Guest guest Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2003 Report Share Posted July 5, 2003 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2003 Report Share Posted July 5, 2003 > 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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