Title: Traditional Chinese Medicine
1Traditional Chinese Medicine
- By
- Ashley Esten
-
- Sabrina Surdoval
2Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)
- Derived from Taoist philosophy
- Has been around since BC / early AD
- Classical Chinese Medicine was standardized to
what we now call TCM - Taught in nearly all medical schools in China
- TCM accounts for 40 of care (higher in rural
areas)
3Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Based on concept of balanced qi (chee), or vital
energy that flows throughout the body. - Qi regulates spiritual, emotional, mental, and
physical balance. - Influenced by yin (negative energy) and yang
(positive energy). - Disease is a result of the qi being disrupted and
yin/yang being imbalanced.
4Elements and Principles of TCM
- Five Elements
- Water, wood, fire, earth, metal.
- Describe interactions and relationships between
phenomena. - Each organ is associated with one of the Five
Elements. More effective to treat an organ during
a particular time period. - Eight Guiding Principles
- Cold/heat, deficiency/excess, internal/external,
yin/yang. - Analyze and differentiate the energetic
imbalances in the body or the nature of a
patients condition.
5How to Choose Among Healers?
- In China, Western medicine and TCM are considered
by the government to be of equal importance. - Choice of combined care is widespread.
- Choose TCM/Western depending on illness.
- TCM effective for immune conditions, chronic
illness, or where the etiology is unknown - Western effective in acute situations or where
the etiology is known - A study showed during a most recent illness
- 73 consulted Western doctors, 17 self-medicated
while 9 consulted herbalists (Note age and
education were important determinants of their
health care choice). - The most common reason given for their choice was
faith in the practitioners they consulted. - When further consultation was needed for the same
illness, 42 consulted herbalists, herbalists
play an important complementary role when Western
medicine fails to provide relief.
6Diagnostic Tools The Tongue
- Has been an important diagnostic tool in TCM
- Simple, non-invasive and inexpensive
- To determine a patients condition and diseases,
doctors use information on the color, degree of
wetness and coarseness, and shape of the tongue. - A healthy tongue will be pink and moist with a
thin clear or white coat. - Some signs of imbalance or pathology are red
body, yellow coat, thick coat like mozzarella
cheese, very dry body or cracks in the coat or
body itself.
The diagram on the top represents the internal
organs. The center diagram represents the body as
having three parts - upper burner, middle burner,
and lower burner. The diagram on the bottom
represents the body as having two parts -
interior and exterior.
7Diagnostic Tools 12 Pulses
- A practitioner of TCM feels for six pulses in
each wrist. - Three superficial and three deep at specific
points along the radial artery. - The quality of the pulse is looked at in terms of
frequency, rhythm, and volume - These 12 pulses correspond to the internal
organs. - There are different pulse types
- Scattered, intermittent, swift, hollow, faint,
surging (to name a few) all associated with
different things - Diagnostic Clip
8Acupuncture
- A practice of piercing (with fine needles)
specific areas of the body (acupoints) to relieve
pain, induce surgical anesthesia, and for
therapeutic purposes. - Used typically as a last resort or for
preventative measures (tune ups or balancing)
9Acupuncture cont.
- Acupuncture has been proven effective in
relieving postoperative pain, nausea during
pregnancy, nausea and vomiting resulting from
chemotherapy, and dental pain with extremely low
side effects. It can also alleviate anxiety,
panic disorders and insomnia (WHO 2003). - Acupuncture Clip
10Moxibustion
- A form of heat therapy where a moxa stick (made
of dried leaves of artemesia vulgaris) is burned
and used to indirectly heat specific acupuncture
points or regions of the body. - It is usually used to relieve pain and congestion
and to provide an anesthetic effect. - Acupuncture and moxibustion are considered
complementary forms of treatment and are commonly
used together. - Moxa sticks heat the needles which send heat down
to the point in which the needle is inserted
(usually a muscle) or the moxibustion is done
around the areas of the needles.
11Qigong (chi kung)Pronounced cheegong
- Chinese system of physical training, philosophy,
and preventive and therapeutic health care. - Combines aerobic conditioning, isometrics,
isotonics, meditation, and relaxation. - Improves delivery of oxygen to the bodys cells,
reduces stress, increases strength, lowers blood
pressure, and improves resistance to infectious
diseases. - Qigong is a soft form of a related set of
disciplines that includes Taijj (Tai Chi Quan)
and the hard form of Kung Fu.
12Qigong cont.
- Qigong can help one fight virtually any disease
and helps prevent the onset of diseases . - Chinese doctors have applied qigong in hospitals
and clinics to treat individuals suffering from a
variety of ailments. These include - allergies, arthritis, asthma, bowel problems,
constipation, diabetes, gastritis, gout,
headaches, heart disease and hypertension,
chronic kidney disease, liver disease, lower back
pain, etc. - Qigong Clip
13Massage
- The Chinese call this therapeutic bodywork tui
na, which means "push" and "pull". - Works with the qi in the body along the same
meridians as acupuncture - Two popular styles of tui na practiced today are
the rolling and one-finger methods. - Rolling Method used for joint and soft tissue
problems, as well as insomnia, migraines, and
high blood pressure. - One-Finger Method similar to shiatsu,
(practitioners push points along the meridians
with the tip of the thumb or finger). used for
chronic and internal problems, pediatrics and
gynecological problems.
14Herbs
- Herbal remedies are used as often as acupuncture
to treat energy imbalances and illness. - In China, traditional herbal preparations account
for 30-50 of total medicinal consumption. - Derived from plant, animal, and mineral
substances, though plants are the most common. - Herbs have four basic qualities and properties
- Nature, Taste, Affinity, and Primary Action
- When looking for the appropriate remedy, TCM
practitioners apply medical theory - the Five
Elements and Eight Guiding Principles - along
with tongue and pulse diagnosis.
15TCM Herbs in Practice
- The herb Ma Huang (Ephedra) is traditionally
used in China to treat respiratory congestion. In
the United States, the herb was marketed as a
dietary aid, whose over dosage led to at least a
dozen deaths, heart attacks and strokes (WHO,
2003). - Chinese herbal remedy Artemisia Annua, used in
China for almost 2000 years has been found to be
effective against resistant malaria and could
create a breakthrough in preventing almost one
million deaths annually, most of them children,
from severe malaria (WHO, 2003).
Artemisia Annua
16Chinese Herb Example
- SAN AO TANG
- Functions Disperses Lung Qi, Releases the
Exterior - Indications Wind Cold Invasion, mild chills and
fever, common cold, influenza, headache, body
aches, cough, shortness of breath, profuse clear
sputum - Contra-Indications Hypertension, spontaneous
sweating, cardiac arrhythmia - King Herb Ma huang (Ephedra) Disperse the Lung
Qi, Release the Exterior (causes sweating) - Minister Herb Xing ren (Apricot seed) relieve
shortness of breath, relieve cough - Assistant Herb Gan cao (Licorice root)
harmonize all herbs
Ma huang (Ephedra)
Xing ren (Apricot seed)
Gan coa (Licorice Root)