Traditional Chinese medicine (or TCM for short), is a label that covers a broad range of traditional medicine practices spread throughout Asia, it includes acupuncture, Chinese herbs, dietary therapy, moxibustion, cupping, massage, and therapeutic exercises. The common thread among these diverse practices is a system for balancing the various functions of the body, based in Daoist principles of yin-yang that originated over 5000 years ago in regions that are now part of China. These practices are a common part of medical care throughout East Asia, accounting for roughly 75% of worldwide use, but are considered alternative medicine in the western world.
These therapies work with the body’s inherent ability to heal itself. TCM is a comprehensive system of health care with a continuous clinical history of thousands of years. TCM is traditionally based on an energetic model. The ancient Chinese recognized a vital energy behind all life forms and life processes. They called this energy Qi (pronounced “chee”). This energy flows along specific pathways called ‘meridians’. Each pathway is also associated with an organ system. Disease arises due to an imbalance of Qi in the meridians and their associated organ systems. This “Impedance”, or blockage in the harmonious flow of Qi is the root of all disease. There are hundreds of acupuncture points along the meridians, each having a specific therapeutic function.
At Creative Integrations, acupuncture and herbs are used most frequently together with dietary therapy to treat the whole body and address the underlying causes of disease.
Modern science has shown that acupuncture works by regulating the functions of the circulatory, hormonal, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. More specifically, modern medicine is just coming back on track with discoveries made in the 1940s in the realm of quantum physics- namely, the entire universe is made of a energy (which is readily interchangeable with matter) and that thought somehow influences outcomes in the physical universe. Traditional Oriental medicine uses an intricate system of pulse and tongue diagnosis, palpation of points and meridians, medical history and other signs and symptoms to create a composite Oriental medical diagnosis. A treatment plan then guides the body to a balanced state of health. Dramatic symptom relief is often reported after the initial visit.