A great chapter of alternative medicine is traditional Chinese medicine. Like acupuncture, it uses a clinically verified system of affecting organism, which is typical for its complex effect on the person and non-separation of the physical and mental parts of the body. It perceives health as energetic and vegetative balance. During its several-thousands-year-long history this medical system has elaborated and proven unique practices for restoring broken wellbeing, acceleration of revival processes, and bringing about physical and mental unity and stability.
According to traditional concept of acupuncture impact mechanism, each object or phenomena in the universe consists of two different aspects - yin and yang, which are simultaneously in conflict and dependency. The correlation between yin and yang is a universal law of the material world. It is a principle and source of existence of all things around us. This theory deals with constant battle and dynamic equalizing of these elements not only in the nature and the universe, but in human organism as well. Sleep takes turn with vigilance, muscle contraction is followed by its relaxation, an inhale by an exhale, etc. Ancient scholars used water and fire as symbols of fundamental characteristics of yin and yang. Yin, like water, associates with cold, downward direction, and twilight, while the basic features of yang are similar to those of fire and include warmth, upward direction, and clearness. This brings us to a deduction that everything being of peaceful nature, stillness, chilliness, downward direction, and internal has the character of astenia, inhibition, slowliness, and is secondary to yin. On the other hand, all moving, hot, high or going upwards is external, clear, stenic (with a tendency to abundance and hyperfunction), excited, major and of yang character. Even body organs and tissues belong either to yin or yang according to their localisation and function. The principles of yin and yang make up a closed whole. Consumption of yin results in immediate increase of yang, and vice versa. According to the old Chinese men of letters, disease appears when yin or yang comes to dominance or, on contrary, to defeat. Outer factors of the environment can also be classified into yin and yang. Then, prevalence of detrimental yin - such as chilliness and wind - consumes up yang, which represents warmth, and thus, along with traditional Chinese medicine, there appears a syndrome of coldness. On the other hand, domination of damaging yang - such as high outside temperature - burns up yin, causing the syndrome of heat.
The theory of five elements says that wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are the essential materials, from which the material world is composed. Among them, like in case of the already mentioned phenomena yin and yang, there are relations of mutual dependency, limitation and influencing, which determine the status of their permanent movement and change. Their main meaning for traditional Chinese medicine lies in the fact that they classify natural phenomena, tissues of human body, organs, human emotions, and interpret the relation between physiology and pathology of human body and natural environment in the above mentioned laws.
Humans live in nature. The natural environment, such as climate changes and geographical conditions, highly influence their physiological processes. This fact is expressed in their inferiority to natural phenomena, but at the same time in their ability to adjust to the environment. Pursuant to this, traditional Chinese medicine makes a definite bond between physiology and pathology of organs and systems and numerous significant natural factors, which are classified into five categories consistent with five elements. In these complicated relations between physiology and pathology, for easier understanding of these interactions similarities and allegories are used in accordance with outside factors.
What Does Traditional Chinese Medicine Treat?
Prevention and cure by means of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture lies in stimulation of active points on human body. These can be found on meridians - channels, through which vital energy qi flows and nourishes the entire organism and all organs. From the multiplicity of diverse stimuli on active acupuncture points, the most frequently used is their prompting by special needles (acupuncture), application of heat into these active points (moxibustion), utilisation of pressure onto these active points (acupressure and Chinese massage Tuina), electric power, laser, and magnetic field effects onto these active points, or injection of medicinal dilutions into channels and meridians (pharmacopuncture).
After a specific diagnostics and in compliance with the patient´s status, the therapist chooses points on body (classical acupuncture), or micro-system zones on auricle (auricolopuncture), palms or soles, face or the hairy part of head (craniopuncture).
Good experience with this treatment:
- headaches and migraine zone pains, pains in cervical, pectoral and lumbar areas (traumatogenic, after-operation, and inflammation changes),
- pains in major joints, but also small ones on limbs, urgent and chronic disorders of inner organs and systems,
- allergies and diseases from hyper-sensitisation of organism.
Traditional Chinese medicine can accelerate regeneration, will help quicker recovery after accidents and operations, will bring about mental stability, and eliminate consequences of a demanding lifestyle. It is used to cure high blood pressure, diseases with high temperature, vertigo, chronic cough, asthma, and as a supportive treatment at habitual syndromes - nicotinism, food addiction, at non-insuline-dependent diabetes, at helping with children enuresis, habitual constipation, menopause syndrome, at children cerebral palsy, as well as at treatment of erectile dysfunctions.
Traditional Chinese Medicine - Curative Methods
According to supposition of traditional Chinese medicine, there is a system of meridians and collaterals in each human body. These meridians and collaterals go through the entire corpse and connect the inner organs with other tissues and surface organs, such as skin, nose, eye, and ear to create an organic unity. In this network, meridians are the main pathways leading to inner organs, while collaterals are their smaller branches all over the body exterior. Together, they form a certain network, through which various kinds of Qi flow. A blockage, stasis, or obstruction of the Qi energy in a particular meridian causes this subtle-substance energy to shift via the system of collaterals into other channels, while generally producing disorder and rise of disease. Its course, duration, and prognosis depend on the extent of meridian affliction and also on rapidity of this difficulty. Knowledge of acupuncture point localisation enables to manipulate the meridians running on surface. It makes use e.g. of points capable of disposing the body of pathogens such as cold, overheat, or dampness, which are directly responsible for damage to the organism. By influencing these active points and all meridians via a wide range of often very simple techniques the treatment attains overall enhancement of health, affection of the immunity system, and fast recovery.
The methods of traditional Chinese medicine include acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping therapy, acupressure, and phytotherapy.
