ABOUT CHINESE MEDICINE

Contemporary Chinese medicine practice is built on a foundation of principles first codified over 2,500 years ago, and today incorporates practice modalities that include: acupuncture and moxabustion, herbal medicine, manual therapies (tui na massage, gua sha and cupping), movement (tai qi, qigong), and lifestyle practices (activity, sleep, diet, hydration, mental and emotional care).

As a whole body medical system, Chinese medicine aims to align the component systems of the body to benefit health, remediate disease process, and optimize well-being. Identifying the mechanism of action of acupuncture’s effect through the current biomedical framework is yet incomplete. Nonetheless, we recognize the effect through changes (both subtle and significant) in the circulatory, endocrine, musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the body. Furthermore, within a whole body system perspective, health and healing integrate the multiple dimensions of the human person - the physical, mind, emotion and spirit facets - that while distinct, are never separate.

A core tenet of the medicine is that the body's “vital energy” (氣 qi) and Blood (血 xue) circulate throughout the body, and through a network of channels. These channels are organized within a system that connects and integrates the whole of the body. Circuitry must flow smoothly and the body components must work congruently to achieve optimal health. When regions or aspects of this circuitry are impeded or stalled, there is impact upon function and health, and this impact is revealed through a variety of symptoms we experience or pain that we feel.

Traditional diagnostic methods, developed long before the advent of radiology and laboratory analysis, utilize systematic investigation through inquiry, observation and palpation. These methods might include measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and understanding symptoms in the context of sleep, dietary, and movement practices, as well as health history. The aim of Chinese medicine - beyond symptoms or diagnostics - is to determine an underlying pattern of disharmony, and thereafter formulate a strategy of intervention to alter the pattern toward improved functioning and health.