Ancient Chinese medicine, originating from almost 2,000 years ago, is a set of traditions that has

Now the United States has a shorter history of medical herbal use. Native American’s, and early European’s used herbs as medicines.

Medicine within the Chinese culture is often being used to cure sickness and infection and to raise the forte of the frail and elder people (Purnell, 2013).

The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine by Ted J. Kaptchuk is a non-fiction book describing the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine and how it compares to Western medicine. This book does not focus on a specific time period or regions where Chinese medicine is practiced. Rather, it centers on the logic behind Chinese medicine. After studying Chinese medicine in Macao, Ted Kaptchuk returned to America and realized that he could not abandon what he learned just because it was different from Western medicine. Chinese medicine is over two thousand years old and textbooks have dated back to the Han dynasty (202 B.C.E.-220 C.E). These texts will continue to adapt, just as traditions adapt over time. Chinese medicine is still

People used to believe that acupuncture works by conserving and balancing the movement of Qi in the person’s body. Qi is basically an idea that is hard to interpret it to other people who do not have much of a grasp on it. It is usually associated with vital energy and has also been included with different western traditions of philosophy.

As the oldest source of early Chinese 
 medicine theory, the Nei Jing has naturally undergone many centuries of interpretations and 
 revisions from later thinkers and Chinese physician-authors since its inception back in the Han

This semester we have heard multiple lectures which centered on the Chinese or Daoist cultures, which have multiple similarities and are in many facets built on each other. In the lecture about Daoism, Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, spoke of transcendent bodies and concentrated mainly on qi (Littlejohn). While Dr. Yuan-ling Chao’s lecture about Chinese medicine was about maintaining

The study of alternative medicine originated in China during the Austrian Empire and has developed since the eighteenth century.

Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, sterile, stainless steel needles in various parts of the body to stimulate the body’s own natural healing processes, to improve functioning. The concept of TCM is that the body must be brought into balance to attain optimum health, which incorporates the two major forces, which are yin and yang. Yin and yang is the interaction of opposing forces and seen as complementary aspects. The balance of these two forces are necessary for wholeness, harmony and for ideal health. The forces of yin and yang are manifested in the flow of qi or otherwise known as life energy (Ceniceros & Brown, 1998). Acupuncture is used to unblock the pathways also known as meridians or channels at particular juncture points (anatomical points) through which the qi flows. It is theorized that a blockage or obstruction in the pathways is a basic causative factor for illness and/or disease. This form of therapy allows clearing of the blockages, which allows the qi to run freely through the meridians in order to achieve energetic balance and health. It restores systematic balance but it doesn’t

These beliefs motivated the Chinese people to develop medical techniques that could treat or prevent Qi stagnation. They developed a medical technique/art called Tao Yin that involved coordinated exercises that focused on full-body movements and regulated breathing. The art of Tao Yin dates back to ancient times where practitioners would imitate the motions of certain animals in order to pursue good health and ultimately, immortality. Due to the high illiteracy rates and family self-interest, the art of Tao Yin was a well-kept privilege available only to the wealthy and influential. This greatly halted the advancement and propagation of Tao Yin as a medical

Herbal medicine has been used for many, many years and is a great natural alternative to modern medicine.

The complex structure and foreign nature of Tibetan medicine makes it difficult to relate its practices to Western medicine, making it difficult to determine the clinical efficacy of Eastern medical practice. Several clinical analysis studies have recently been performed in order to determine the efficacy of the “holistic” practices of Eastern cultures. Whether the studies show Eastern or Western practices to be more effective, I believe that the most effective treatment should be a combination of both practices.

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.

TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be traced as far back as 1000 BC, where stone acupuncture needles were believed to be used. Texts from that period also talked of Yin and Yang and other concepts. The first written work on TCM is titled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Huangdi Newijing (Gascoigne 11). This book was written in 300 BC, but entries date back to the early 2700’s BC. The book is still used in universities of Chinese Medicine around the world and is often called the bible of TCM. Today, TCM is still thriving in China and all of Asia. In recent years, information on TCM has become available to people in the United States. The United States has several schools of TCM, and it is now much easier to buy the necessary

As it has been around for centuries, there are many procedures to treat your illness. The theory behind TCM, as said in Encyclopedia of natural Healing, is to start with a symptom, and then look for a specific cause of that illness.One method to help cure your ailment is to use the theory of Yin and Yang.Yin and Yang is what TCM doctors use to help with headaches, smale pain, aches, and tiredness. When a person has too much Yang, headaches will occur along with pain. If you have too much yin, you will experience tiredness or chills. Another popular method of TCM is acupuncture, a very common one this day. It is used to cure pain, and disease. The way it is used is based on the theory of meridians. Meridians are channels throughout the body where your qi can be blocked (Williams 47). Once your qi is blocked, you will experience a multitude of ailments. This is where acupuncture comes into play. TCM doctors lie you down on a table and then proceed to stick thin needles into your body where the meridians lie. By doing this, your qi will be unblocked and your symptoms and will quickly dissipate. Another common remedy are herbal concoctions, mixtures of different plants and animals to cure your ailment. Most herbal remedies consist of a chief, deputy, assistant, and an envoy (Schoenbeck 2035). Each mixture is different for every illness

Herbal medicines are great alternative for commercially manufactured medicines available in the market. The major reason why herbal medicine differ from modern medicine is because they are produced with 100% natural content. Therefore the plant extract has all the medicinal values that are as effective as modern medicine. Commercially prepared drugs show results quickly but have numerous side effects. However herbal medicines don’t show any side