In the long history of human being, most of the time people use natural substances and nature way to treat illness and maintain health before modern western medicine came out. After few hundred years of taking chemical drugs, more and more people now rethink about the traditional natural herbs and unaggressive therapeutic methods. The preventive and therapeutic effects and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine have been tested by treating human body for thousands of years, and now it spreads all over the world.
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a well of medical knowledge gained from over several thousand years of observation, investigation and clinical experience. TCM has evolved as an empirical medicine and its theories and treatments have been repeatedly in use and refined over this long period of time. In the USA, TCM is regarded as an Alternative Medicine by the definition coined by Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institute of Health (NIH). The history of TCM can be traced back to the New Stone Age over 10,000 years ago. TCM practices developed in an empirical manner through the observation of the effects they produced on certain parts of the body and on specific ailments. |
Early acupuncture was carried out using sharpened bone fragments prior to the development of other tools. The first and most important classic text of TCM had been completed in about 200 BC. This book, known as the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, discussed the theory and philosophy of TCM as well as the therapeutic benefits of acupuncture, herbs, diet and exercise.
By the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.), another valuable classic, the Treatise on Diseases Caused by Cold Factors (Shang Han Lun) had been written by Zhang Zhongjing. This classic is an authoritative practical guide to the treatment of illness even to the present day. Another well-known Chinese medical works is the Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gong Mu), compiled in the Ming dynasty (1368- 1644 A.D.) by Li Shizhen. This encyclopedic work includes descriptions of almost 2,000 different kinds of medicines and forms an important framework for TCM herbology. |
What Is Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing art known to mankind and it was originated in China nearly five thousand years ago. The word “acupuncture” is divisable in two parts, acu- and -puncture. Acu- in Latin means needle and puncture comes from Latin to pierce with a pointed instrument. It is a practice of insertion of needles into specific exterior body locations to relieve pain, to induce biological changes, and for therapeutic purposes. Acupuncture points are located and joined together in “channels” or “meridians”, along which Qi (life energy) flows. The points used in treatment are carefully chosen by acupuncturist to disperse any blockages and to bring the patient's Qi into balance.Most acupuncturists in the USA are now using fine, sterilized, and disposable needles in practice. The needling induced pain is minimal and adverse reaction is very rare.Moxibustion is the process whereby a dried herb is burnt, either directly on the skin or indirectly above the skin over specific acupuncture points to warm the Qi and Blood in the channels. In modern clinic, a substitute device called TDP lamp is often used for the very same purpose of moxibustion. Indications of Acupuncture Acupuncture has been reportedly used for treating most of diseases in China. Studies show that there are tremendous variations among individuals in response to acupuncture treatment. The rate of efficacy for different conditions varies depending the skill and style of acupuncture practitioner. The followings are recommendations for acupuncture therapy by World Health Organization (WHO). Actually these are only few of the all indications of acupuncture. WHO Recommended Conditions That can be Treated by Acupuncture: 1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved, through controlled trials, to be an effective treatment: Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever) Biliary colic Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke) Dysentery, acute bacillary Dysmenorrhoea, primary Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm) Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders) Headache Hypertension, essential Hypotension, primary Induction of labour Knee pain Leukopenia Low back pain Malposition of fetus, correction of Morning sickness Nausea and vomiting Neck pain Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction) Periarthritis of shoulder Postoperative pain Renal colic Rheumatoid arthritis Sciatica Sprain Stroke Tennis elbow 2. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed: Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm) Acne vulgaris Alcohol dependence and detoxification Bell’s palsy Bronchial asthma Cancer pain |
Cardiac neurosis
Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation Cholelithiasis Competition stress syndrome Craniocerebral injury, closed Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent Earache Epidemic haemorrhagic fever Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease) Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection Female infertility Facial spasm Female urethral syndrome Fibromyalgia and fasciitis Gastrokinetic disturbance Gouty arthritis Hepatitis B virus carrier status Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3) Hyperlipaemia Hypo-ovarianism Insomnia Labour pain Lactation, deficiency Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic Ménière disease Neuralgia, post-herpetic Neurodermatitis Obesity Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence Osteoarthritis Pain due to endoscopic examination Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein–Leventhal syndrome) Postextubation in children Postoperative convalescence Premenstrual syndrome Prostatitis, chronic Pruritus Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome Raynaud syndrome, primary Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection Reflex sympathetic dystrophy Retention of urine, traumatic Schizophrenia Sialism, drug-induced Sjögren syndrome Sore throat (including tonsillitis) Spine pain, acute Stiff neck Temporomandibular joint dysfunction Tietze syndrome Tobacco dependence Tourette syndrome Ulcerative colitis, chronic Urolithiasis Vascular dementia Whooping cough (pertussis) 3. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult: Chloasma Choroidopathy, central serous Colour blindness Deafness Hypophrenia Irritable colon syndrome Neuropathic bladder in spinal cord injury Pulmonary heart disease, chronic Small airway obstruction 4. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment: Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Coma Convulsions in infants Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris) Diarrhoea in infants and young children Encephalitis, viral, in children, late stage Paralysis, progressive bulbar and pseudobulbar (Acupuncture: review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trials) |
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More Americans using acupuncture for common ailments
By Dr. David B. Samadi, Published May 15, 2012 FoxNews.com A new survey demonstrates increasing acceptance and utilization of acupuncture for treatment and health promotion. The analysis was published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine and looked at utilization rates, demographics and reasons for using acupuncture. Overall, the researchers found that between 2002 and 2007 there was a significant increase in the number of patients using acupuncture. The 2007 NHIS data indicated 6.5% of Americans had reported ever using acupuncture. Of these, 22% had seen an acupuncturist in the last 12 months. 25% of those who had tried acupuncture had done so once, and 70% had seen an acupuncturist fewer than 5 times. The vast majority of those who had seen an acupuncturist had done so for some kind of pain, primarily arthritis and other orthopedic pain, headaches, or fibromyalgia. About 40% of the people who reported using acupuncture for a specific condition specifically reported notusing conventional therapies for that condition, while 20-40% reported using some kind of conventional medical therapy for the same condition. Acupuncture has shown high efficacy in treating stroke Acupuncture can be used for treating most of the diseases. Results show that acupuncture treatments for neurological disorders provide very good efficacy. Among them, acupuncture has very high effective rate for stroke. An estimated 36% of U.S. adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health. When mega-vitamin therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons is included in the definition of CAM, the number of U.S. adults using some form of CAM in the past year rises to 62%. Among the common CAM practices identified by the survey were acupuncture, acupressure, herbal medicine, Tai Chi and Qi Gong. A survey by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine found that approximately one in ten adults had received acupuncture at least one time and 60% said they would readily consider acupuncture as a potential treatment option. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day October 24 is Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day supported through a unique international partnership of organizations. It is part of an effort designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. |
Nearly half (48%) of the individuals surveyed who had received acupuncture reported that they were extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their treatment. In addition, one in five (21%) of the total NCCAOM survey respondents reported that they had utilized some other form of Oriental medicine besides acupuncture, such as herbs or bodywork (e.g., shiatsu).
These studies and others like them clearly demonstrate that CAM therapies such as acupuncture and Oriental medicine are common practice in today's health care system. They also support the need for consumers to be provided accurate and reliable information regarding their treatment options. Cleveland Clinic Among First In U.S. To Open Hospital-based Chinese Herbal Therapy Clinic Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Cleveland Clinic has opened a Chinese Herbal Therapy Clinic, one of the first hospital-based herbal clinics in the U.S., to round out its integrative medicine services and provide supplementary options for patients seeking a holistic, natural approach to their care. Changes to Ohio laws in 2012 opened the door for licensed Chinese herbal therapists to legally prescribe custom herb blends and traditional formulas within a clinical practice. The clinical expertise of the herbalist coupled with attentive vigilance from a practicing physician decreases the risk of drug-herb interactions, similar to drug-drug interactions patients experience while taking multiple prescription drugs. While herbal treatment has been used for centuries in China to treat acute and chronic conditions, it has not been widely used in modern practice despite proven benefits. The unique mix of ancient Eastern therapies and present-day medicine is a progressive approach to care. At the Chinese Herbal Therapy Clinic, herbalists will prescribe blends based on research which has shown that herbs may be used to help manage diabetes, decrease cold/flu symptoms, manage chronic pain, increase energy, improve breathing, digestion, sleep, and menopausal symptoms, and help address menstrual cycles if infertility is an issue. How Many People Are Taking Herbal Supplements A survey of 21,923 adults in 2004 show, the percentage taking at least one herbal supplement was 12.8%. This means that more than one in ten adults were taking herbal supplements, with evening primrose oil, the most common supplement, used mainly by women. Individual characteristics such as age, sex, ethnicity, and social class influenced the use of herbal supplements, but there was no evidence that this substituted for conventional medical care. |
