Chinese Herbs
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Chinese Herb News
Nov. 08th 2006
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Nov. 03rd 2006
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Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of medical practice that's been used by the Chinese to treat, diagnose, and cure
diseases and ailments for over 4000 years. The whole goal of TCM is to first diagnose the problem, then treat and prevent the
malady.
We have no original record of when Traditional Chinese Medicine first started, but it's generally accepted that plants were used
to heal as long as 25000 years ago, as evidenced by cave paintings of plants.
The primary purpose of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to help the body maintain its balance which in turn will prevent illness
from forming. Now, what really differentiate TCM from other medicinal systems are the basic beliefs and tenants TCM is rooted in.
The primary example is the idea of the yin and yang.
The yin and tang are defined as diametrically opposing forces or energies. These can be heaven and earth, summer and winter, love
and hate, happiness and sadness, etc. When the yin and yang are in perfect balance and harmony, you will feel a sense of peace,
and enjoy more energy and health. If your yin and yang are highly out of balance, your health will suffer.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete holistic medical system. It has its own beliefs and methods of treatments. TCM is
always customized to each person. A practitioner of TCM will always want to know who you really are, what you do, how you feel,
where you go, your spiritual condition, where you live, etc. This information is important because it changes the various
traditional Chinese medicine treatments that will be used.
TCM practitioners believe each body has a powerful life force known as qi (or chi). For the yin and yang to be in perfect harmony
and balance, the body's qi must be balanced. When too little or too much qi exists in one of the bodies energy pathways (called
meridians), or if the flow of qi is blocked, the result is sickness.
The ultimate purpose of traditional Chinese medicine treatment are to help the yin and yang balance in our lives. To accomplish
this means, TCM practitioners will use a combination of herbs, diet, acupuncture, acupressure, and physical exercise like tai chi
to accomplish this. When your body's yin and yang become balanced, your body will be healthy.
For you to really understand the inner workings of Traditional Chinese Medicine, you need a very good understanding of how qi
works. In the TCM belief, qi exists in our body as one of the three forces that help to control and bind the balance of the ying
and yang. The other two forces are blood and moisture.
Qi is essential to our body because it's the life force that gives us all the ability to think, move, feel, work, and do. Qi
flows through the meridian pathways of the body. Each pathway or meridian connects to a specific body organ or group of related
body organs that help to control and govern the body functions. According to TCM, there are 5 natural organ networks in the human
body:
Kidney--the kidney organ controls all reproduction and growth of the human body. Ailments relating to this such as infertility,
growth, back pain, paranoia, mental disturbances, and bad eye sight are all connected to the kidney.
Heart--this network is the source of all the blood, pumping it to the vessel of the body. It contains and controls the body'--
spirit and mind. Ailments relating to the mind such as restless sleep, anxiety, heart spasms all result from a disturbance in the
heart pathways.
Spleen--this network maintains all digestion of foods and gives us the power to think clearly. Maladies such as fatigue, mental
weariness, bloating and indigestion are caused by a disruption to the spleen network.
Lung--the lung helps control the body's natural rhythms and gives us the power to inhale air. Symptoms such as unhappiness,
getting colds and flues often, and tightness in the chest area all cause from disruptions in the lung network.
Liver--the liver maintains the flow of qi, controls the temper, and stores the blood. If you have tension of the shoulders and
neck, high blood pressure symptoms, moodiness, or cramping, the liver network is disturbed.
TCM believes that as qi flows through the meridians to each of the organ networks, the yin and tang is in balance and your health
remains strong. Disruptions to the qi results in illness. Thus, the concept of qi is the cornerstone of all TCM therapies.
To ensure the proper flow of qi energy through your body, Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes these therapies:
Chinese Herbal Medicines--special herbs that help the body find a balance in it's organ networks. For example, if TCM
practitioners characterize a disease as "cold," special Chinese herbs will be given that create warm, basically "countering" the
problem with an opposite force. Chinese herbs are broken down into 5 main flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and pungent.
Acupressure--this art helps stimulate the body's channels, opening meridians though manula manipulation. Needles are not used. Jun
shin jyutsu, tusubo, and shiatsu are the primary school of acupressure.
Acupuncture--fairly well known in western concept, even if the TCM concepts are not. This therapy involves inserting tiny needles
into various pathways of the body, known as "gateways." Inserting a needle into these gateways will unblock the pathways and
allow qi to flow.
Qi gong--a physical therapy that mixes both meditational practices and movement through various breathing techniques.
Tai chi--an exercise system that utilizes meditative movement to promote the flow of qi though the body pathways.
The belief of traditional Chinese medicine is that the condition of one's soul is always reflected by the health of the body. If
you are sick it means there is a disturbance in your qi. All the parts of the body are connected; the mind, the body, and the
spirit are not separate entities. If your spirit is troubled, so will be your mind and body.
There are offshoots of TCM therapies such as relaxation therapies, yoga, and diets that cater to a person's body and blood type.
If you suffer from frequent illness, you should consider seeing a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner. Many people find TCM
therapies work wonders for restoring the body's health.
Chinese-Herbs.ca is the number one source for information about herbal supplements and herbal treatments on the web.