Chinese medicine doctors use various treatment modalities to rectify the Qi flow, the production of Qi and balance Yin and Yang in the body. The Yin and Yang in the body include the Qi, Body Fluids (including secretions, hormones, etc.), body tissues, Blood, condensed matter (called Jing in TCM) and the Spirit.

 

Herbal medicine and acupuncture (including it’s associated therapy methods such as Moxibustion, Cupping, GuaSha and Blood letting) can directly influence the bodily substances such as Qi, Body Fluids, Blood, hormones, arteries, vessels, body tissues, skin, membranes, cavities, meridians, muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, glands, nerves, bones and marrow, brain, organs, etc.. Acupuncture and herbs however can also help regulate one’s mood, emotional state and Spirit. Other modalities such as nutrition therapy, massage therapy and movement therapy aim to support the rebalancing of Yin and Yang.

 

What differentiates Chinese medicine treatment from conventional medicine treatment is the strong focus on the individual, rather than on the disease. Focusing on the disease produces a strategy where one treatment solution is expected to treat everyone. On the contrary, Chinese medicine believes that a single disease may have several variations and this is the reason that different people with the same disease can present with completely different symptoms. Focusing on the individual and their unique genetic constitution; their health situation; their lifestyle; physical, social and work environments can explain why a person presents with certain symptoms and thus means the treatment and lifestyle adjustments can be tailored specifically to the patient. The focus on the individual overlaps with another important differentiating factor, that of a holistic approach. Although the focus of treatment is always to resolve the origin or source of the disease, the individual as a whole must be honoured. This means from one perspective that treatment must also take into consideration the external factors acting on the person, including climatic factors, their living conditions and lifestyle. A further important aspect of holistic treatment is that the person’s disease must be considered on several levels as an integrated whole. These levels include the physical level (anatomy and physiology), energetic (function and vitality) and spiritual (beliefs and connections). Viewing an individual in this way, explains many aspects of medicine, including why people can feel ill or experience pain, while doctors are not able to find any physical reasons for these feelings.  Health is a state of balance of the body, mind and soul. We cannot disregard that emotions and beliefs can either hurt us or heal us.