Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the tale of life itself, and it is only now, as modern medicine unravels the relationships between cells, that it is becoming more widely recognized. Thousands of research demonstrating the effectiveness of traditional remedies, as well as laboratory investigations identifying the pharmacologically active components in many of the most frequently prescribed herbal formulations, have been published during the last several decades. These investigations have helped to elevate the prestige of traditional Chinese medicine in both the East and the West.
This article provides an essential introduction to traditional Chinese medicine, including the core ideas of health and illness, basic vocabulary used in diagnosis, the most often used herbal formulae, and the principles behind the practice of acupuncture and acupressure. This article will summarize some of the most important distinctions between traditional Chinese medicine and mainstream American medicine, allowing you to understand how both may be a part of your overall health care. The fundamental ideas and theories that Oriental medicine uses to comprehend the human body and its diseases or imbalances.
A healthy life, as per TCM theory, is a harmonious life, and prevention is prioritized above treatment. TCM offers acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet, movement (also referred as energetics), and manual therapy as means to attain properly balanced long-term health (passive movement including Tui na, gua sha, etc). This is a quick overview of the five TCM pillars.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture stimulates acupoints on numerous meridians with thin needles in order to promote the body’s self-healing potential, improve blood circulation, relieve pain, and balance hormones. It can also be used to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which has been shown to improve mood, digestion, and sleep. Finally, acupuncture can be an effective preventive treatment for boosting the immune system and resolving any minor imbalances that occur before physical symptoms appear.
Acupuncture has gradually become accepted into the conventional medical system. It is now recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a successful treatment for hundreds of illnesses, including neck and back pain, as well as several allergies. To really understand how acupuncture works, we need to look at the most overlooked tissue in the body, fascia, to understand how our cells stay connected. Fascia covers every nerve, muscle, blood vessel, organ, bone, and tendon and tells a surgeon where everything should go. It also helps the body understand where things should be and what they should be doing.
Fascia is a form of connective tissue, which is a term used in Western medicine to describe tissue that physically joins objects. Bones, cartilage, and even blood are all examples of connective tissue. The cells that make up connective tissue create and sustain a matrix. Collagen is abundant in this matrix, which is vital in bones, cartilage, and fascia (blood is unusual in having a liquid matrix called plasma). Organs, muscles, the spine, and nerves are all connected by fascia. It supports the skin and surrounds the bone. It’s found in, around, and on organs, sometimes in layers that are duplicated or even triplicated. Fascia can be found all over the body and is highly strong and its the overlooked link between Acupuncture and anatomy.
Herbology
The ability for an expert herbalist to adjust the prescription based on the patient’s constitution and symptoms is the most valuable aspect of this therapy. A holistic approach to herbal prescription is used. Synergy occurs when herbs that are compatible work together to improve overall efficacy while lowering negative effects.
Food Therapy
In TCM, food is categorized and used medicinally based on its nature, activities, flavors, and linked meridians. To help the body adapt into the current season, TCM food therapy advocates eating fresh, seasonal foods and mixing them with herbs like goji berries, jujube dates, cinnamon, and ginger.
Diets are tailored to the unique characteristics of each person’s body. A person with cold extremities and poor circulation, for example, will benefit from eating more warming foods like pumpkin, scallion, beef, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and so on, whereas a person with acne and a dry mouth will be advised to avoid the same foods.
Movement
Exercise, according to Eastern thought, is neither about gaining speed nor decreasing weight. Activating one’s chi to improve circulation and metabolic functions, developing the mind-body connection, clearing emotional blockages, and cultivating inner calm is all part of the movement.
Mindful breathing techniques are frequently combined with light movements and meditation in TCM workouts. Taiji and qigong are two traditional examples. Following your circadian cycle and getting appropriate sleep is equally vital to this branch of TCM, which considers a balanced lifestyle to be active yet restful.
Manipulative therapies
Gua sha, Tui na, and cupping are all part of this branch. Gua sha and cupping are methods for improving circulation, breaking up adhesions, promoting lymphatic drainage and anti-inflammatory reactions, and releasing toxins from the body.
Tui na is a type of bodywork that dates back thousands of years. “Push-and-grasp” is the literal translation. The therapist uses various twisting, tugging, rotating, pressing, and kneading techniques to apply pressure along the meridians. The idea is to clear such routes, increase circulation, and stimulate the neurological system by facilitating lymphatic movement or drainage. To achieve osteopathic functions, the practice is traditionally paired with muscle manipulation and joint mobilization. Some of these remedies were once separated into their own branches by TCM. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, meditation, energetics, tui na, cosmology, and feng shui are the eight branches of TCM in older forms.
TCM is meant for a variety of common symptoms and diseases, including acne, dyspepsia, menstrual cramps, and yeast infections. While traditional Chinese medicine is popular as self-care, there is always the danger of misdiagnosis, improper treatment, or both. Self-care may seem to be a simple task. After all, walking into a pharmacy and selecting a suitable over-the-counter medication for hay fever, sore throat, fever, menstrual cramps, indigestion, or any other common ailment isn’t difficult.
To get a true understanding of Chinese Medicine and how it works one must experience it and consult with an NCCAOM board-certified TCM physician. A great book written by Daniel Known Spark in the Machine. Dr. Keown explains how western and Chinese medical theories complement each other, and how the integrated theory broadens our understanding of how bodies function on all levels. Dan Keown’s book is important reading for everyone who has ever desired to know how the body works.
He explains how embryology is a generative force, how two people in love’s hearts truly beat as one (or, in scientific terms, ‘quantum entanglement), how a cheating heart is also an ill heart (which is why men are twice as likely to die of a sudden heart attack with their mistress than with their wife), how neural crest cells determine our lifespan, and why Proust’s madeleines evoked the memories they did.
Does TCM really work?
Traditional Chinese medicine is most effective when all five branches are used together. Alone Acupuncture has been proven to:
- Regenerate motor and sensory nerve fibers
- Release of endorphins and enkephalins from nerve endings which in turn relieve pain.
- Enhance blood flow
- Promote relaxation of the muscles
TCM isn’t mystical or magical in any way. It’s a treatment technique that aims to bring your body’s different interrelated systems into equilibrium. While the exact process by which TCM works to cure the body is still being researched many people believe that acupuncture works by stimulating a nerve in the body, which then sends a signal to the brain, causing pain-killing hormones such as beta-endorphins to be released. These hormones can help you feel better by suppressing pain and boosting your overall happiness and enjoyment. Penn Medicine
Unique Concepts For Describing The Body’s State Both In Health And In Sickness
There are many reasons why you should enjoy the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine without a thorough grasp of its concepts. However, like with conventional health care, an informed customer is more likely to locate the most competent practitioner and the most satisfying, cost-effective therapy.
Unless you study traditional Chinese medicine carefully or, better yet, contact a competent practitioner, self-help should be used with, not in place of, professional therapy.
Oh, by the way, couldn’t resist and hoped on another ship, actually my dream ship. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of anxiety and depression on board. You are not alone. Mental health is just as important as our physical health. To keep the days from being the same, I check in with colleagues around the ship and offer words of inspiration. Even if you are down, find gratitude in where you are. Love you!
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