Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
What is the Acupuncture method?
What can I expect during treatment?
Is Acupuncture safe?
Is Acupuncture painful?
What kind of conditions can benefit from Acupuncture and/or herbs?

What is Traditionl Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM, is a holistic & comprehensive health care system with more than 5,000 years of clinical history. It includes a variety of treatment modalities such as acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal remedy, Tui-Na (acupressure massage) and cupping. These therapies work together to promote the body's natural healing ability and emotional well being by harmonizing and balancing the flow of the natural vital energies or Qi (pronounced as "Chee") inherent within all living beings.

TCM operates on an energetic model rather than a biochemical model of Western medicine. The greatest philosophy behind TCM is that it intends to deliver an individualized and customized treatment to the patient according to the person’s own medical condition and constitution. Back to questions.

What is the Acupuncture method?

According to TCM, the state of health is defined as having a smooth flow of a vital energy, “Qi,” and blood, “Xue,” with an abundance along the corresponding vital energetic pathways/meridians and blood vessels, respectively. Each meridian is associated with a particular physiological system and internal organs. All the meridians, however, are interrelated, thereby forming a network of energy circulation inside the whole body.

In contrary, the state of disease or lack of health arises when there is disharmony or imbalance of this natural vital energy inside the body. These meridians of Qi communicate with the surface of the body at specific points called the acupuncture points. Acupuncturists work to move and balance the Qi by inserting very fine needles into or pressing the specific points on the skin to trigger a predictable effect on the flow of the Qi in order to restore its balance inside the body. Meanwhile, Chinese herbs may be prescribed according to their affinities of meridians and properties such as flavors, temperatures and parts of the herbs to help balance the Qi and blood flow inside the body. Back to questions.

What can I expect during treatment?

In general, a new patient would expect to spend 1 to 1-1/2 hours on the first visit which includes a comprehensive intake on health history and treatment sessions. Your TCM practitioners would perform the TCM examinations skills in order to derive a TCM diagnosis and a treatment plan according to your conditions. The follow-up visits would then take about 40 minutes to an hour depending on each individual’s progress.

Although acupuncture and herbs may alleviate many conditions within a short period of time, there are some chronic conditions that may take time to heal with a slow and steady process. As in many forms of healing, the patient’s attitude, diet, determination and lifestyle will affect the outcomes of a course of treatment. TCM is also an educational process in which the patient becomes more aware of his or her own body, thus increasing its ability to maintain well being.

In some medical circumstances, we may expect to see better results if the conditions are treated with Western medicine or the combination of both medicines. In this case, your acupuncturist would recommend you contact an allopathic physician in order to help with your condition. Back to questions.

Is Acupuncture safe?

The prime advantage of acupuncture is its safety. In the hands of competent licensed TCM practitioners, acupuncture is a safe and drug-free method for treating the medical conditions. Essential Life Therapy only uses sterilized, disposable acupuncture needles. Back to questions.

Is Acupuncture painful?

Most patients find the treatment relaxing, which brings on a feeling of tranquility. As a sign of “obtaining the Qi sensation,” some patients may feel slight soreness, numbness, distention or heaviness around the needles. Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible. In most cases, insertion of needles by a skilled practitioner is performed with a minimum discomfort. However, the communication of patient’s feeling is very much encouraged. Back to questions.

What kind of conditions can benefit from Acupuncture and/or herbs?

| top |

© 2009 Essential Life Therapy