subject: Traditional Chinese Medicine - a beginner's guide [print this page] Traditional Chinese Medicine - a beginner's guide
Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) refers to the medicinal practices developed in China dating back to ancient times and still used today. Many people use the term to differentiate between Eastern and Western medicine, TCM representing Eastern medicine.
As with Western medicine TCM is a complete medical system; and it is one that has been practiced for a staggering 5,000 years (and perhaps more). Traditional Chinese Medicine aims to treat the root cause of illness, rather than the symptoms; it takes a holistic (whole) approach. TCM takes into consideration many factors including the body, mind, spirit and emotions, and views each as joined entities.
The six major components that make up Tradition Chinese Medicine include:
- Psychology: Understanding how a person's emotions link to their body and their health
- Qigong: An energy practice, encompassing movement, posture and breathing techniques
- Food: Rather than prescribing food for particular nutritional value TCM prescribes food on its energy properties
- Herbal therapy: herbal combinations strengthen and support organ system function
- Acupuncture: the insertion of needles in acupoints to help Qi (energy) flow smoothly
- Acupressure: the use of specific hand techniques to help Qi (energy) flow smoothly
A hugely important part of TCM is what is known as Qi (pronounced chee). For ease in the West Qi is often described as energy, but it is really more complex than this; truly understanding Qi, helps to understand the practice as a whole (as Qi is at its heart). Qi has two main aspects, the first is energy, power or force, and the second is conscious intelligence/information.
Meridians are the invisible pathways through which Qi flows, connecting all the parts of the body together, and the body to the universe. The lock-gate between these meridians are known as acupoints, and stimulating the acupoints (through acupressure or acupuncture) enables Qi to flow smoothly.
Tradition Chinese Medicine is distinctly different to Western medicine in that it takes in consideration much wider universal factors and even philosophy; the two major theories being Yin/Yang Theory and the Five-Element Theory.
Yin/Yang Theory: The Yin/Yang symbol is common in Western society, but its true meaning less so. The Yin/Yang theory describes how everything in the entire universe is composed of two complementary energies, these are never separate and one can't exist without the other, it is a principle of interconnectedness and interdependence; it is not oppositional. Much TCM deals with harmonising Yin/Yang. As everything in the body is under the control of the binary system of yin and yang, if there is a problem with one, the other will be affected.
Five-Element Theory: The Five-Element Theory states that the five major Organ Systems (Liver/Gallbladder, Heart/Small Intestine, Spleen/Stomach, Lung/Large Intestine, and Kidney/Urinary Bladder) are each related to a particular element (wood/fire/earth/metal/water). Wood, for example, is related to the liver, fire to the heart, earth to the stomach, metal to the lungs and water to the kidneys.
