What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Working with the interface between the organism and its emotions, feelings, behaviour patterns and thoughts, Chinese medicine is one of the most highly developed sciences of its kind. Traditionally, Chinese medical practice does not separate physical pain and disharmony from emotional and spiritual pain and disharmony. Nor does it look for a single cause ... one creates the other and it the relationship between

these disharmonies that is treated. If illness exists long enough at one level, it will also effect the other levels. As an example, consider the chain of events that occurs in the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident. There is trauma to the physical body, say a broken bone. When the acute phase is over and the bone has mended, many people experience continued pain even though there is no longer a sign of organic trauma. Why does this pain still exist even though an X-ray or MRI shows no sign of damage? Chinese medicine theory would say that the physical body has healed, but the healing has not been addressed at other important levels. The flow of energy may still be blocked at the site of trauma ... that is why acupuncture can help with pain that allopathic medicine can't (and sometimes concludes must be 'in the patients head.')

It is recognized that long term injuries become chronic sites of weakness in the body, aggravated by anything that puts a strain on the balance of the body. When energy doesn't move smoothly and freely, it stagnates at weaker areas and causes pain. Furthermore, since the energy movement of the body is highly susceptible to our emotions and psychological defence patterns, old 'war' wounds can be further aggravated in times of stress and emotional turmoil. Bring into this mix environmental factors like weather, toxicities, lack of exercise, poor diet, over-work ... and so on, and an old trauma may be held in place long after it has ceased to be visible under a microscope.

Likewise, things can happen from the other end of the spectrum. An external trauma need not be a factor in causing disease or pain. Chinese medicine pathology has mapped other causes that can cause the body to lose its balance and develop a myriad of syndromes and disorders. The most important internal causes of disease are emotional. Other causes affect the internal environment less directly ... diet, poor living and working conditions, poor lifestyle choices. In all these cases, internal conditions manifest that eventually show signs and symptoms at an organic level. The field of internal medicine theory from a TCM perspective is well mapped and well experienced in clinical practice over the centuries that it has been developed and practiced.

Therefore, whatever level of the human body is out of balance, and whether it is from external events or resulting from internal disorders, Chinese medicine has tools and knowledge to help. Sometimes in conjunction with allopathic medicine and sometimes as stand alone treatment.