TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

  TCM Overview

 Basic Theory :

• Yin Yang Theory

• Wu Xing Theory - Five Elements Theory 

• Zang Fu Theory

• Qi Xue and Jin Ye Theory - Qi Blood and Body Fluid Theory

• Jing Luo Theory - Channels (Meridians) and Collaterals Theory

• Causes of Disease Theory (Etiology Theory)

  Diagnosis Methods :

• Four Principles of Patient's Examination

• Eight Principles of Diagnosis

• Differentiation of Syndroms

  Treatment Methods :

• Acupuncture and Moxibustion

• Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM") Overview

Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM") is an integral part of Chinese culture and has a long history of more than 4,000 years. According to archaeological research, writings on TCM first appeared in the period from the 11th to the third century BC. These writings have been playing an important part in developing world medical science. Some important medical books have produced far-reaching influence on the science. The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine (Huang Di Nei Jing), written by unknown medical scholars during the Warring States Period (476-221 BC), is regarded as the first comprehensive medical classic written in the world.

TCM has formed a unique system to diagnose and cure illness. In theory and practice, TCM is completely different from western medicine both in terms of considering how the human body works and how illness occurs and should be treated.

The fundamental difference in TCM and western medicine, can be simply described as:

1. Western medication cures disease by using external forces. TCM in another hand attempts to reinforce and stimulate body's internal strength to cure disease;

2. Western medication bases on the theory that disease is caused by bacterial and other external means. TCM believes that disease is basically caused by the "weakening state" of a body as a whole;

3. Western medicine practitioners could be described as interventionist, doing something to actively treat adisease, and dependent on synthetic pharmaceuticals. TCM methods are mostly natural and noninvasive.

As a result, western medication may cure diseases more effectively and quickly. But at the same time it may cause temporary or permanent damage to the internal system of a patient. TCM may take longer time to cure a disease but it strengthens the overall health of a patient. Many western medical practitioners start to use TCM to offset the side effect due to the toxic medication or sometime they turn to TCM when there is no western medical treatment for certain types of diseases.

Therefore, TCM, with its unique diagnostic methods, systematic approach, abundant historical literature and materials, has attracted many attentions from the international community.

The implementation of TCM on medical treatment for human being is based on the basic theory , i.e :

• TCM Overview

• Yin Yang Theory

• Wu Xing Theory - Five Elements Theory

• Zang Fu Theory

• Qi Xue and Jin Ye Theory - Qi Blood and Body Fluid Theory

• Jing Luo Theory - Channels (Meridians) and Collaterals Theory

• Causes of Disease Theory (Etiology Theory)

Diagnosis Methods :

• Four Principles of Patient's Examination

• Eight Principles of Diagnosis

• Differentiation of Syndroms

Treatment Methods :

• Acupuncture and Moxibustion

• Herbal Medicine