Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatments

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the main forms of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It involves the use of sharp, thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points. This process adjusts and alters the body's energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and health conditions.

Purpose

Acupuncture has been recommended as an effective treatment for over forty medical problems, including stroke, arthritis, allergies, respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, gynecological problems, nervous conditions, and disorders of the eyes, nose and throat, and childhood illnesses, among others. Acupuncture has been used in the treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse. It is an effective and low-cost treatment for headaches and chronic pain, associated with problems like back injuries and arthritis. It has also been used to supplement invasive Western treatments like chemotherapy and surgery. Acupuncture is generally most effective when used as prevention or before a health condition becomes acute, but it has been used to help patients suffering from cancer and AIDS. Acupuncture is limited in treating conditions or traumas that require surgery or emergency care (such as for broken bones).

Origins

The original text of Chinese medicine is the Nei Ching, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, which is estimated to be at least 2,500 years old. Thousands of books since then have been written on the subject of Chinese healing, and its basic philosophies spread long ago to other Asian civilizations. Nearly all of the forms of Oriental medicine which are used in the West today, including acupuncture, shiatsu, acupressure massage, and macrobiotics, are part of or have their roots in Chinese medicine. It is said that acupuncture developed when early Chinese physicians observed unpredicted effects of puncture wounds in Chinese warriors. The oldest known text on acupuncture, the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture, dates back to 282 A.D. Although acupuncture is its best known technique, Chinese medicine traditionally utilizes herbal remedies, dietary therapy, lifestyle changes and other means to treat patients.

In the early 1900s, only a few Western physicians who had visited China were fascinated by acupuncture, but outside of Asian-American communities it remained virtually unknown until the 1970s, when Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China. On Nixon's trip, journalists were amazed to observe major operations being performed on patients without the use of anesthetics. Instead, wide-awake patients were being operated on with only acupuncture needles inserted into them to control pain. During that time, a famous columnist for the New York Times, James Reston, had to undergo surgery and elected to use acupuncture instead of pain medication, and he wrote some convincing stories on its effectiveness.

OTHER Traditional Chinese Medicine

Types of Treatment

Traditional Chinese Medicine combines a number of therapies together to provide the best environment for the body to heal itself. The easiest way to describe it is to visualize a doctor who puts a cast on a broken arm. He does not heal the arm, the body does. He simply provides the best environment for healing to occur.

Acupuncture

The utilization of acupuncture needles in the hands, wrists, arms, head, neck. Face torso, legs and feet. This treatment typically utilizes as few as 6 needles and as many as 60. The needles remain in for 20 minutes and the treatment is done twice daily.

Chinese Massage

Done only by a doctor this is an aggressive and therapeutic massage. It may include the legs, arms back an torso and usually lasts from 30-40 minutes.

Chinese herbal medications

Several Chinese herbs and medications may be prescribed including a daily IV. All currently prescribed medication will be given.

Cupping

The application of glass cups to remove toxins and increase circulation in the body.

Herb Soaks

These include herb soaks of the arm, leg or entire torso that is placed into hot water and applied for at least 10 minutes.

Steam Therapy

This includes the application of steamed herbs on the limbs or back for periods of time to include and not exceed 20 minutes.

Heat Therapy - Moxibustion

This includes but is not limited to various heat therapies and the application of heat through the use of herb sticks and burning herbs on needles.