Traditional Chinese Medicine has existed for over 3000 years. The ancient writings on the shells of tortoise and bone give evidence for the existence of the medicine which majorly focused on treating diseases by the circular movement of qi (air/energy etc.) and blood (Xue). Ancient Chinese believed mankind is connected to the large universe which is again connected the nature. The tradition aims at bringing a balance between health and the internal organs in the human body which is in turn connected to five elements (fire, wood, water, earth, and metal) of earth.
These concepts serve as a foundation for holistic health care at Bring Health which aims at treating the person’s whole body and soul for better living and speedy recovery of illness. Additionally, help in bringing balance in physical system to withstand any issues which the body might have to face. Post analysis of the abnormality, one or more of the following methods would be incorporated to treat the individual in Bring Health:
Additionally, Bring Health is partnered with Capital Health Centre of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which provides advice on diet, lifestyle, moxibustion, and individual health consultation in any of the three clinics located in Canberra. All the above services are provided post complete examination of a patient’s medical history and current conditions to suit their needs.
Medicines at present
In many countries modern or western medicine are mainstream approach of treating patients. Western or modern medication has a major role in treating emergency, severe and life threating conditions of patients etc. Hence, playing a significant role in people’s life. The condition is treated based on the severity by using chemically formulated medicines. Whereas Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complementary treatment which treats the whole human body and not just the body part or area which has abnormality or which is giving trouble to the patient. The difference in the composition affects varied energy levels in the human body in turn which is co-related to five essential elements of the earth. The complementary medicine tries to bring qi balance which helps in creating equilibrium throughout the body. There are varied medicine/therapies to help community such as physiotherapy, psychology, chiropractic etc. There are other forms of natural healing such as homeopathy, Ayurveda, naturopathy etc which adopts different approach. Traditional Chinese Medicine has an approach of bring a balance of qi throughout the body and working along with other therapies productive organic way. Both medicines have a common goal of curing the disease but each of them has its methods and results to achieve the same.
Side-effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a practice followed for many years. The approach needs the practitioner to have sufficient knowledge on the technique with training and practice to treat patients with TCM techniques to achieve the best results. Since the treatment involves the practitioner to undergo training, he/she must be licensed to practice the treatment. Hence, it is highly recommended to see a licensed practitioner.
For instance, Acupuncture is a treatment which involves inserting needles into the patient’s body to relieve pain. It is very important to know if the needles used by the acupuncturist are sterilized and are disposed of after each use. Also, letting the practitioner know everything about your medical history.
Hence to safeguard from the side effects it is a best practise to consult a certified and licenced practitioner to treat the abnormalities. Additionally, every medicine prescribed must be taken in the right proportion to avoid any damage to the other parts. Hence, right advise from the practitioner must be followed for best results.
Yin and Yang’s impact on Traditional Chinese Medicine
Yin-Yang forms the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine in diagnosing and treating abnormalities in patients. It is a phenomenon of two opposite forces that are mutually interconnected. The relationship demonstrates everything existing in the universe connected but yet opposite elements, playing vital roles in the environment. Yin-Yang demonstrates other relationships in the environment like Female-Male, Darkness-Light, Rest-Activity, and Right-Left. The aspects of the relationship are explained below:
Diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine
The diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine is done in four methods to come up with a treatment plan for the abnormalities in the human body. Below are the four methods of diagnosis:
Inspection: Careful visual inspection on the patient’s body in the complexion and tongue to find any abnormalities
Listening and Smelling: Listening to patients breathing, smelling the odor of the patient’s breath, secretions and excretions gives the patient abnormalities information which helps in diagnosis
Inquiring: Asking patients questions regarding the observable symptoms and the intervals they occur to help diagnose illness and come up with a treatment plan
Palpation: The pulse variation could be determined by pressing the corresponding parts of the body for a better understanding of the patient’s system
The above-mentioned methods are not limited, and there might be more assessments done by the practitioner to get a better picture of the patient’s health condition.
Unknown, Unknown. American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. [Online] Available at: https://www.actcm.edu/chinese-medicine/ [Accessed 11 August 2020].
