No one size fits all therapies

[Guest guest]

I want to stress for those new to TCM (Traditional )

that in TCM there are no " one size fits all " therapies. Treatment is

highly individualized and healers concentrate on correcting

imbalances rather than merely treating symptoms. Also, TCM healers do

not hesitate to refer clients to other healers - including Western

establishment medicine - when this is best for the client and needed.

 

There are no " One Answer, One Way " in TCM. Diet, herbs, acupuncture,

massage, Qi Gong, etc. are all recognized as important components of

healing, and the primary treatment is based on what is best for the

particular situation, not on elevating one above the other.

 

The Chinese do consider diet the first line of defense in good

health. BUT, there is no " one size fits all " diet in Chinese

medicine. As in all things TCM, diets will vary based on the needs

of the client. For example, some individuals need diets that are

more Yang in nature - more meats, more fired foods - than others

need. Some individuals need diets that are more Yin in nature - more

vegetables, more steamed foods - than others need.

 

The Chinese idea of a balanced meal is one that contains all 5

flavors - spicy (acrid), salty, sour, bitter, and sweet. BUT, the

proportion of those flavors will vary based on the needs of the

individual.

 

The key to understanding TCM is to recognize that through their long

history, the Chinese have been and are pragmatists and keen

observers. TCM is based not on neat, comfortable theories of how the

world ought to behave but on what works in the real world. When the

Chinese encounter something that doesn't fit the current paradigm,

they don't throw out the old paradigm, they enlarge the paradigm to

include the new knowledge and wisdom. A good example of this is when

the Chinese began to encounter infectious diseases that that didn't

fit and didn't respond to the 6 Stages of Cold-Induced Illnesses

model, they added the Virulent Heat Evil disease model. They didn't

throw out the Cold-Induced model in favor of a new " one size fits

all " model. They recognized that some diseases fit the Cold-Induced

model but others fit the Virulent Heat Evil model.

 

This willingness to face and deal with complexity as well as the

pragmatism and careful observation, and the willingness to enlarge

the paradigm as new challenges arose is what caused Chinese medicine

to survive through the centuries.

 

The Chinese health care system will use pharmaceutical drugs when

appropriate. But, the Chinese are using them in a way that is more

sophisticated than they are used in the West. Because of the

knowledge of TCM, many of the Chinese doctors consider the TCM

imbalances in addition to the Western guidelines. Antibiotics are

used only in cases where there also is Excess Heat, never Deficiency

Heat (Yin Deficiency). From a TCM standpoint, antibiotics cause

problems in individuals without Excess Heat because their thermal

energy is Cold.

 

Background for those new to TCM: Yin cools, calms, and moistens.

Deficiency Heat (aka Yin Deficiency) problems are caused by there not

being enough Yin to cool the body properly. Excess Heat problems are

caused by there being too much of something Heating in nature. This

may be too many foods and herbs with warming energy, infection, the

temperature in the environment being too hot, etc. Deficiency

problems are caused by there being too little of something; Excess

problems are due to there being too much of something.

 

In TCM, the Kidneys supply Yin and Yang to the rest of the body. The

term " Kidneys " is capitalized because in TCM, the Kidneys include not

only the kidneys but many functions of the adrenal glands. The

Kidneys also " open into the ears " . When hearing or ear problems are

present, TCM healers automatically suspect Kidney imbalance, and rule

in or rule out. Ditto for bone problems. What are called genetic

disorders in the West fall under the concept of Kidney Jing

Deficiency in TCM.

 

TCM pays more attention to function than to form. TCM Organs are

collections of functions and are not restricted to the organs they

are named after. One TCM Organ, the Triple Burner (aka Triple

Heater, aka Triple Warmer) doesn't even exist physically. But it

exists in function and exerts a great deal of influence over water

metabolism in the body. Also over supplying Qi (roughly though

inadequately translated as " energy " to the body.

[Guest guest]

Victoria.

I'd like to ask you if I can copy part of this message and post on

auriculotherapy group.

I hope you say Yes!

Thanks, Roberta

robertablanco

[Guest guest]

> I'd like to ask you if I can copy part of this message and post on

> auriculotherapy group.

> I hope you say Yes!

> Thanks, Roberta

 

Permission granted. Just give credit to myself and to the

Chinese Traditional Medicine list.

 

Victoria