What Is Traditional
Chinese Medicine?

By Ling Su

Traditional Chinese medicine is gaining popularity in the U.S., as more and more people are learning the benefits of acupuncture, acupressure, deep massage, Qigong, and the herbal medicines. Westerners are the new kids on the block when it comes to receiving these treatments, as over a quarter of the population of the world practices TCM, also known as Oriental medicine.

The National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization believe TCM to be a viable alternative to Western medicine, and now many health insurance companies will cover acupuncture as a treatment for various ailments. Very exciting for those of us who find acupuncture to be a great help in lessening pain and improving circulation.

Acupuncture originated in China around 3,000 years ago and is the most common form of medical procedure in the rest of the world, because the same treatment not only relieves immediate pain, it is a preventative procedure because it realigns the Qi ( pronounced "Chee.")

The Qi is the body's vital energy, all things rise from Qi and it flows and connects a person to the earth and sky. It is also the source of the body's natural healing, all disorders can be traced to a Qi imbalance, and the acupuncture points on the body release the bound Qi and allow it to flow naturally-the body can then begin to heal itself.

Diagnosis in acupuncture involves the practitioner asking a long list of questions, some usually considered by Americans to be of a private nature. The questions consist of everything from listing sleeping patterns to a typical day meals to how many times the patient has a bowel movement in a 24 hour period. These are necessary questions, as the more information the acupuncturist has, the better to tell where the Qi is blocked.

The patient typically will then lie down on a massage table (in the East acupuncture is usually done in the sitting position) and the practitioner will insert very thin needles into some of the 2,000 plus points in the body which connect to 14 pathways, or medians. The insertion of the needles does not hurt, and contrary to what you may have heard, he/she does not twist or bore them into the skin. They are inserted just underneath the surface and the patent is left in a soothing, dimmed room for about an hour. There are different sizes and lengths of needles, each for a specific ailments and point. The needles are made of super thin stainless steel and are pliable; they are discarded after each use.

Another form of TCM is herbal remedies; these are often used in conjunction with acupuncture. Because all things are interconnected, pains and conditions in the body have a lot to do with one's emotions and thinking process. That is why people who experience chronic pain are also frequently depressed. TCM practitioners will often give the patient herbs to help relax or calm them along with the acupuncture sessions. This is called tonic herbalism, and some popular herbs used are probably already in your kitchen. Green tea and ginseng are two of the most well known herbs used in TCM, but here are some others-considered ''warm" foods which will help maintain good health and restore balance to a depleted Qi: Rice and noodles, broccoli, egg whites, fish and chicken. It is no coincidence that these are some of the main ingredients in all Eastern cooking.

In order to get a holistic view of TCM, we have covered acupuncture (prevention and treatment), herbal remedies and diet, it is only right that we should touch on exercise. Enter Qigong (Pronounced Chee Kung.) Qi, of course, still means energy, and gong means work or practice. The art and practice of Qigong involves practicing posture, breathing, meditation, and slow regulated movement of the limbs. Qigong is a great exercise, and because of its popularity, you can usually find classes in your area simply by opening the phone book.

About the Author: Traditional Chinese medicine is gaining popularity all over the world. More and more people are learning the benefits of acupuncture, acupressure, Qigong or about herbal medicines. To find out more just visit: http://chinese-medicine.publicdomainprogress.org

Source: www.isnare.com

Helpful resource to research Chinese Medicine!

Back to the Plants
Chinese Medicine
and Herbal Remedies

All of these are natural approaches to bringing holistic health in an individual. One of the concepts that Chinese medicine uses in relation to this is herbal remedies. By combining a variety of elements, there is the ability for the herbs to help in healing everything.

The basis behind herbal remedies is to combine a series of herbs in order to bring about the desired effect. Usually, there will be a formula of four herbs used in combination with each other. This is done in order to treat secondary illnesses that may have been affected by the primary illness. It also helps to balance and strengthen the body while it is healing.

When Chinese medicine begins to divide the various herbal remedies, they will do so by a hierarchy. At the top of this hierarchy is the emperor herb. This will be used to cure the major illness that is taking place. Underneath this is the "ministers" of the herbal remedy. This is used to treat any secondary illnesses that are taking place. After this, herbal "assistants" will be used to support the other two herbs. The last set of herbs will be the messenger herbs, which will tell the primary and secondary herbs where to go and how much of an effect to take on the body.

The herbal remedies that are placed together after this will be divided by the specific symptoms that are being seen. Like all other parts of Chinese medicine, these will first be found through the five elements and how they relate to the body. For example, some herbs will be spicy in order to relate to areas of the body that need this extra element to begin better flow of Qi.

The last part of herbal medicine from ancient Chinese remedies is to determine the type of energy that is needed by a person. This is found by diagnosis and examining the Qi that is in a person. After this, a specific mixture of these four hierarchies will be mixed together in order to help change the energy flow that is in someone.

By examining the Qi and finding respective remedies through herbs, one is able to find the best solutions using a holistic method. This allows one to benefit from the use of Chinese medicine and herbs in order to fight off an illness or block of energy in their system.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author More Health Fitness Lifestyle articles and ebooks can be found at http://www.health-fitness-lifestyle.com

Here's A Great Site for Herbal Information!

Directory of Alternative Medicine - offers a categorized directory of 20,000+ Alternative Medicine websites, free Herbal Glossary search utility, and resources to promote Ayurveda remedies.