Chinese Medicine, The Kinder and Gentler Approach...

Taking the long view: Chinese Medicine, the kinder and gentler approach

In Chinese Medicine we take a holistic approach to supporting health and treating disease. It is though the integration of mind, body, and spirit that health and longevity are allowed to thrive.

The model of promoting health and prevention of disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on the idea of maintaining a free flow of qi (our life force), blood, and fluids, as well as freeing and fostering an emotional equilibrium of the mind. These are all considered fundamental requirements for abundant health.

An important herbalist of ancient China, Zhu Danxi, stated that:

“So long as the qi and blood enjoy harmonious flow, none of the hundreds of diseases can arise.  Once qi and blood are depressed and suppressed, diseases are produced.”

This ancient philosophy underscores the view that a sound mind and abundant qi are the basis for health and longevity while a deficiency of qi and a weakness of the mind are the main causes of illness and aging. When life is irregular and lifestyle choices don’t support good health, the body is less resistant to disease.  Healthy living and a healthy mind create a strong, sound immune system that serves as a major player in preventing disease.

The book Yi Qing Xiao Lu states that “One should always enjoy simple pleasures such as sunshine in the winter or shade in summer, beautiful scenes on a bright day, walking cheerfully, singing in the woods, listening to birds…” In other words, one should enjoy activities that cultivate joy and relaxation as well as interest in life.

Preserving Balance

It is through the balance of yin (still) and yang (active), the cultivation and maintenance of qi, and the preservation and conservation of a tranquil mind that health and mental well-being can flourish. My patients are often reminded of an image of a scale -- when all is in balance health is abundant, but when the scale is tipped out of balance health is elusive or far from reach.  Keeping the health scale in balance by making wise daily health choices is one of the most important messages that can be taken away from TCM.

So often we live out of balance, creating many disharmonies in the body: sleep disorders, digestive distress, headaches, muscular skeletal imbalances, hormone imbalances, anxiety, and stress disorders.  The diseases of lifestyle irregularities in the country are on the rise with obesity, type two diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, cancers, and drug and alcohol abuse all major burdens and drains on our healthcare system and our country. This is where TCM can have an important impact on healthcare in our society.

TCM helps us all make healthy lifestyle choices that are more in alignment with living in moderation in diet, work, social commitments, and helps with finding deep meaning in life itself. TCM is a slow medicine that helps the body heal before having to use strong allopathic intervention such as powerful prescription drugs or surgery.

Western allopathic medicine is a very important piece in the health care system when there are life threating situations and serious diseases that need strong intervention.  But this medicine takes the near view and works to eradicate the disease without taking into consideration how and why the patient got to this point in the first place. In many cases, if patients simply lived in balance and adjusted their lifestyle choices, they could avoid many diseases all together.

The Long View

The practice of TCM embraces the entire essence of the patients’ body, mind and spirit when formulating a treatment plan. Taking the long view is looking at the whole, rather than merely focusing only on the symptom or the disease.  

The chief complaint that a patient presents is viewed within the context of the patient’s constitution, age, lifestyle, and mental state when considering treatments. The “ten questions” that are at the heart of the intake in Chinese Medicine take into consideration sleep patterns, digestive health, energy levels, reproductive health, emotional history, as well as the presenting health issue.  This information is woven into the overall patterns of disharmony to be addressed during treatment.

And acupuncture is only one aspect of TCM that is used in the treatment of diseases and disharmonies of the body and mind. The use of herbal medicine, massage called Tui Na (Chinese medical massage), meditation and breathing exercises, exercise such as Tai Qi and Qi Gong, dietary recommendations, and lifestyle changes that require the patient’s participation in their own healthcare are all important in the treatment and prevention of disease.

As a practitioner of TCM I feel like a detective looking for the root causes of the diseases or conditions that my patients present.  Each patient has their own unique history, and it is only by delving into the underlying causes that treatment can be fully effective. It is only when there is an integration of body, mind, and spirit, as well as the full participation of the patient’s responsibility for their own healthcare that deep healing can begin.

Chinese Medicine can be seen as a powerful tool that incorporates preventive healthcare within our present system, as well as to serving as a partner with western medicine to integrate the long and near view of disease -- for both viewpoints can help in the long term betterment of healthcare in our country.

Taking the preventive healthcare mindset has the invaluable reward of living with more radiant health throughout your life, and this is the path that Chinese Medicine leads you towards.

Some parting words from the wise ancients:
“If you do not make good use of this free and precious life, what good does it do to possess a human body?” Shabkar