Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is a complete system of healing that dates back to 200 B.C. in written form. Korea, Japan, and Vietnam have all developed their own unique versions of traditional medicine based on practices originating in China. In the TCM view, the body is a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: Yin and Yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while Yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of “Chi” (or vital energy) and of blood along pathways known as meridians. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners typically use herbs, acupuncture and massage to help unblock “Chi” and blood in patients in an attempt to bring the body back into harmony and wellness. Treatments in TCM are typically tailored to the subtle patterns of disharmony in each patient and are based on an individualized diagnosis. The diagnostic tools differ from those of conventional medicine. There are three main therapeutic modalities: 1. Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Moxibustion is the application of heat from the burning of the herb Moxa at the acupuncture point) 2. Chinese Materia Medica (the catalogue of natural products used in TCM) 3. Massage and Manipulation Although Traditional Chinese Medicine proposes that natural products catalogued in Chinese Materia Medica or acupuncture can be used alone to treat virtually any illness, quite often they are used together and sometimes in combination with other modalities (e.g., massage, moxibustion, diet changes, or exercise). The scientific evidence on selected modalities from TCM is discussed below: Acupuncture The report from a Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997 states that acupuncture is being "widely" practiced - by thousands of acupuncturists, physicians, dentists, and other practitioners - for relief or prevention of pain and for various other health conditions. In terms of the evidence at that time, acupuncture was considered to have potential clinical value for nausea/vomiting and dental pain, and limited evidence suggested its potential in the treatment of other pain disorders, paralysis and numbness, movement disorders, depression, insomnia, breathlessness, and asthma. Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture's effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine. It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects by the conduction of electromagnetic signals at a greater-than-normal rate, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing bio-chemicals, such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes whereby a person's blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature are regulated. Chinese Materia Medica Chinese Materia Medica is a standard reference book of information on medicinal substances that are used in Chinese herbal medicine. Herbs or botanicals usually contain dozens of bioactive compounds. Many factors - such as geographic location, harvest season, post-harvest processing, and storage - could have a significant impact on the concentration of bioactive compounds. In many cases, it is not clear which of these compounds underlie an herb's medical use. Moreover, multiple herbs are usually used in combinations called formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which makes the standardization of herbal preparations very difficult. Further complicating research on TCM herbs, herbal compositions and the quantity of individual herbs in a classic formula are usually adjusted in TCM practice according to individualized diagnoses. In the past decades, major efforts have been made to study the effects and effectiveness of single herbs and of combinations of herbs used in classic TCM formulas. The following are examples of such work:
Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the belief that one's body has the power to heal itself. Healing often involves marshalling multiple techniques that involve the mind, body, and spirit. Treatment is often individualized and dependent on the presenting symptoms.
To date, the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’s research efforts have focused on individual therapies with adequate experimental rationale and not on evaluating whole systems of medicine as they are commonly practiced. Return from Traditional Chinese Medicine to Natural Remedies for Illness
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