Traditional Chinese medicine goes back at least 2,000 years. Unlike mainstream medicine, ancient Chinese medicine focuses on the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit, rather than viewing an illness or symptom in isolation. Recently, new interest in the ancient medical beliefs and practices of China has emerged, and many consider traditional Chinese medicine to be an alternative or complementary form of health treatment.
Principles
At the heart of traditional Chinese medicine is the belief that two opposing principles, yin and yang, must remain in balance within a person's body, and that an imbalance promotes disease. The concept of "qi" is also central to Chinese medical philosophy. Practitioners believe the body has 12 qi, or energy channels, each connected with a part of the anatomy. When a person's qi flow becomes unbalanced, he may become physically or emotionally ill.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of illness in traditional Chinese medicine involves a patient interview and an examination of the patient's pulse and tongue. In questioning the patient, the practitioner seeks to learn not only about his medical symptoms, but also about such details as his sleep patterns, dreams and preferred foods. Pulse taking is the most important diagnostic tool of ancient Chinese medicine, according to the Alternative Medicine Foundation website, and involves feeling for six pulses in each wrist. Practitioners also carefully examine a patient's tongue, believing that each part of the tongue corresponds to a part of the human body.
Five Elements
In traditional Chinese medicine, five elements--wood, fire, earth, metal and water--relate to the organs and tissues of the human body. Each element carries a particular energy and distinctive characteristics, and is interconnected with the other elements. Any imbalance among them causes illness, according to the Chinese Medicine Advisor website.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the stimulation of certain parts of the exterior body, called acupoints. A person's qi, or vital energy, circulates through his body in a series of channels and can be redirected by stimulating the exterior body with very fine stainless steel needles. Each of the over 300 identified acupoints corresponds to a particular health problem, according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Page.
Herbs
A traditional Chinese medical practitioner makes use of more than 600 types of herbs in creating medicine to treat energy imbalance and illness. Plants such as ginseng and ginger are the basis of most herbal treatments, but some remedies depend on minerals and animal parts, such as oyster shells or deer antlers.
Qigong
Qigong is an ancient series of movement postures practiced to create the flow of good qi, or vital energy. Medical qigong may be internal or external. Internal qigong relies on movement, breathing and visualization, and is practiced by the patient himself. In external qigong, similar to therapeutic touch, a qigong master heals an ill person through qi transfer.
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