Basic Chinese medicine concept

What is Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest medical forms in the world. Its history is more than 2,500 years. It is the essence of Chinese history, philosophy and medical knowledge. For many Chinese, Chinese Medicine is still the main medical form.

As research continues to deepen and the world's interest in natural products continues to rise, Chinese Medicine is increasingly considered to be an alternative to other forms of medicine in other parts of the world.

The important point of TCM theory is the balance between form and spirit. Physical health constitutes a solid foundation for mental health, including people's thoughts, emotions and psychological state.

Simply put, Chinese Medicine not only treats diseases, but also treats people who are sick. This treatment is based on the concepts of Tibetan, Yinyang and Five Elements.

• Tibetan phase

The literal meaning of the Tibetan phase is the external manifestation of the health status or state of the internal organs.

The Tibetan phase constitutes the basic principle of most Chinese medicine diagnosis. The internal causes of the disease are determined by examining external symptoms, and the corresponding treatment principles are formulated and implemented.

Tibetan refers to the internal location of the organs of the organs, which refers to their external appearance or symptoms.

The organs include the five internal organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney) and the six sputum (the gallbladder, stomach, bladder, large intestine, small intestine and triple burner).

Trifocal refers to the upper part of the body (the upper part of the diaphragm), the middle part (the part between the diaphragm and the navel), and the lower part (the part below the navel). The most important function is to supervise the water metabolism in the body.

•yin and yang

Everything in the universe has two forces that oppose each other and depend on each other - yin and yang, yin and yang are two opposing parts of the whole, interdependent and indispensable. Yin literally means “back yang or inactivity” (such as water, black, cold, night, inactive, female), while yang refers to “sunward or active” aspects (such as fire, light, heat, day, active, male).

In Chinese Medicine, the concept of yin and yang is used to explain the complex interrelationships and constant changes of the human body. All organs and systems are interconnected and interdependent. In general, when the yin and yang are balanced, our body is in a healthy state, but if one force overpowers another, pain and disease can occur. Traditional Chinese medicine uses the concept of yin and yang to diagnose the type of disability and develop a treatment method to restore balance.

• Five elements

The five elements include wood, fire, earth, gold, and water, each of which represents a different character, function, or performance. Everything in the universe can be classified according to this. The five elements are used to describe the relationship between all natural phenomena.

The five elements mainly interact in two cycles: phase and phase. In the phase cycle, various elements assist each other and transform each other, while the phase cycle controls various elements to ensure balance and harmony.

Chinese Medicine believes that mutual care is very important for health care.

Meridians in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese medicine (a form of alternative medicine that originated in China), meridians are invisible energy pathways or channels that run through the body. Our vital life energy, or "qi", is thought to flow along these meridians, and anything that disrupts the smooth flow of chi is said to cause illness. The Chinese term for meridian is "jing luo".

Most acupuncture and acupressure points lie on a meridian and stimulating these points using acupuncture needles, acupressure, moxibustion, or tuina is thought to help correct and rebalance the flow of energy. There are over 300 acupuncture points on the meridian system.

Meridians in Chinese Medicine

There are 12 regular meridians and 20 meridians in total in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Each regular meridian is believed to correspond to an organ and run along the body to either the hand or the foot. Organs without an empty cavity (such as the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys) are called yin organs and organs with an empty cavity (such as the gallbladder, stomach, bladder, and large and small intestines) are called yang organs. Meridians that are linked with yin organs are called yin meridians and those linked to yang organs are called yang meridians.

Yin meridians run along the inside of limbs and yang meridians run along the outside of limbs.

In TCM, qi is believed to flow from the chest area along the three arm yin meridians (heart, lung, and pericardium) to the hands. There they connect with the three corresponding arm yang meridians (small intestine, large intestine, and triple burner or "san jiao") and flow up to the head, where they connect with their three corresponding leg yang meridians (bladder, stomach, and gallbladder) and flow down to the feet. They connect in the feet to their corresponding leg yin meridians (kidney, spleen, liver) and return to the chest area.

In addition to the 12 regular meridians, there are eight extra meridians that are not tied to a major organ system, but instead store qi and blood for the regular meridians, circulate a person's essence or "jing" and defensive qi ("wei qi"), and also provide further connections between the 12 meridians. Among the eight extra meridians, the Governing Vessel ("Ren Mai") and the Conception Vessel ("Du Mai") are considered the most important meridians, partly because they contain points that are not on the 12 regular meridian lines.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is an ancient form of heat therapy which involves the burning of moxa. Moxa is usually made from the dried leafy material of Chinese mugwort, but it can be made of other substances as well. It is a therapy which can prevent and treat medical conditions with heat stimulation on acupuncture points of the body. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, moxibustion can warm the meridians to dispel cold. It is applied for all medical conditions caused by cold obstruction, blood stagnation and blockages of the meridians, such as cold and damp pattern arthritis and stomachache. It is a technique used by acupuncturist. The moxibustion technique is used by acupuncturist for many reasons. One of main reasons is to increase blood circulation. It provides the best result compare just using tuina or acupuncture.

Types of Moxibustion

There are three types of moxibustion: (1) Direct moxibustion uses a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa which is placed on top of acupuncture point and burned on the skin. This is rarely used by acupuncturist. Nowadays, direct moxibustion is not a popular Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment in China. (2) Indirect moxibustion is the more popular type of moxibustion because there is a much lower risk of pain or skin burning. In indirect moxibustion, acupuncturist lights one end of a moxa stick and holds it one or two inch away from the skin. It brings mild warmth to the area without burning on the skin until the skin becomes slightly red. (3) Needle moxa technique is a combination of needling and moxibustion. Acupuncturist attaches a small piece of moxa stick on the needle’s handle, and lights the moxa stick from its bottom while the needle is still retained in the acupuncture point. The heat is conducted through the needle to the acupuncture point.