Melding Western & Ancient Chinese
Medicine - Introduction
Ancient Chinese Medicine has been around for over 3,000 years but it is only comparatively recent that it has significantly gained ground in the West and won grudging acceptance among Western medical practitioners. This is not surprising considering that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as it has become popularly known, is generally misunderstood because of its unfamiliar concepts.
A body of knowledge that has survived wars and pestilence and the rise and fall of civilizations is too important to ignore. Chinese medicine has been proving over and over that it is just as useful in treating serious conditions like diabetes or prostate infection, as hay fever or weight loss. Here you'll find more information on Chinese medicine weight loss. Unlike Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine views the body as an organic whole. Any malfunction of one organ could affect other body functions in seemingly unrelated ways. Conversely, an outward problems with the skin or a debilitating pain on minor joints could signal more severe problems of vital internal organs.
Treatment consists of restoring the original balance among the organs and between the patient and the environment. The kind of treatment could be somewhat strange to the untrained observer. For example, acupuncture, the most familiar TCM practice in Western society, consists of inserting needles in selected pivotal points that aims to restore the flow of energy (qi).As one becomes more familiar with other treatments like herbal medicine, dietary therapy, qigong (an energy movement practice) and Chinese psychology, one realizes that each of them is consistent with the holistic world view. Such practices could be very difficult to comprehend by western doctors because of differing world views of nature. In its study of ailments, Western medicine insists on breaking down medicine into smaller and smaller fields of specialization. Treatment thus concentrates on symptoms and applies localized remedies to affected parts whereas Eastern thought targets relationships and tries to restore the lost harmony. The movement is towards a fusion of knowledge from two great bodies of traditions which can only benefit those who suffer from health problems.
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