Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, with recorded instances dating as far back as two thousand years before the birth of Christ. This is in sharp contrast to the American or Western forms of health care, which have been in existence for a much shorter time span (the American Medical Association, the largest health care member association in the United States, was formed in 1847, some 3,800 years AFTER the first mention of Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Chinese medicine is quite complex and can be difficult for some people to comprehend. This is because TCM is based, at least in part, on the Daoist belief that we live in a universe in which everything is interconnected. What happens to one part of the body affects every other part of the body. The mind and body are nor viewed separately, but as part of an energetic system. Similarly, organs and organ systems are viewed as interconnected structures that work together to keep the body functioning.

Many people often equate the practice of acupuncture with the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is not entirely true. While acupuncture is the most often practiced component of TCM, it is simply that -- a component, an important piece of a much larger puzzle. TCM encompasses several methods designed to help patients achieve and maintain health.

TCM is a holistic medical system, which combines the use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, nutrition, massage and movement exercises (known as Tai Chi or Qi Gong) to bring the body into balance.

Whereas Western medicine looks closely at a symptom and tries to find an underlying causes, TCM looks at the body as a whole. Each symptom is looked at in relationship to all other presenting symptoms. The goal of the TCM practitioner is to assess the entire constitution of the patient -- considering both physiological and psychological aspects.

The practitioner first observes the general characteristics of the patient, then tries to discern a relationship between symptoms in order to establish what is called a “pattern of disharmony”. Treatment is aimed at restoring harmony and bringing the body into balance.

Although the principles of TCM may be difficult for some to comprehend, there is little doubt of TCM’s effectiveness. Several studies have reported on TCM’s success in treating a wide range of conditions, from nausea and vomiting, to skin disorders, tennis elbow and back pain. Many Western-trained physicians have begun to see the benefits TCM has to offer patients and now include acupuncture -- at least on a limited basis -- as part of their practice.

The benefits of TCM have become widely recognized and integrated with mainstream health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) has researched and documented the effectiveness of TCM and has published a listing of ailments that they recognize as being able to be treated through acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

To view the entire list, please read our article in the Article/Info section:

More Americans are also using acupuncture, herbal remedies and other components of TCM than ever before. The reasons for this vary, but the increasing interest in, and use of, TCM is due in large part to its effectiveness, affordability and lack of adverse side-effects compared to Western medicine.

There are several TCM theories which can be used to determine the “pattern of disharmony”. The whole person is always taken into account and relationships are not seen as linear.

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