We talk to TCM Specialist Dr Ling Cheng from Shanghai East International Medical Center about Traditional Chinese Medicine, and how it can help your everyday health.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique and integrated theoretical system. Thousands of years old, it includes some concepts that might sound familiar, and others that won’t, such as the theory of yin and yang; the five elements theory; the theory of visceral manifestation; and the five zang-organs, making it quite different from Western medicine.
The basic feature of TCM’s theoretical system is the concept of holism and treatment based on syndrome di erentiation, attracting increasing attention from all over the world in recent decades.
Some people translate Qi to “energy,” but many TCM doctors don’t agree with that.Qi, blood and body fluid are the basic substances that make up the human body, shaping the way that you maintain your daily activities. Their production and metabolism depend on the functional activities of the viscera, meridians, organs and tissues, but in TCM, Qi is the most essential substance.
Qi in the body is derived from innate Qi, which is transformed from the kidney essence inherited from the parents. Acquired Qi comes from both food nutrients transformed by the spleen, stomach and fresh air in your lungs. The production of Qi depends on the synthetic action of the viscera, especially the kidney, spleen, stomach and lungs. Qi is powerful in activity and ows constantly in the body to maintain its physiological functions.
The constant motion of it is called Qi movement, and it is referred to as either being ascending, descending, exiting or entering. The viscera and meridians are the places where the activities of Qi take place.
Acupuncture and moxibustion stimulate certain acupoints on the human body. It’s meant to activate the meridians, collaterals, and regulate the function of the internal organs, Qi and blood to prevent and treat diseases.
Experiments have shown that meridians and collaterals are composed of nerves and nerve endings, which is why functionally and structurally TCM connects the two. While more research needs to be done on the benefits of acupuncture with regards to stimulation of systems and regulating disease, currently the practice is believed to be strongly linked to the endocrine and immune systems.
As it stands, acupuncture and moxibustion are used in the treatment of many diseases, including: obesity complications as a result of hyperlipidemia and hyperuricemia, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disease, sciatica, knee joint degenerative joint pain, irritable bowel syndrome, headache, stroke sequelae; psychosomatic diseases such as insomnia, pain with regards to menopause, menstruation, menorrhea and many more. The most important things are: hitting the acupoints correctly; painless needle manipulation; reinforcing-reducing techniques; paying more attention to the overall concept to improve the efficacy of acupuncture in combination with medicine.
An excellent TCM doctor will combine a diagnosis from Western medicine with a TCM treatment based on syndrome differentiation. Together, these systems will be used to maximize the progress of the patient’s healing process, especially for common and functional diseases.
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