Have you ever wondered how Traditional Chinese Medicine can promote a healthy body and prevent illness? We were brought up to tend to our health only when illnesses or other ailments rear their heads. That includes every condition from the stress-induced nervous system to pain relief and cancer-related therapies. Treating disorders holistically with a focused plan will provide tremendous improvement.
We are finally seeing a positive change in the medical community, whereby many health practitioners prioritize and promote preventive wellness care. While the west is starting with preventative care, traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for about 3,000 years.
How it Works
During the initial TCM visit, the patient will be examined through astute observation and information-gathering. These methods are coined as: look, listen, touch, smell, and query. Your tongue will be examined, and your pulse will be taken to provide a starting point regarding the status of internal organs and the body’s meridians.
Depending on the examination’s results, specific issues will be addressed, and recommendations will be given. The suggested treatments will be in one or more of the five pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine: acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet, movement, and manual therapy (such as gua sha.) To give you a better understanding of how the holistic five work, read on.
- Acupuncture: Fine needles are used to stimulate acupoints along specific meridians on the body to enhance the body’s self-healing abilities, ease pain, balance hormones, and increase blood circulation. Don’t let the idea of the needles scare you. The acupuncture treatment is virtually painless and brings much-needed comfort to the body.
- Herbal Medicine: Medicinal herbs are classified by their flavors (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy), their natures (cold, cool, warm, hot), and actions (descending, ascending, floating, or sinking chi). You would be prescribed herbal medicines, depending on the patterns of symptoms.
- Diet: Similarly, foods are also classified according to their nature, flavors, associated meridians, and actions. Diets are customized to supplement and transition current body constitutions.
- Movement (and rest): In Chinese medicine, exercise and movement are about activating the body’s chi (energy) to improve circulation and metabolic functions, removing emotional blockages, cultivating inner peace, and strengthening the mind-body connection. Mindful breathing techniques, along with light motions and meditations, might be recommended, such as Tai Chi and Qigong.
- Manual Therapy: Gua sha, cupping, and other modalities are used to increase circulation, promote lymphatic drainage, reduce inflammation, and release toxins. Techniques include twisting, pulling, turning, pushing, and kneading and will also help break up adhesion – unblock pathways and stimulate the nervous system. These practices will be used in conjunction with muscular and joint manipulation.
Mind-Body Wellbeing
When you’re on the road to your healing journey, it will become apparent how entwined the body and mind work together. Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on maintaining balance within the body, so you can expect improvement no matter how you feel today. With continued use, you will experience a long-lasting effect that will support your body and mind.
To schedule a free discovery examination, call #415-419-5574 or click here!
