tested in a laboratory. The key to this technique lies in the experience and skill of the practitioner.

After making a diagnosis, the practitioner will suggest a course of treatment from one or all of the available TCM methods. These fall into four main categories: herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy, and massage and exercise. A typical TCM prescription consists of a complex variety of many different herbal and mineral ingredients. Chinese herbal remedies are intended to assist the body's own systems so that eventually the patient can stop taking them and never becomes dependent on them. Herbal formulas are usually given as teas, which differ according to the patient.

Q: What are common techniques used in a TCM prescription?

In Chinese, Acupuncture and Moxibustion are alway called together - Zhen Jiu. Acupuncture (Zhen, Needling) is one of the most commonly used treatment method in TCM practices. It is based on the notion that the body's vital energy force, Qi and Blood, travels through Channels or "Meridians." The acupuncturist inserts tiny, thin sterile needles at particular, selected points on the body to adjust, unblock or correct the flow of energy (Qi and Blood) to equilibrate Yin and Yang inside the body. These needles are hardly felt as they are inserted and are left in place for 15–20 minutes. Some patients report immediate improvement, others feel exhilarated, while some feel like sleeping. In some cases, patients say their condition worsens before it improves. No contemporary scientific explanation exists as to how or why acupuncture works.

Moxibustion (Jiu) is applying heat to the acupoints on certain region by slowly burning special herb -Moxa wool, to warm or heat the surface of certain acupoints, to achieve warming and dredging the Meridians and harmonizing Qi and Blood, to treat and prevent diseases.

Chinese Massage (Tuina) is often recommended, and a deep finger pressure technique known as acupressure is often used to promote the proper flow of Qi.

Diet is considered essential to good health, and what might be called "kitchen medicine" is just another aspect of herbalism. One example is a delicious Dang Gui black bean soup and Dang Gui Ginger lamb soup that is traditionally eaten by women in China after childbirth and each menstrual cycle.

Therapeutic exercises are sometimes prescribed as well. In both the exact and flowing movements of Taiji, and the breathing techniques of Qigong exercise is considered essential to relieving stress and promoting the smooth flow of Qi.

As a system of holistic healthcare, TCM is prepared to deal with any physical or mental problem, condition, or disease. However, unlike Western medicine at its best, TCM is not able to render the kind of emergency crisis intervention that saves lives during physical traumas. Nonetheless, it works best at achieving its goal of rehabilitation, health preservation and disease prevention. It has proven effective in treating many types of pains and in helping people with depression and fatigue, as well as circulation and digestive problems. Overall, its emphasis on good diet and exercise, as well as on individual responsibility and moderation in all things, suggest that it is grounded in fundamentally sound principles.