Chinese Medicine As A Holistic Concept

The Chinese world today carries with it, an air of mystery; which the Chinese civilization gathered over long periods of time. Their philosophy about life and the methods used in traditional medicine practice constitutes a significant part of Chinese civilization’s history. Part of this traditional medicine, with deep roots in Chinese culture, is the cupping therapy; which has been successfully applied since ancient times and has immediate positive effects. In general when people think of traditional Chinese medicine, the first thing that comes to mind is probably acupuncture or the use of natural herbs as a healing remedy. Cupping therapy is a lesser known treatment. However cupping does get combined with acupuncture in treatments, but it

Whether eastern-based medicine or western medicine, there is a multitude of so-called healing modalities. A plethora of industries is available to get their share of the huge financial pie. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the

The first reason for supporting alternative medicine is because it’s effective. In fact, Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for more than 5,000 years with proof of its effectiveness (Sutton, 2010, 95). In addition, TCM has punch of methods for treating patient's widely such as herbs and other (Sutton, 2010, 94-95). That means alternative medicine has proved its worth and won people’s respect.

Thesis: Efficacy of traditional herbal remedies combined with a cultural faith in those traditions, combats modern medicine 's inherent distrust of traditional healing.

This class has been vital in providing me with a new perspective on different types of alternative medicine and practices. Although there were some lectures which came across to me as a bit hard to believe, such as Scott Roos’s Ayurveda lecture, in the end all of these different methods of healing and self-betterment gave me a new understanding of the importance of alternative types of medicine. And even with the rather far-fetch topics, if they ultimately have worked for people, even without scientific backing, then who are we to judge what is the right or wrong way. For the most part, my knowledge of medicine was backed mainly by the western medicine I was exposed to growing up,

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 (TCM) remain the most ancient yet living traditions. There has been increased global interest in traditional medicine (Hindawi)”. Chinese medicine focuses on finding the exact cause of illness instead of just offering a solution. Traditional Chinese medical practices forces on the balance of yin and yang within a person and the five elements ( water, wood, fire, metal, and earth). Metal corresponds to the lungs, wood to the liver, fire to the heart, water to the kidneys and earth to the spleen. Among some of these healing practices, there

Accordingly, when providing care for KAs, healthcare providers must take the patient’s cultural values into consideration. Maintaining a healthy body, is associated with being harmonious, or balanced, with the body and soul. Therefore, when a person is sick, it is attributed to misfortune or bad luck (Children’s Mercy, 2010, p. 25). As a result, alternative medicine, also termed Chinese medicine, is widely used in the Korean culture. Chinese medicine can be traced back to traditional healing from Korea, China, Japan, and other parts of Southeast Asia. In addition, “traditional Chinese medicine is said to rest on several pillars, the important parts of maintaining and restoring health: acupuncture, traditional Chinese herbs, diet and nutrition, exercise, stress reduction,

The topic in class for this week was herbs and herbal therapy, and guided imagery/visualization. In the textbook on chapter 16, there are so many common herbs and dietary supplements listed. I am familiar with some of the herbs and supplements, such as acai, ginger, lavender, saw palmetto, clover, noni, ginseng, chamomile, garlic, aloe vera, turmeric, fish oil, green tea, cranberry, chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, kelp, soy, and cinnamon. However, there are many that I have never even heard about. It was so interesting knowing that there are so many alternative remedies available to us other than the chemical ones.

One important aspect of Chinese culture is Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM. Chinese medicine has been around for quite awhile, and is still around today. In the United States, we see it as acupuncture and massage. TCM is still widely popular in its home country where it is still practiced as it was a few centuries ago. Chinese medicine is evolving to our modern day times, but it is keeping close ties to its roots. Chinese medicine is also becoming more affluent in different parts of the globe. It is a major part of Chinese history and culture, and the people who participate in it do so with great respect. With Chinese medicine, there is great history, procedures, risks, and how it lives in the modern world.

In the Asian culture, health is defined as the harmonious balance between conditions of cold (yang) and hot (yin). Asians believe that an illness occurs as a result of an upset of the harmonious balance, implying that diseases can only be treated if that balance is restored back to its normal state. As a result, most traditional medical interventions in the Asian culture entail the search for the cause of the imbalance within the patient’s mental and physical composition. Asians believe that hot and cold diseases should be treated by cold and hot medicines respectively to restore the normal balanced state of the patient. For instance, penicillin, which causes rashes and diarrhea, is considered a hot treatment, while linden tea, which is served cold, is regarded as a cold medicine that is suitable for treating cold ailment. Although not all Asians subscribe to the hot and cold philosophy, it is important for a physician to consider the belief when handling such patients (Muto, Nakahara, & Nam, 2010).

In this regard, medicinal and aromatic plants are being employed, and they can be said to belong to the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) category under the biologically-based treatments subcategory (Mohsen et al. 785). Mohsen et al. point out that the industrial utilizations of MAPs include herbal teas, galenicals, health, pharmaceutical/industrial auxiliary, traditional medicines, new drugs, and intermediates for the manufacture of drugs (786). As Mohsen et al. further observe, MAPs serve to provide the raw materials required in the pharmaceutical industry where drugs are extracted through the isolation of active chemicals, which is succeeded by decocting them to medication (787). Further, the scholars fittingly observe that over 85% of the general population in the U.S., Africa, and developing countries make use of the complimentary medicines and nonconventional practices adjunctive to typical medical care (Mohsen et al

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.

Modern medicine and healthcare system have categorized herbal medicine as a natural remedy used when people can’t afford to purchase conventional drugs. They are perceived inferior because they cost less but the health benefits are endless. However, there have been various situations and instances that prove that herbal medicine is good for health.

These therapies have proved to be of much benefit in supporting the normal healing course of the body. Even though there are many modern alternative remedies, with different beliefs, all of them operate under some common principles. One of these principles is that the body has the capacity to heal naturally and maintain stability (Paquette, 2000). The other one is that adverse health conditions can occur as a result of factors emanating from mind, emotions and the body. Alternative medicine, according to Goldberg, Trivieri and Anderson, (2002), focuses on determining the chief cause of a particular condition, and dealing with the whole person rather that concentrating on symptoms. If a person pays close attention to his/her health he/she can contribute to his/her wellbeing. Alternative medicine holds firmly to the principle that one treatment cannot be used for all people even though they may be suffering from the same condition. Each and every person as per alternative medicine has distinct bodily, mind and spiritual make up (Goldberg, Trivieri and Anderson, 2002).