What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

TCM has over two millennium of experience in providing solutions to chronic health problems. This form of Asian Medicine is the oldest and second largest medical system in the world today, and currently is used by 25% of the world’s population in over 90 different countries.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the five causes of all illness and imbalance in the human body are improper diet, emotions, lifestyle, external environment and constitution (i.e. genetics).

TCM is a non-invasive healing modality that facilitates the body’s natural ability to heal itself by restoring harmony and balance to the entire individual. This time-tested professional medicine treats and assesses each person as a unique individual, therefore, treating the cause of the disease instead of just the symptoms.

WHAT IS TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM)?

• It is a style of Chinese medicine taught at 30 provincial medical colleges in China • Over 2,000 years old – the oldest, continuously practised professional medicine in the world • Used by 1/4 of the world’s population in 90 different countries • Although partly based on folk medicine, TCM as a style is a highly sophisticated literate medicine • Approximately 30,000 volumes of existing Chinese medical literature were written before the 20th century and thousands since then • In addition, TCM journals in China publish 100,000 articles per year. Most of these articles are clinical audits on the effectiveness of certain treatments for certain diseases • Treat and assess each person as a unique individual (not based entirely on a disease or symptom) • Healing is based on the restoration of harmony and balance within the body • TCM Forms of Treatment: Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture, Dietary Therapy, Exercise (physical and mental) and Tui Na (Chinese Massage)

Main TCM Treatment Methods

1. Chinese Herbal Medicine;

2. Tuina (massage);

3. Dietary Therapy;

4. Acupuncture; Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese Herbal Medicine is the most sophisticated herbal medicine system in the world and has always been considered pre-eminent amongst the various methods of healing within TCM. More than 100 generations of doctors over thousands of years have carefully observed patterns of illness and have used powerful natural remedies to alleviate these conditions and restore and maintain good health.

TCM combines a detailed analysis of signs and symptoms with a unique system of pulse and tongue diagnosis to develop a detailed picture of the course and process of disease. After diagnosis each person will be prescribed an individual herbal tea typically, using combinations of 10-15 ingredients correlated to an individual’s pattern of internal disharmony. The patient will then decoct or cook these medicinals in water and take the resulting liquid/medicine twice daily.

The formulas are crafted together to act synergistically, and every ingredient is designed to accomplish a part of the overall process of restoring balance. Upon return visits, the herbal formula is adjusted or modified by the practitioner as the patient’s condition improves. When prescribed and dispensed by a qualified practitioner of TCM, Chinese Herbal Medicine is safe with no side-effects. Considerable research into many aspects of TCM has been conducted in China and the West proving beyond doubt its efficacy and merit.

10 Chronic Health Problems that TCM Treats Effectively

1. Asthma

2. Premenstrual Syndrome/Painful Periods

3. Acne/Rosacea

4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

5. Anxiety/Depression

6. Migraines/Headaches

7. Insomnia

8. Allergic rhinitis/Sinusitis 10. Eczema

9. Acid Regurgitation/Reflux

10. Psoriasis

The diseases listed above are just some examples of how Chinese Medicine can offer substantial clinical benefits to patients who have been unresponsive to other forms of treatment. The TCM treatment of these diseases should have no side-effects, and are often curative, not palliative, as they aim to eliminate the pathology of the disease instead

of controlling or suppressing the symptoms. In most chronic diseases, modern medicine can at best, only offer temporary symptomatic relief using various medications. Unfortunately, modern treatments also offer possible side-effects, either repeated or long-term. Don’t settle for that!

Any long-term treatments must be:

• Effective and provide relief of symptoms;

• Safe, with few unwanted side effects;

• Easy to use.

TCM fulfills the above criteria. Patients who are unwell are delighted when they see how quickly they benefit from this practical, logical and time-tested medicine. TCM is user-friendly, gentle and free from side-effects, making it an excellent option and a wise decision to treat your chronic health problem.

Robert Helmer R.TCMP, R.Ac