About Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or also called Chinese Medicine, is one of world’s oldest medical systems that has existed for more than 2500 years and is still widely practiced in China nowadays. It is a distinct and yet comprehensive medical system with its own theoretical principles, diagnostic technologies and characteristic therapies. For many centuries, TCM has played a major role in maintaining the health of Chinese people. In the last 20 years or so, TCM has become increasingly popular in the UK and other European countries.

Any ancient medical system can not survive this long unless it is effective, so what are its strengths? Surely it is its efficacy!

TCM views the human body as an organic whole with a network of meridians connecting and coordinating the internal organs, Qi (“vital energy”), blood, body fluids, muscles, bones, tendons and the skin.

TCM also holds as its central belief that health in all parts of the body is due to the relative dynamic balance of fundamental energies – Yin and Yang. Yin Yang theory forms the basis of TCM’s holistic approach to health and disease and also offers practical guidance in the prevention and treatment of illnesses.

In TCM, Diagnosis is based upon how a person reacts to the causes of disease, with influential connection of his/her constitutional condition, internal and external environmental factors, etc. For example, a flu virus may cause fever, sore throat, headache in one, but shivers, running nose and body aches in other. Therefore, patients with same flu viral infection can be diagnosed as different “syndromes” in TCM.

By ‘weaving’ all symptoms into a syndrome pattern of how the patient interacts with the disease, constitutional and environmental factors, Chinese medicine can treat conditions that don’t necessarily fall into a particular ‘disease category’ by conventional medicine. Many people have unnatural fatigue or vague disorders, or in a so-called “subhealthy” state, which may not be diagnosable with Western medicine; they can still be diagnosed with certain “syndrome” patterns in TCM and be effectively treated accordingly.

The patient’s whole spectrum of physical and emotional state, along with pathogenic factors is assessed in diagnosis and treatment. Treatment can be aimed at releasing symptoms but the main aim is always to treat the root cause of a disease by restoring a natural balance of Yin and Yang throughout the whole body, activating the innate healing ability of the body and mind, not necessarily to “attack” the disease.

TCM has three basic components - Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine and Tui Na – Chinese Therapeutic massage.

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