Chinese Medicine Centre

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, actually dating back 2000 years before the birth of Christ, whilst the American Medical Association, the USA's largest health care association was formed in 1847. That's some 3,800 years after the first mention of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine has no real counterpart in Western medicine. Qi (pronounced "chi") is considered a vital force of energy, controlling the workings of the human mind and body. Qi flows through the body via channels or pathways which are called meridians. There are a total of 20 meridians: 12 being primary meridians. These correspond to specific organs, organ systems or functions, and 8 to secondary meridians. Imbalances in the flow of qi are what is believed to cause illness, the correction of this flow restoring the body to balance. There are also other concepts, the Yin/Yang and Five Element Theories, equally important in order to have a true grasp of traditional Chinese medicine.

Whilst acupuncture is the most commonly practiced art of traditional Chinese medicine, it is simply that – a component, an important piece of a much larger puzzle. Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses several methods designed to help patients both achieve and continue to maintain good health. Techniques such as acupressure and moxibustion help manipulative and massage techniques such as tuina and gua sha; herbal medicine; diet and lifestyle changes; meditation; and exercise, often in the form of qigong or tai chi. Traditional Chinese medicine should also not be confused with Oriental medicine. Whereas traditional Chinese medicine is considered a standardized version of the type of Chinese medicine practice before the Chinese Revolution, Oriental medicine is a catch-all phrase for the styles of acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage and exercise that have been developed and practice not only in Asia, but world-wide.

Whilst the principles of some traditional Chinese medicine might be difficult for some to comprehend, there is very little doubt of it's effectiveness. Several studies have reported on traditional Chinese medicine's success in treating a wide range of conditions, from nausea and vomiting to skin disorders, tennis elbow and back pain. Numerous Western-trained physicians now also see the benefits traditional Chinese medicine has to offer patients, actually now including acupuncture, at least, even if only on a limited basis as part of their practice. Herbal remedies and other components of traditional Chinese medicine are now wider used than ever before, the reasons for this vary, but it's due in a large part to its effectiveness coupled to it's affordability and it's lack of adverse side-effects compared to Western medicine.

Since its introduction to the West, acupuncture has been used to treat or cure a wide range of ailments. In the late 1970s, the World Health Organization recognized the ability of acupuncture and Oriental medicine to treat nearly four dozen common ailments, including neuromusculoskeletal conditions, arthritis, neuralgia, insomnia, dizziness, and neck/shoulder pain, as example. Emotional and psychological disorders, depression and anxiety, circulatory disorders, addictions to alcohol, nicotine and other drugs; respiratory disorders, sinusitis, allergies, bronchitis and gastrointestinal conditions such as food allergies, ulcers, chronic diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, intestinal weakness, anorexia and gastritis.

In 1997, a consensus statement released by the National Institutes of Health found that acupuncture could be useful by itself or in combination with other therapies to treat addiction, headaches, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and asthma. Other studies have demonstrated that acupuncture may help in the rehabilitation of stroke patients and can relieve nausea in patients recovering from surgery.

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