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How Traditional Chinese Medicine can help you
Traditional Chinese Medicine has 5000 years of history and has
proved to be effective in treating a number of acute and chronic
illnesses where Traditional Chinese Medicine has yielded good results
nevertheless where formal documentations of those results remain
inadequate. Many researches world-wide indicate that the best approach
to fight against acute and chronic diseases, such as cancers, are
obtained by means of a joint treatment combining Western medicine
and Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the patient pursuing a suitable
diet, and therapeutic exercise. Furthermore, the philosophy behind
Traditional Chinese medicine may relieve the anxiety of the patient
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the ability of acupuncture
and Oriental medicine to treat over 43 commonly en-countered clinical
disorders.
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine
can help Cancers patients
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine can
help Diabetes
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine can
help Pains
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine can
help Infertility
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine can
help Depression
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine can
help Hypertension
Click here to learn how Chinese Medicine
can help in other diseases
Fundamental to Traditional Chinese Medicine are the powerful roles
that balance and har-mony play in the role of health. The ancient
Chinese observed the cyclical patterns of nature and acknowledged
the influences that the starry heavens played in their daily lives.
Through patient observation, they realized that all parts of the
universe are interrelated. They came to understand our place within
nature, recognizing how natural forces strongly influence the affairs
of humankind. They understood that we are but a microcosmic reflection
of a much greater whole that encompasses all the forces of nature.
These forces repre-sent the myriad faces of Qi.
The Components of Traditional Chinese Medical System
a. Herbal medication and Diet
b. Acupuncture and Acupressure
c. Traditional Chinese Medicine Ttherapeutic exercise - Qigong and Taichi
I. Herbal Medication and Dietary
Decoction
The conventional method of applying herb therapy is to make a decoction
- a strong "tea" made by simmering raw herbs in water.
Herbs are usually taken as a formula, which may contain 10-15 herbs.
Each formula is consisted of a chief herb, a few assistant herbs,
and a courier herb to take the medicine to the site of the "lesion".
Each herb in the formula has a different role. In prescribing a
medication, a practitioner adapts a basic formula with proven effectiveness
in treating a particular pattern of disharmony, and adds other herbs
to suit the patient's distinct characteristics. The Chinese herbal
practitioner has a choice of close to 6,000 herbs, and a few mineral
and animal components. There are about 400 commonly used formulas.
Traditionally, a specially glazed clay teapot is used to make the
tea. Since the decoction method is time consuming, and the taste
of the decoction is unpalatable to many, two alternative methods
were developed - pulverized herbs in capsules, and concentrated
Chinese herbal granules.
Concentrated Chinese Herbal Granules
Concentrated Chinese herbal granules are a representation of a new
generation of Chinese herbal products, and offer a safe and convenient
means of using herbs. They are extracts of herbs and carry the same
potency. Please refer to Single Chinese Herb Extracts - Manufacturing
Techniques and Quality Control for details regarding the extraction
process.
Common types of herbal therapies
Fu Zhen therapy
Fu Zhen therapy is an immune-enhancing herbal regimen, and is used
as an adjunct to chemotherapy and radiation. The principal herbs
in the therapy strengthen the body's non-specific immunity and enhance
the functions of T-cells.
Herbal Antitoxin therapy
Herbal Antitoxin therapy is a regularly used therapy with proven
effects in inhibiting tumor growth. Kelp and Pokeroot are among
the herbs known to dissolve tumors.
Blood Activating therapies
Blood activating therapy helps reduce coagulation and inflammatory
reactions associated with immune response
Dietary
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs and food go hand in hand
in influencing the body's energy fields. It follows that a patient's
diet must align with medications taken for benefits to be realized.
Chinese dietary supervision is a sophisticated system that evaluates
food according to its properties and therapeutic value. Whole-grain
products, beans, fresh vegetables, and mushrooms are frequently
recommended. TCM practitioners, on the other hand, advise patients
to avoid raw food, because it is too "cold"; white sugar,
too rich and would over-stimulate the pancreas and liver; strong
spices, for they disperse energy to the surface of the body.
II. Acupuncture and Acupressure
Acupuncture is another form of Chinese therapy applied to change
the flow or quality of the life force, and to rebalance body energies.
As mentioned, qi circulates in fourteen major meridians, or energy
channels, traversing the body from the top of the head to the tips
of fingers and toes. Each meridian is connected to an internal organ.
Specific points on each invisible channel, when stimulated, affect
the flow of qi in the particular organ and in other channels or
associated organs. By stimulating these points with extremely fine
needles or through massage, acupuncture unblocks energy or adjusts
its flow. Also, by inserting and manipulating the hair-like stainless
steel needles, acupuncture corrects the imbalances of qi that underlie
the disease.
Acupuncture is applicable in the treatment of persistent pain, arthritis,
asthma, infertility, and acute and chronic diseases. it serves to
alleviate pain and to address functional disorders associated with
the illness. In addition, acupuncture also helps release stress
and pain following surgeries.
III. TCM therapeutic exercises
Another component of Traditional Chinese Medicine used in the
treatment of cancer is therapeutic exercise. It comes in two forms:
tai-chi and chi-gong. The purpose of both exercises is to enable
a person to regulate and direct the flow of qi within his or her
own body. A student in merial training is taught to focus his or
her qi in a place two inches below the navel, called the dan tian,
or vital center. From this center, the qi is said to emanate to
distant regions of the body. Upon practice, students can sense the
presence of qi at the vital center in the form of localized warmth
and can then direct the life energy to specific parts of the body.
For cancer patients, practitioners prescribe exercises that specifically
address the patients' illnesses.
Chinese Medicine believes that these exercises energize the body's
vital forces, balances yin and yang, strengthens blood circulation,
and improves the patient's emotional and mental states. Western
medicine believes that the exercises, like yoga, increase the absorption
and utilization of oxygen.
Through intensive practice of chi-gong, an entire set of beneficial
psychological and spiritual conditions emerges. In promoting emotional
well-being, chi-gong exercises help build confidence among patients
in their battle against cancer. Many cancer patients, who have practicing
chi-gong and tai-chi, have noted that a positive attitude plays
an important role in the curing of the disease.
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