Traditional
Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology
A rich treasure house created by ancient Chinese people in their
long years of struggle against disease, traditional Chinese medicine
and pharmacology has formed an independent school within the healing
arts. It has made outstanding achievements over its 2,000-year history
and it has improved continuously to remain widely practiced today.
Traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology incorporates the yin
(negative) and yang (positive) theory and the theory of the five
elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth), both containing primitive
dialectical ideas of ancient China. The former theory holds that
everything has a yin and a yang side and that the struggle and interaction
between the two sides is the source of the ceaseless emergence and
change of all things in the universe. The latter theory believes
that things in the universe are composed of the five indispensable
elements of daily life, which move and change constantly to promote
and restrain each other.
Beyond theory, the physiological and pathological branches of traditional
Chinese medicine focus on the internal organ, main and collateral
"channels", "vital energy" ("qi")
and blood, excretions and discharges. Diagnoses are made within
a complete observation system in which the nature of a patient's
disease is determined by the "four methods of diagnosis"
--- observing the overall way the patient looks, listening to the
voice and observing and odor, asking questions, and feeling the
patient's pulse. Treatment then proceeds to balance the "eight
principal syndromes" --- yin and yang, exterior and interior,
cold and heat, underactivity and overactivity.
The particular approaches of traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology
have made important contributions to health protection and the development
of medicine and pharmacology. Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment,
for example, is a unique Chinese method remarkably effective in
curing many kinds of ailments.
Acupuncture
and Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion are two distinct therapeutic approaches
to curing a variety of ailments. Acupuncture treats diseases by
puncturing points of the body with different types of needles. Moxibustion
applies heat produced by ignited moxawood (a small, spongy herb)
over certain points in the body. Although different equipment and
materials are used, the therapeutic and preventive results are similar.
Both promote the circulation of qi and blood in the channels by
stimulating the key points and channels of the body. Acupuncture
and moxibustion are frequently used together to treat ailments ranking
from internal problems to gynecological and pediatric diseases including
ailments of the eyes, lips, nose and tongue. The results are often
quick with little or no side effects.
The locations where needles are inserted or where heat is applied
are known as point. By focusing on specific points, different effects
or reactions can be produced in corresponding parts of the body,
which led to the theory of channels and collaterals. The vertically
distributed "trunk lines" were described by physicians
in ancient times as "channels" while the large and small
branches of these "channels" were referred to as "collaterals".
Together a network can be defined as consisting of 12 channels,
15 collaterals and 8 extraordinary channels. This network spreads
through the body and links various points of the body.
For thousands of years, acupuncture and moxibustion therapies have
been popular as methods of preventing and treating disease. They
have served as important components of Chinese medicine.
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