Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a recorded history of over 3000 years. There are said to be  four pillars in TCM - acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tuina (Chinese massage) and qigong (for more detail on these go to Modalities under Services). All are relevant therapies and depending on the condition being addressed a single pillar or a combination of them can be applied. For example if a person is deficient supplementation with herbs and gentle exercise which strengthens such as yoga or qigong as well as acupuncture can be useful. For acute conditions acupuncture is often the modality of choice, and musculo-skeletal issues can combine tuina and acupuncture.

Chinese medical diagnosis involves asking questions about general health as well as observation of the tongue and feeling the pulse. All symptoms are puzzle pieces put together in order to see the person as a whole, and give us direction in ascertaining where imbalances need adjustment. TCM is not only a medical treatment but a way of life and traditionally was used as a preventative against illness and imbalance hence why it has disseminated through all levels of the Chinese culture being revealed in their cooking (using herbs and balancing the properties of foods in a dish) and way of life (daily practice of tai chi, qi gong).

Common terms used in TCM

• Qi - is often translated as energy, energy flow or life force however it is much more complex and in TCM there are many types of qi with different qualities and functions. Zhen qi is the qi that flows through the meridians and organs and wei qi is the qi that is responsible for immunity for example.
• Yin - is the feminine aspect in the taoist philosophy of duality. In terms of the body yin involves the cooling, moisturizing aspect including the blood and fluids.
• Yang - is the masculine part of taoist duality and in the body it includes the warming (yang), moving (qi) aspects such as the movement of the the blood and fluids around the body (metabolism and immunity problems are often related to the yang and qi).

For more on Yin/Yang and Qi click on the links.