An introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ancient China seems as mysterious to the Western world as the dark side of the moon, yet the ancient Chinese were responsible for such diverse inventions as silk, paper, gunpowder, and the navigational compass. Along with these developments, China also devised an extraordinarily complex and complete system of medicine, a process that has continued for thousands of years and that is now gaining increased interest in the West.
Unlike modern Western medicine, with its roots firmly planted in science, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on a vast body of empirical knowledge, gathered through experimentation, experience and observation.
The basic philosophy of Chinese medicine is quite different from the Western model. Being holistic in character, Chinese medicine aims to cure the root or fundamental cause of illness rather than merely relieving symptoms. The goal is to achieve a state of balance in mind and body.
This state of balance is the ideal towards which Chinese medicine is constantly striving. A fundamental of Chinese philosophy is the idea that all of life, the world around us as well as our own bodies and emotions, is in a constant state of change. This is the idea reflected in the concept of Yin and Yang - opposites ever changing one into the other.
Chinese medicine, and in particular, acupuncture, holds the idea that Qi (vital energy) flows through the body via a system of channels or meridians. These channels embrace all of the major organs, the central nervous system, the circulatory system, metabolism, and the body fluids system. Along these meridians are specific acupuncture points at which the insertion of a needle can access the Qi and influence or regulate its flow.
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