However ancient, this is still a widely practiced system of holistic healing and health. And to this day this system is used to treat over 1/4 of the world’s population. Simply put, it’s based on balance, harmony, moderation and prevention. Physicians of TCM treat every patient as an individual and rather than treating the condition, they treat the individual patient. For example if there are three people with the same complaints, they will probably be treated differently in all three cases especially if their lifestyles are not similar. Becoming physically unbalanced or out of harmony or ill is an indication of a failure of preventative health care.
The goal here is to balance all things necessary for good health. The Yin and Yang (opposing yet complementary forces) is the example. And like in previous discussions of different medicine practices, we again see the five elements (water, fire, earth, air and ether – or mental) and ‘chi’ (an invisible energy flowing freely in a person of good health; disrupted, blocked or weak in an ill person) *Note: in ‘chi’, the illness is the result of the blockage….NOT that the blockage being a result of the illness …simply put….fix the chi and heal.
TCM believes in treating the root of a disease, and not just treating the symptoms. This is done using natural and non invasive procedures and methods. Treatments generally fall into one or more methods: massage, exercise, diet, acupuncture and herbal treatments/medicines & moxibustion (burning herbal cones placed on acupoints on the body/above the body).
Chinese herbal treatments are provided so that the persons own immune system is aided and will kick in and take over. Therapeutic exercises are prescribed to get the free flow going again of the ‘chi’.
A healthy diet, exercise, preventative care… all things we should be incorporating into our daily lives.
Lovely!