People who want to cure their problems, or just want to discover the secret of 5000-year-old Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may have heard or even tried the herbs, acupuncture, bone-setting, chiropractic, acupressure, moxibustion, and cupping therapies.
However, for those who have not been introduced to TCM, they may feel not only uneasy about the unfamiliar terms, but also scared. After all, what exactly is TCM? What is the approach of TCM?
According to TCM philosophy, any disharmony in the equilibrium of “Yin” (the energy being accumulated, assimilated and stored for later use) and “Yang” (the energy being expended in order to create a manifest action) or disturbance in energy flow will cause weakness or illness in the body. Thus, the task of TCM Practitioners is to find out the root cause of such disharmony and to restore balance in these two cosmological forces. The aim of the treatment is to enhance the balance of “Yin Yang” in the body as a whole, rather than just focusing on any particular symptom.
In spite of its long history, many Westerners in particular North Americans were unaware of TCM until former President Richard Nixon made his famous trip to China in 1971. During the trip, one of the reporters from his group needed to have an appendectomy. Throughout the operation, pain was controlled by the use of acupuncture and the rest is history. The whole world heard about this amazing phenomenon and TCM has increased in popularity sharply afterward.
In fact, acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing originated from China. It is the insertion of one or more needles into specific points on the body called acu-points. Acupuncture directly stimulates the “Qi” (essential energy) at special points along on the energy pathways (meridians). When gently inserted into these acupuncture points, the needles produce specific effects.
Through manipulation of the needles, energy can be drawn to a deficient organ, dispersed or removed if excess or blockages exist in accordance with patient’s individual needs. After the balance and harmony of this vital energy is restored, symptoms of illness will disappear.
“Acupuncture is effective in healing up to 100 types of sicknesses and they generally are from three main kinds,” TCM Practitioners said. One of them is nervous system. Illnesses include migraine, acute tonsillitis, and stroke. The other kind is internal medicine disease such as high blood pressure, insomnia, and fibroid. The third one is skin disease including eczema, athlete’s foot, and lupus erythematosus.
“The characteristics of acupuncture are simple, fast, and efficient. And when combining with the use of herbal medicine, healing can be even faster with better results,” TCM Practitioners added.
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When Spring arrives, the seasonal clock in the human body also activates and puts into practice simultaneously. TCM believes that the increased activity of human’s vitality and body fluids are reflected by the gradual enhancement of the function of body mechanism. “Yang-Qi (vital energy) of nature are reflected by the liver function of human being,” TCM Practitioners said. “The Liver-Qi not only arouses the whole metabolic performances in human body to promote the vitality, but also activates the function of brain to search for more possibilities.”
