Traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture and herbal treatments have been around for thousands of years. These ancient treatments and remedies are enjoying renewed attention in the West, as Chinese medicine schools in major Western cities educate a new class of traditional healers.
Ancient Chinese medicine is being studied and sometimes even embraced by mainstream healers, and some modern Western hospitals even have started to combine some alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, with modern techniques. Many practitioners study both mainstream and traditional medicine, sometimes using acupuncture for example, as a relaxation or anesthetic treatment.
The history of Chinese medicine dates back over 4,000 years, and is still in use throughout most of the Far East. In the West, more practitioners are embracing these techniques as well, and 38 states have a certification board for acupuncture and Oriental medicine.
The principles of Chinese medicine are rooted in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, and focuses on natural laws of the universe and how people relate to those natural laws. As such, most illnesses are a result from living outside of the natural laws. Most Chinese medicine holds to the Taoist yin and yang theory, which holds that nature adheres to a rhythmic cycle in which everything in existence has opposite aspects.
Diagnosis in Chinese medicine is often dependent on the theory of the five elements, which expands on the yin and yang theory, and shows the interrelatedness of all things. The five elements, wood, water, fire, earth, and metal. Human beings, as a microcosm of the universe, have characteristics that reflect these five elements, which must be in balance with each other. Through these principles, Chinese medicine can treat a wide variety of ailments, and it can even be used as an acne treatment.
Almost all ancient and modern Chinese books on medicine show an energetic concept called Qi, which also correlates to the fundamental energies of the universe. Qi is the very energy that flows through our bodies, and is seen as a spiritual concept of permanence. After death, Qi transforms back into spirit. While Western medicine recognizes a single flow through the body in the system of blood vessels, the system of Qi recognizes 12 flows. Acupuncture points are located along these flows, and 12 of the 14 flows connect to an organ.
Diagnosis takes on many different forms in Chinese medicine, encompassing a visual exam, listening, the pulse, smelling, and examination of the tongue. Various odors, for example, are indicative of different imbalances. And while in Western medicine, pulse is taken merely to record the heartbeat, Chinese medicine takes a different approach entirely. Taking a pulse is a much more detailed reading with fine distinctions, and there are a total of 28 different qualities that the practitioner looks for when taking the pulse.
Also like Western medicine, Chinese traditional practitioners practice listening, but also to a much greater extent. A Western doctor listens to a heartbeat and respiration through a stethoscope, the Chinese doctor will listen to the voice as well to give an indication of balance of elements.
