TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Acupuncture is the practice that most often comes to mind when thinking of Chinese medicine, but TCM represents a much broader system of medicine that includes herbs, massage, diet and exercise therapy. The underlying basis of TCM is that all of creation is bornfrom the interdependence of two opposite principles, yin and yang two opposites are in constant motion, creating a fluctuating balance in the healthy body. Disease results when either yin or yang is in a state of prolonged excess or deficiency. One of the body constituents is Qi (pronounced "chee"), which is the energy that gives us the ability to move, think, feel, and work. Qi circulates along a system of conduits, the principle ones being channels or meridians. There are twelve principle bilateral channels of Qi, each intimately connected with one of the viscera of the body, and each manifesting its own characteristic Qi (e.g. Liver Qi, Gallbladder Qi, etc.). When the flow of Qi becomes unbalanced through physical, emotional or environmental insults, illness may result.
TCM practitioners are trained to view the body, mind, and spirit as one system, as opposed to Western medicine practitioners, who are taught to regard each of these elements as separate. Despite TCM's dramatically different approach, Westerners have been drawn to its practice because of its emphasis on healing the whole person and seeking the root cause of illness. However, Westerners do often find it difficult to translate a TCM diagnosis or remedy into the western practice of medicine with which they are familiar. For example, there is no direct translation for how a TCM practitioner might explain a patient’s condition as "cool with dampness," or an "imbalance in water," with a need to "tonify the kidneys" or "replenish Qi".
© Alternative Medicine Foundation
Herbology, the studio of herbal medicine, is one of the more important modalities utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important that the effect of individual ingredients. A key to success in TCM is the treatment of each patient as an individual. Chinese herbs have been used for centuries. The first herbalist in Chinese tradition was Shennong, a mythical personage, who is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs and imparted his knowledge of medicinal and poisonous plants to the agricultural people.
Western Herbal Medicine sometimes referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medicinal value. An herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, aromatic or savory qualities. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical substances that act upon the body. Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures throughout history. It was an integral part of the development of modern civilization. Primitive man observed and appreciated the great diversity of plants available to him. The plants provided food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. Much of the medicinal use of plants seems to have been developed through observations of wild animals, and by trial and error. As time went on, each tribe added the medicinal power of herbs in their area to its knowledgebase. They methodically collected information on herbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
home