Chinese medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine on this planet. It has been developed over thousands of years by careful observation of hundreds of millions of people. It follows the fundamental laws of nature with a strong emphasis on emotional status and environmental factors as causes of disease, called patterns of disharmony in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
Chinese medicine is an umbrella term for many different modalities including Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, An Mo Tui Na (Chinese physiotherapy/massage) and Chinese Dietetics.
It is often the case that patients turn to Chinese Medicine only after they tried all other forms of medicine, and nothing has yielded results. Chinese medicine is not based on the laws of Chemistry and Biology which is why a Chinese Medicine practioner often gets results for patients when conventional medicine fails.
Western scientific medicine has an enormous amount to offer, but cannot explain all aspects of people. All medicine has its limitations, and Chinese Medicine is no exception, but we still get many patients no other modality can treat including Western allopathic medicine.[/one_half][one_half_last]
My personal view is that a doctor must select the correct type of medicine to suit the patient, sometimes that is Western, and sometimes that is Eastern medicine, or a combination of both.
One aspect of Chinese Medicine involves the elemental concepts of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood to explain patterns of disharmony. This is known as five element theory and can explain many aspects of people.
People often ask me what can you treat with Chinese Medicine and does it really work? My answer is always the same. This medicine has existed for thousands of years and if it was not highly effective it would not have stood the test of time.
It is also important to realize it is not just about treating illness, you also use it when healthy to keep yourself healthy. The best way to treat an illness is not to get it in the first place.
Prevention is always, always better than cure.