TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Traditional Chinese medicine, which is a complete system, has been practised for centuries and contains a number of similarities to Ayurvedic medicines, partly due to the influence of Buddhism. Chinese medical practice includes acupuncture and acupressure, moxibustion (see later post), the use of herbs, cupping (see below) and attention to lifestyle and diet.

In traditional Chinese medicine there is a belief that health is maintained when there is a balance between the mind, the body and the outside world. The causes of illness can therefore come from unresolved emotional problems, from a stressful lifestyle, from smoking or eating too much or from external factors, such as climatic conditions.

Qi: The Vital Energy
The idea that blood circulates through the body is familiar to Western society, and the Chinese believe that the vital energy or qi (pronounced chee) circulates in a similar fashion along energy pathways known as meridians. Most of these are connected to the major organs of the body, and their existence has been confirmed by electrical measurement. In addition, the organs of the body are related to the five elements : wind, water, earth, fire and metal, and these too have to be in balance for health.

The universal forces of yin and yang are thought to regulate Qi. These are interdependent forces that represent opposite qualities, yet each contains a seed of the other.

Yang Qualities

• Heat
• Strength
• Light
• Expansion
• Above
• Back

Yin Qualities

• Coldness
• Weakness
• Darkness
• Contraction
• Below
• Front

In illness, it is believe that coldness, pallor and fatigue indicate the yin state, while a fever, with heat and a flushed appearance, indicated the yang state. The basis of treatment is to restore the balance between yin and yang.

Chinese Herbalism
Chinese herbalism has probably been practised for 4,000 years. Prior to the writing of the first textbook in the sixteenth century many of the recipes were handed on from parent to child. The raw ingredients of Chinese 'herbs' consist of dried materials derived from plants, but may also include animal products and minerals. They are classified according to their properties, such as being warming or cooling.

Chinese Medicine
Cupping
Cupping is thought to remove any wind, cold or damp that may be trapped in the body, and is commonly used to relieve swollen and painful joints, and to treat the early phases of colds or influenza. The cups are made from glass, bamboo, metal or ceramics. A lighted taper or match is placed briefly inside the cup to create a vacuum before placing it on the skin. The vacuum increases the flow of blood to the skin in the area under the cup. More than one cup at a time may be used, and they are usually left in place for up to 15 minutes, before being removed by pressing the adjacent skin to break the vacuum.

Chinese Herbs
Traditional combinations of herbs are cooked and made into medicinal soups, which are often bitter. Historically, the recipes were changed according to the patient's progress. More recently, however, fixed combinations have been produced in factories in forms more acceptable to the Western palate. Where these fixed combinations are used, regrettably some of the flexibility of prescribing for the individual has been lost. Chinese herbs are useful for the treatment of a wide range of ailments, including asthma, skin diseases, migraines and digestive disturbances.

Chinese herbs have become very popular in the West, but some problems have arisen where medicines have sometimes lacked adequate quality control. If you want to use Chinese herbs you should ensure that they come from a reputable source. Herbs from Taiwan, the US and Britain have fewer quality-control problems.