Evolving over the past 3,000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine, remains active and useful in the modern medical world. The Chinese approach to understanding the human body is based on the holistic concept of the universe as outlined in the spiritual insights of Daoism. Through observation of cycles in nature, Chinese monks and doctors found uncanny correlations of patterns in nature to patterns within the human body. |
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| Qi, symbolizing the life force energy of the universe, permeates all avenues of life; Qi integrates within Yin and Yang. Yin is associated with winter solstace, midnight, stillness, coolness, and the moon. Yang is associated with summer solstace, high noon, activity, warmth, and the sun. Like the sunset and the sunrise, Yin and Yang are forever interacting with each other; it is this interaction of transformation and creation that sustains life, forever seeking balance. |
Sonoma Mountain, California
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The continuous goal in Traditional Chinese Medicine is to seek harmony and balance. The beauty of Traditional Chinese Medicine blossoms from the multi-dimensional perspectives through which balance can be attained. Balance between Yin and Yang, balance between the Five Elements (water, wood, fire, earth, metal), balance between body, mind, and spirit (Jing, Qi, and Shen) and balance between Qi and Blood.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis
The uniqueness of Traditional Chinese Medicine emerges through a plethora of diagnostic systems. Based on wholeness, balance and harmony, Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostics spiral like a multi-dimensional collage. All individuals are unique. Rather than processing information in a linear fashion, Traditional Chinese Medicine proceeses information in terms of relativity.
For example, stating one has a headache does not lead the acupuncturist to a direct diagnosis. An acupuncturist needs to further qualify the nature and the location of the headache: is it on the temple, is it on the vertex, is it at the nape of the neck, is it in the sinus region? What meridian is the location of the headache? Treament of acpuncture and herbs hinge upon these type of details.
Stating one has pain may be the first clue for the acupuncturist; yet in Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are different types of pain that lead to entirely different diagnosis: a sharp, stabbing pain may indicate Blood stagnation; a dull pain may indicate Qi deficiency; pain that resolves with application of warmth may indicate Cold stagnation, a pain that worsens in moist weather may indicate an internal Damp constitution. |
