Houston Community News >> Guide to Ancient Chinese Medicine

11/23/2007-- Ancient Chinese Medicine has been around since almost the beginning of time, and it is still widely used around the world today. Traditional ancient Chinese medicine uses the physiology and pathology of the human body, and highlights two features in particular. The first is a holistic vision and the second is the treatment of identifying causes. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses the physiology and pathology of the human body. Basic Chinese Medicine highlights two features. This include a holistic (view as whole) vision and the treatment identifying causes. It does not identify the diseases as in the West. All of our body organs work differently, but in conjunction with each other. Disruption to regular functions causes disease. Acupuncture therapy arouses external areas of the body. The human body is more than a single entity, but is one with nature. Chinese medicine realizes that changes in the environment can change bodily rhythms as well

Ancient
Chinese Medicine is truly unlike any other type of medicine in the world, and is especially different from medicine in the Western world. Practitioners of Chinese Medicine states the disorders of diseases in terms of the patterns that they display, and there are eight fundamental patterns that are recognized, which are interior, exterior, heat or cold, excess, deficiency, Yin and Yang.

Ancient
Chinese Medicine is truly unique, and a system of medical theory unlike any other. It is respected around the world and consists of a five-phase theory which is made up of five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The belief here is that the patient's body should be viewed as an organic whole rather than as individual parts. Therefore the main goal is not just to cover up the disease or lay the emphasis on the disease itself but rather to consider the patient as an organic whole and find out the cause of the problem so that a proper solution can be found, thereby not only eliminating the problem at hand but also preventing the disease from reoccurring in the future.

Treatments in ancient
Chinese Medicine are very different than those in the West, and there is much less reliance on more conventional methods such as prescription medications. Massage, acupuncture and manipulation of body parts are more commonly used forms of treatment, and so natural is really the way to go in Chinese medicine. Ancient Chinese medicine also often includes treatments such as special diets to treat illnesses. This is why it is the preferred choice of a large number of people around the world, as more and more people are becoming aware of the dangerous effects that many medications have and in turn are turning to natural, alternative methods of treatment when it comes to their health.

More than 50,000 medicinal herbs are recorded in China, but only a small fraction is in use. A western Chinese practitioner generally will not use more than 200. Modern medicine may reject herbal use as unproven and even dangerous, but synthetic drugs have proved to be as harmful. A 'natural' substance is not always safe. Anything taken in excess can be harmful. The Chinese have proven traditional
Chinese Medicine to be beneficial from thousands of years practice. As a treatment ancient Chinese medicine is tested and found to be very safe and incredibly effective, and is being adopted by more and more conventional practitioners every day. It is also often used in conjunction with more conservative medicine in order to help alleviate health ailments and disease.

(Roger Thompson writes for Leading Leading Portal for health care, medical, biotech and hospital jobs)