Basic Explanations of Traditional Chinese MedicineThis is the page where I can explain my knowledges of how the Traditional Chinese Medicine works. Click the icons below to learn more about each category of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). |
Acupuncture |
Qi Energy |
Chinese Herbal Medicine |
Little Library of TCM Qi energy ( earlier books also named it as Shen ) is the basic component of the human body. The Qi energy is remained uncanny by the modern science, because it is not yet experimented through scientific methods. I belief the Qi energy is different from the electric, magnetic, radiation and other known types of energies. Qi is unknown kind of energy only existence in live body. One day of future, we'll enter a new world to understanding human body and all life, when somebody discovery the essence of Qi energy. But now, I would more like to follow the knowledge and experience from ancestor of Chinese with couple thousand years history. Qi energy flow and circle around the human body to maintain temperature, sense emotional and physical feelings, control the brain, all the life phenomenon, and is need to survive. It maintains the comprehensive body functions. When the Qi energy is injured from exterior or interior threats (mainly induce by oneself, through actions such as smoking, drinking, unfit diet, and strss), maybe the gene’s expression will lose control, leading it to cause disorder within the cells and tissues, which will cause health problems such as cancer, HBP, diabetes, and etc,. Many medical books addressed the question “what caused the illnesses?” This question has been asked throughout the human history. The aging/lifestyle related health problems are different with infection and epidemic diseases that occurred in the past. General speaking , the diseases can be divided into three categories. The first factor is the external threats (bacteria, virus and other external pathogen). The second factor is the internal wound caused by the life style and aging related factors. The last factor is related to the traumatic injuries and genetic mutations, etc,. Decades ago, most diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, epidemic diseases, and surgical injury. After the discovery of anti-bacteria medicine and the improvement of our hygiene condition, the external threats became insignificant . Now we often hear about the disease such as cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, back pain and skeletal injuries. All of these problems are not related to external factors directly, but instead, it’s more related to our life style or aging . Smoking, drinking, over-eating, over-working, stress contribute to the problem, our life-span is more longer then before, so we have lot of new problems with the aging. Those new kind of diseases often invade elders. The chance of getting prostate cancer will more likely to occur to someone who’s 50+. All of these factors will affect the Qi energy, resulting weakening of Qi energy, which may cause mutation within our DNA. Finally, our organs, joints, bones, tissues and cells lost control and nourishment. It is difficult to imagine that if we swallow a tablet of medicine it will cure those diseases the life style and aging related. I believe that the right way for treating those diseases is not directly to annihilate external threats or only broke some place to stop pathogenic pathway, my strategy of therapy for treating this kind of diseases is designated to improve and regulates the Qi energy by the therapy methods of acupuncture, herbal medicine or some self exercises like Qigong and suitable life style. Then get the control of body systems such as the immune, nerve, metabolize and bone-muscle systems. It will eventually restore back the normal function by improving the environment of these pathological changes of cells and genes. Also I believe that the most effective medicine is keeping body in health condition, which means prevention is the primary concern for us. It is the best way to do some thing before we get cancer or othre illness.Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) The Traditional Chinesel Mmedicine (TCM) has been around for more than 2000 years. It is a different medical system compare to the western medical systems. The TCM have a different history and ideology compared to the western modern medicines. For example, in the early stage of the TCM development, epidemic diseases were serious threat to human in west, while in China, the epidemic diseases are less of a treat. It might be the geographic factors that Chinese Empire was isolated from other empires. The peoples in that time are more aware in the importance of human body self. From what I know , the TCM is a different theory that is very dissimilar from the western conventional medicine in the ways of understandings of diseases and health. The TCM’s basic treatment is to improve and regulate the Qi (pronounced chee) energy to offer better resistance against both the external and interior pathogenic factors. This will improve the body’s health condition. The therapy methods will include acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, Chinese therapy massage (Tuina), and self exercise methods like Qigong, Taiji and many more. Acupuncture is one of the major methods for prevention and treatment of diseases in TCM. Acupuncturist inserts a needle to acupoint in the body surface, which use needling manipulation methods to induce and regulate the patient’s Qi energy. Because of the advancement within the human technology, the acupuncture needle has changed over time. The stainless and disposable needle is common use now, and with the aid of tubes, the needle is inserted much faster than before. During the needling sensation, the patient will feel almost no pain. By the manipulation of acupuncturist, the sensation of needling will induce soreness, numbness, a distention feeling or heaviness around the point even conduct to distance . Sometimes, patient will feel coldness, warmness, itching, pain, electric-shock feeling, etc. In principle, the patient will have a feeling of comfort. Pain is a common symptom in many illnesses and occur in every part of our body. From muscle, skeletal and neurotic system to gynecology condition, acupuncture therapy has special effectiveness against illness that involves physical pain. Also, acupuncture is effective against others symptoms like rhinitis, asthma, constipation, and sleeping problems, and etc. In Chinese herbal medicine, the different characters of herbal are employed to treat diseases and help the body to restore health. The species of herbal medicine is very broad, including plants, animals and mineral. Some of it is crude, while others are processed. The dosage form of herbal medicine have decoction, powder, pill, bolus, extract, ointment, plaster, medicated wine, medicated tea, distilled medicinal water, and etc. They can be taken through oral, external application, medicated diet, and etc. Recently, the concentrated granule is a new form of herbal medicine, it is easier for herbal quality control and drug administration. The herbal medicine is very popular and commonly used for diseases treatment and prevention in TCM history and in modern China. It is a liquid preparation, usually made by boiling drugs with water, or with a proper amount of other liquids (such as wine and vinegar) in some special cases. When preparing a decoction, drugs are put into a vessel in which the material's chemical property is comparative stable (such as earthenware, or enamel, never an iron or copper pot) and then clean water is poured in to submerge all the drugs. After the drugs are soaked for 30-60 minutes, the pot with the drugs is placed on fire, first quick-boiled, and then simmered. The drugs will be decocted for a certain period of time according to the different requirements, then the liquid decoction can be served (in some case, it need to be filtered). Mostly the decoction time is between 20 to 30 minutes, with repeats of the procedure. Usually one dose a day, taken twice in morning and evening. Now, many peoples use the Concentrated Herbal Granule, it is soluble to hot water, is convenient to take. Moxibustion is an external method by ignition of moxa wool in acupoint of skin for prevention and treatment. The theory is same with acupuncture. There are two types of Moxibustion: no scarring and scarring moxibustion. Moxibustion therapy especially the scarring type have special effica cy in some chronic and stubborn diseases. Chinese therapy massages (Tuina) and Japanese Shiatsu The manipulation methods used in Chinese massage contains more than ten ways, including pushing, rolling, kneading, rubbing, scrubbing, grasping, pressing, tapping etc. The Japanese Shiatsu mainly use thumb pressing. The disease diagnosis and selection of the acupoint and channel are similar with the TCM theory, by massage to regulating the Qi function. Qigong is an art of self-training both for the body and mind, by regulating three elements of Qi gong: the body, breathing and mind. This will cultivate and strengthen the Qi energy, to preventing and curing diseases, which will strengthen healthiness and prolonging life. The types of Qigong have static Qigong (that like the relaxation), inner-nourishing, roborant, heavenly circuit, dynamic Qigong that is eight-section brocade (Baduanjin) and Yijinjin, etc. Form my understanding, the new born baby is in perfect condition of Qi energy because the Qi energy circulate through the body with no any obstruct and is full of strong force. Following the growth to adult, people get ambitions , stress and ill, and the Qi energy will be weakened. The goal of Qigong is try to get back to the original condition. The Qigong training is mainly the mind training - training the brain into a deep level of quietness, stop to think anything between exercise times. Because the quietness, Qi energy or Qi stream will start to move smoothly through the whole body, and the body Qi will be cultivated and strengthen. If you feel the Qi is getting stronger and stronger, then you are triumphant. The Qi feeling and strength vary from person to person, mostly is like a stream flow through the body in channel (technical word in TCM, almost acupoint is along the channels). Basically, the modern sports are good for competition and performance. They are suitable for young peoples but it’s not designed for the elder people. The Chinese traditional sports are different to the modern sports, and they can be divided into two types - one is mainly used for martial arts, and another one is mainly used for health purposes. Over the long history, Chinese created many kinds of self exercise for different age, sex, region, personal interests, and health conditions. So you can pick up one that is suitable to your body condition and to your personal interesting, since it will be easier for you to exercise anytime and anywhere. Persist exercise is very important for all kinds of health
exercises. Everyone is individual, because of the differences between people and people, one particular medicine may be effective for that particular person. On the other hand, it could also be poison to another person. Usually we accept the concept that same medicine can treat different patients because they have same disease names in diagnosis. It is OK for diseases caused by external factors, but it is not a right treatment for diseases caused within life style and aging. The patients are very different in their age, sex, health conditions, life styles and health history, so we have to make different plans of treatment for different person. Little Library of TCM They arc general terms for two opposite aspects of matters and phenomena in the Nature, which are interrelated and opposed to each other, they represent not only two different matters in opposition but two opposes aspects in the same entity. In traditional Chinese medicine, they are used to summarize and explain the problems in the fields of anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, etc. Generally speaking, matters and phenomena, which are dynamic, external, upward, ascending brilliant, progressive, hyperactive, or pertaining to functional activities belong to the category of Yang. Those which are static, internal, downward, descending, dull to that of yin. YIN YANG THEORY THE YANG QI (THE YANG PRINCIPLE) It is the opposite of the "Yin Qi" (the Yin Principle) and a generalized term for one aspect of the two opposites; it usually refers to the functional activities of the Viscera. THE YIN QI (THE YIN PRINCIPLE) It is the opposite of the Yan Qi (the Yang Principle) and a generalized term for one aspect of the two opposites. It usually refers to the refined materials in the Viscera. THE YANG ASPECT OF YANG AND THE YIN ASPECT OF YANG
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