Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Basics

There is an undeniable aura of mystery that accompanies the subject matter of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM,  an assortment of long-established medical and restorative systems acquired in China over thousands of years. As a matter of fact, one of the most primitive acknowledged compila-tions of Chinese medical systems dates back to 2698 B.C.E. To the uninformed, it is supposed that TCM is about the use of exotic products like bat excrement and cow urine as medicinal substances.  Lots of persons also wrongly suppose that the diagnosis and remedies offered by TCM practitioners is no more than only guesswork; and that the practitioners don't actually have the knowledge or ability to perceive the patient's illnesses.

In fact,  Traditional Chinese Medicine is an intricate and centuries-old practice that has been proved to be efficient in the therapy and management of an assortment of disorders from anemia to warts. Chinese herbal blends have also been proved to be effective in providing relief from migraine headaches, lower back pain, and everything in between.

The central views of traditional Chinese medicine are seen in Chinese phil-osophy, with Wu Xing and the concept of yin and yang as the core  foundations of both diagnosis and healing practices. The  fundamental perception of the human body in Chinese medicine is that it is one whole, but with individual elements. The parts are designed to act all together harmonically, commonly by balancing their naturally contrasting concepts in contrast to one another. Each part not only performs a physical purpose, but is also influential to mental processes. This clarifies the idea in Chinese medicine that what upsets one's physical healthiness in addition has consequences for one's mental health, with every imbalance in the body having its equal imbalance in the mind. This characteristic mirrors the rule of yin and yang, which is best summarized as a joining together of two contrasting but complimentary ideas, with neither one being superior in any way from the other. Dishar-mony is said to take place when either yin or yang becomes greater in the body than the other.  This disharmony or imbalance is thought to be the central reason behind all human sicknesses.

The Wu Xing facet comes into play in exploring how the discord came about. Wu Xing is comparable to the classical perception of the rudimentary elements which are composed of earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. Every one of these ingredients are found in the body, with varying concentrations in diverse locales of the body. When united, the elements generate a delicate balance and results in the ordinary state of a person's bodily and mental wellbeing. This stability can be influenced by inside and outer factors, that can influence the elemental balance in a mixture of ways. In concept, a rise in specific elements in spots that perform specific functions can influence the yin and yang balance, thus having an affect upon someone's health.

The treatment for the conditions, whether it be sinus trouble, back agony, knee pain, migraine headaches, insomnia or whatever else ails the patient is in due course determined by wherever the instability is and whatever has caused it. For instance, a surfeit of water that swayed the balance further to the yang in the nasal area is at times held to set off troubles such as head colds and sinusitis. To counter this, a traditional Chinese medical doctor might prescribe a combination of herbs and more exotic ingredients to help suppress the water element and, in this fashion, re-establish balance to the yin and yang.

Time-honored Chinese medicine also champions a number of addi-tional treatments, such as those based on the management of the patient's diet.

Another prominent facet or division of Traditional Chinese Medicine is called acupuncture, a system that requires the insertion of needles into the skin on definite points, or "meridians" around the body to bring back “balance” between the Yin and Yang.  Acupuncture is in addition the division of TCM that is concerned with the care of what Western medicine identifies as mental health ailments such as anxiety and dreads. Acupuncture is recognized as an efficient way of balancing the course of “chi” or internal universal energy all over the body.  In TCM,  the necessity to stabilize the yin and yang of the psyche and heart is as essential as balancing the human body.

Current TCM doctors in China, nonetheless, do acknowledge that there are situations where the traditional remedies Can't any longer put the body back in suitable balance. Mostly, when such situations are encountered, the patient is counseled to consult a doctor who practices Western style medicine. However, this does not create a conflict between the two disciplines since most Chinese patients and doctors in fact recognize the value of the “sense of balance” between Eastern and Western medical phil-osophy and practice. For instance, Chinese citizens will have no trouble with surgery for appendicitis. But, they will see no conflict in utilizing traditional herbal formulas to aid recovery following the surgery, or to prevent getting appendicitis in the first place.

Unfortunately, this is often in strong contrast to the mind-set of a number of practitioners of  accepted Western medicine, residing in the West, who have a tendency to dismiss other medical practices, thoughts or schools of thought as nothing more than quackery. That tends to separate us from many practices which could be very helpful in our health care.                                                     
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