Traditional Chinese Medicine: Brief Introduction

A 23-century-old medical system that tries to prevent or treat disease by preserving or restoring yinyang equilibrium. China has one of the oldest medical systems in the world. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines have been practiced for at least 2,200 years, however the first known written record of Chinese medicine is the Huangdi neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic), which was composed in the third century BCE. Its opus established the theoretical principles for TCM that are still used today.

Traditional Chinese healers, in essence, strive to restore a dynamic balance between two complimentary energies, yin (passive) and yang (active), which pervade the human body as well as the cosmos as a whole. According to TCM, a person is healthy when these two forces are in balance; disease, on the other hand, originates from a breakdown in the balance of yin and yang.

History

From the 29th and 16th centuries BCE, Chinese medicine went through four important phases. The first was the reign of the three emperors, which lasted from the 29th to the 27th century BCE and was essentially an age of myth and legend, with only approximate dates for occurrences. The events of the following 2,000 years are unknown, but a progressive increase in medical knowledge and modifications in medical practice can be expected. The second phase was a blend of mythology and truth centered on the career of Bian Qiao (Bian Que)—anecdotal information about whom dated back to the first half of the 5th century BCE. The third period, from roughly CE 150 to 300, was that of the great practitioners, including the doctors Zhang Zhongjing and Wang Shuhe, as well as the surgeon Hua Tuo. The people and events were genuine, yet stories sprang developed around them. The following 1,300 years saw the compilation of encyclopedic works and the drafting of commentary on earlier writers, but there was little originality. The character of Chinese medicine began to shift in the second half of the 16th century, when precarious connection with medical representatives from the West began.

Practice of Traditional Asian Medicine 

The Chinese healer can utilize any of a dizzying assortment of traditional treatments to restore equilibrium. Acupuncture or acupressure, moxibustion (moxa therapy), or cupping may be used to treat the patient (in which hot glass cups are placed on the patient to draw blood to the skin). The Chinese healer may prescribe a brew made from one (or more) of the hundreds of therapeutic plants or dried animal parts (e.g., snakes, scorpions, insects, deer antlers) in the Chinese pharmacological arsenal.

Qi and Meridians 

Understanding the body's qi (life force; literally, "vital breath"), which runs via unseen meridians (channels) of the body, is a crucial part of TCM. This network of energy connects organs, tissues, veins, nerves, cells, atoms, and consciousness. In TCM theory, there are 12 primary meridians, each of which relates to one of the 12 major organs. Meridians are also linked to a number of phenomena such as circadian cycles, seasons, and planetary motions, resulting in the formation of additional unseen networks.

Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into precise spots along the meridians. To balance the body's yin and yang, the needles stimulate the meridians and regulate the flow of qi. Massage (acupressure) can be used instead of needles to activate the acupuncture sites. Moxibustion, the burning of tiny cones of a herb (usually Artemisia moxa) at acupuncture sites, is occasionally used in conjunction with acupuncture. The meridian network can not only be utilized to relieve symptoms, but it may also provide TCM with the capacity to transform consciousness in individuals who get therapy.

Herbal Therapy

TCM employs herbs and herbal mixtures to improve organ function and overall health. Understanding the essence of different herbal components allows the TCM practitioner to generate a therapeutic effect that goes beyond the chemical makeup and physical qualities of the herbs. The herbal solution whose essence, or characteristic energy vibration, appropriately stimulates or changes the body's own energy vibration is chosen by the practitioner. Chinese herbal formulations, some of which have been in use for over 2,200 years, are made up of elements that work well together. Medications are often administered separately in Western medicine for a specific effect. Each plant has a particular purpose or role in conventional TCM herbal recipes to assist the body attain equilibrium. Each portion of a plant has to be recognized for a separate medicinal function in order for it to be included in the Chinese pharmacy. TCM considers food's therapeutic powers in the same manner. Various foods have distinct energies that may be sent directly to certain organs to aid in their healing.

Modern Developments

Several Western scientific fields have done investigations to discover how Chinese medicine works, but measuring Eastern medicine using a Western yardstick is challenging. Several acupuncture studies, for example, involve research attempting to establish that this treatment may remove or lessen pain or alleviate particular illnesses. This simplistic approach, however, misses Chinese medicine's deeper understanding and experience that the human body has boundless healing ability and that the complementary energies of health and sickness mirror the yinyang principle inside the human body.

Current Research: Integrative Medicine 

Journal of Integrative medicine is a bimonthly, open-access, peer-reviewed journal that offers a global platform for the publication of important research from across the world by recognized research academics, helping to improve the journal's quality.

The journal publishes original research papers, clinical studies, case studies, and review articles on a variety of medical subjects, such as Biomedicine, Osteopathic, Regenerative, Holistic, Naturopathic, Functional, and Herbal medicine, as well as Psychology and Counseling, Physical Therapy, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and East Asian Medicine, Nutrition, and Dietary Therapy.

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