There may be many reasons why you’ve taken an interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), whether it be pure curiosity or seeking an experience on board. No matter your knowledge level, we can all use a refresher or two. Hopefully, by the end of this short article, you’ll have a better understanding of TCM!
What’s Traditional Chinese Medicine, what’s not?
Traditional Chinese Medicine definitely has a lot of misconceptions, and we’re here to clear them up for you. It’s not just about the use of herbs or acupuncture; it’s much more than that, and we’ll take a moment to discover it together.
TCM is an ancient yet completely modern healing system that helps you live a life of balance, wellness, and harmony. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) originated from primitive human societies and has been around for about 5,000 years. The earliest found writings—on pieces of tortoise shells and bone—date back to the Shang Dynasty (15th to 11th centuries BC). The Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) is well known as a complete and systematic record of traditional Chinese medicine from as early as the 3rd century BCE. China has the world’s oldest TCM medical system.
Key Principles and Methodologies of TCM
(1). Prevention is the best cure. Your body is constantly revealing signs about the state of your health, such as your heartbeat or breathing patterns, but sometimes these signs are too subtle or get ignored. TCM can teach you how to interpret what your body is telling you. TCM practitioners perform their clinical assessment through four diagnostic methods: Inspection, Listening/Smelling, Inquiring, and Palpation.
- Inspection
Using visual inspection to observe any abnormalities in patients’ vitality, complexion, tongue, and bodily secretions. - Listening/Smelling
Detecting any abnormalities in the sounds produced by patients, such as respiration, and attending to odors emitted through patients’ breath, secretions, and excretions can help in diagnosing patients’ conditions. - Inquiring
Asking about observable symptoms, signs, and relevant medical history to aid in the diagnosis of illnesses and progressions. - Palpation
Predicting pathological changes and functions of each organ by palpating the pulse and pressing corresponding body parts.
(2). People Are Born with a Natural Self-Healing Ability. Your body is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm. Think of it like this—nature has a regenerative capacity, and so do you. Sometimes, this ability may appear to be lost or difficult to access, but in most cases, it is never completely gone.
(3). Your body is an integrated whole. Every structure in your body is an integral and necessary part of the whole. Along with your mind, emotions, and spirit, your physical body structures form a miraculously complex, interrelated system that is powered by life force, or energy. Traditional Chinese physicians seek to restore a dynamic balance between two complementary forces, yin (passive) and yang (active), which pervade the human body. Based on the constitution theory of TCM, the human population can be classified into either a balanced constitution or an unbalanced constitution.
(4). You are completely connected to nature. Changes in nature are always reflected in your body. TCM factors in the particular season, geographical location, time of day, as well as your age, genetics, and the condition of your body when assessing your health issues. A simple example is seasonal allergies. When the seasons change, so does your body’s reaction to your surroundings. Traditional Chinese physicians focus on nourishing the liver/gallbladder in spring, the heart/small intestine in summer, the lung/large intestine in autumn, and the kidney/bladder in winter to maximize health care and treatment effects. Additionally, Chinese physicians focus on nourishing Yang in spring and summer and nourishing Yin in autumn and winter, which is a key aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory for disease prevention.
How do TCM Practitioners perform treatments?
A common misconception about TCM practitioners is the assumption that they will perform treatments freely. It is easy to think this way because TCM is different from check-ups at a doctor’s office, where medication is prescribed based on examinations. However, TCM is based on the theory of Qi (similar to the theory of Quantum), Yin Yang (Taichi), and the Five Elements. It is practical and real medicine. Unlike Western medicine, which relies on modern medical instruments and concentrated drugs, TCM uses natural methodologies and herbs to perform specific treatments.
A TCM practitioner will mainly use the following methodologies.
(1). Diagnosis (Observation, Listening, Questioning, and Pulse Analysis).
Diagnosis can help TCM practitioners know your constitution. There are 9 main constitutions as listed.
平和质: constitution of yin-yang harmony
气虚质: constitution of qi asthenia
阳虚质: constitution of yang asthenia
阴虚质: constitution of yin asthenia
痰湿质: constitution of phlegm-dampness
湿热质: constitution of damp-heat
血瘀质: constitution of blood stasis
气郁质: constitution of qi stagnation
特禀质: allergic constitution
(2). TCM Syndrome Differentiation
Syndrome differentiation (Bian Zheng) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the comprehensive analysis of clinical information obtained through the four main diagnostic TCM procedures: observation, listening, questioning, and pulse analysis. It is used to guide the choice of treatment, whether by acupuncture and/or TCM herbal formulas (Fufang). TCM syndrome differentiation allows for further stratification of patients’ conditions identified by orthodox medical diagnosis, enhancing the efficacy of the selected intervention.
(3). Treatment plan
After syndrome differentiation, acupuncturists will create a treatment plan. Depending on the season, time, and constitution, the treatment plan may change as needed. Essentially, they will determine which meridians and acupoints should be used for your specific treatment.
(4). Treatment
TCM doctors may use acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, or Tuina (acupressure) for treatments. They will also use herbs to adjust your constitution. Some herbs can have an immense positive effect if the diagnosis is correct. Some patients may think the doctor should treat right where the pain is, but that’s not always the right approach. For example, many patients have headaches caused by issues with the gallbladder. In this situation, treating the gallbladder meridian can make the pain disappear instantly. It isn’t necessarily “treat the head when the head aches, treat the foot when the foot hurts.” We consider patients as a whole and use Jing-Qi, Yin-Yang, five-element theories, and the eight principles to find the real cause of the disease and provide different symptomatic treatments for different people.
TCM With Balance Healthcare
As modern TCM physicians, we blend the best of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern Western medicine to improve health, well-being, and the quality of life for people, providing healthcare that is safe, effective, affordable, and accessible.
Just as there are no two identical snowflakes in the world, there are no two identical people. You are unique and special, and so is your treatment. Balance Healthcare’s aspiration and philosophy have always been to care for the whole patient, both mind and body. Holistic concepts, syndrome differentiation, and treatment are integral to our disease prevention and treatment approach. Our mission is to do our best to help patients achieve a balanced constitution, healthy endocrine system, immune system, circulatory system, and more, thereby improving health, well-being, and quality of life.