Traditional Chinese medicine: Difference between revisions
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'''Traditional Chinese medicine''' is the formalized system that resulted, combining acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, [[tui na]] and other modalities. After the Cultural Revolution, TCM was incorporated into university medical curricula under the | '''Traditional Chinese medicine''' is the formalized system that resulted, combining acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, [[tui na]] and other modalities. After the Cultural Revolution, TCM was incorporated into university medical curricula under the "Three Roads" policy, whereby TCM, biomedicine and a synthesis of the two were all encouraged. Subsequently, forms of classical Chinese medicine other than TCM were outlawed, and some practitioners left China. The "Three Roads" approach corresponds to using TCM in the context of complementary medicine, where classical TCM is a "whole system" in the terminology of [[complementary and alternative medicine]]. | ||
In the TCM view, the body is a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang, with the energy between them in the form of ''qi''.<ref>"qi"is the correct spelling in pinyin, which is the Romanization scheme approved by the Chinese government and used by (probably) most western scholars today. "Ch'i" (note the apostrophe!) is the correct spelling in the Wade-Giles system, which was widely used before pinyin, and is still used by some western scholars today and in any case survives in many older texts. There are words spelled "chi" in both systems, but none of them is the one we're talking about here.</ref> A healthy person has a proper balance between yin and yang; disease comes from blocking the flow of ''qi''. ''Qi'' flows along pathways called '''meridians'''. | |||
Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects. | |||
TCM practitioners typically use herbs, acupuncture family of procedures that originated in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body by a variety of techniques, including the insertion of thin metal needles though the skin. | |||
Treatments in TCM are typically tailored to the subtle patterns of disharmony in each patient and are based on an individualized diagnosis. The diagnostic tools differ from those of conventional medicine Medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their allied health professionals such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses.. There are three main therapeutic modalities, often used in combination, along with diet, exercise, and other areas often called "lifestyle modification" in Western medicine: | |||
#Acupuncture and moxibustion: Acupuncture points, are locations along meridians, which can be affected by techniques involving manual pressure (i.e., acupressure), the insertion and manipulation of needles (i.e., [[acupuncture]]), or the application of heat (e.g., [[moxibustion[]]). The source of heat is usually a vegetable product and may have additional properties in herbal medicine. There are hybrid Chinese-Western methods where the needles may be attached to sources of electricity. | |||
#Chinese Materia Medica (the catalogue of natural products used in TCM) | |||
#Massage and manipulation: this is not limited to acupressure, but includes a variety of passive and active techniques of motion | |||
==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
Revision as of 10:02, 26 November 2008
Traditional Chinese medicine is the formalized system that resulted, combining acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, tui na and other modalities. After the Cultural Revolution, TCM was incorporated into university medical curricula under the "Three Roads" policy, whereby TCM, biomedicine and a synthesis of the two were all encouraged. Subsequently, forms of classical Chinese medicine other than TCM were outlawed, and some practitioners left China. The "Three Roads" approach corresponds to using TCM in the context of complementary medicine, where classical TCM is a "whole system" in the terminology of complementary and alternative medicine.
In the TCM view, the body is a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang, with the energy between them in the form of qi.[1] A healthy person has a proper balance between yin and yang; disease comes from blocking the flow of qi. Qi flows along pathways called meridians.
Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects.
TCM practitioners typically use herbs, acupuncture family of procedures that originated in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body by a variety of techniques, including the insertion of thin metal needles though the skin.
Treatments in TCM are typically tailored to the subtle patterns of disharmony in each patient and are based on an individualized diagnosis. The diagnostic tools differ from those of conventional medicine Medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their allied health professionals such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses.. There are three main therapeutic modalities, often used in combination, along with diet, exercise, and other areas often called "lifestyle modification" in Western medicine:
- Acupuncture and moxibustion: Acupuncture points, are locations along meridians, which can be affected by techniques involving manual pressure (i.e., acupressure), the insertion and manipulation of needles (i.e., acupuncture), or the application of heat (e.g., [[moxibustion[]]). The source of heat is usually a vegetable product and may have additional properties in herbal medicine. There are hybrid Chinese-Western methods where the needles may be attached to sources of electricity.
- Chinese Materia Medica (the catalogue of natural products used in TCM)
- Massage and manipulation: this is not limited to acupressure, but includes a variety of passive and active techniques of motion
References
- ↑ "qi"is the correct spelling in pinyin, which is the Romanization scheme approved by the Chinese government and used by (probably) most western scholars today. "Ch'i" (note the apostrophe!) is the correct spelling in the Wade-Giles system, which was widely used before pinyin, and is still used by some western scholars today and in any case survives in many older texts. There are words spelled "chi" in both systems, but none of them is the one we're talking about here.