Based on time tested treatment philosophies of the east, traditional Chinese medicine offers a refreshing approach to your health. The old adage “prevention is better than cure” is central to TCM, which means that adjusting your diet, taking herbal supplements for any disruptions to your body’s balance and adjusting your lifestyle are key factors in our treatment philosophy. Furthermore, it provides a gentle and natural way to support chronic disease management.
Central to TCM is maintaining the balance in “Qi” which is believed as the vital force of the body. TCM practitioners believe in balancing the opposites of our physiology (or “Yin” and “Yang”) to achieve a free flowing state of Qi. Any blockages or disruptions of Qi will result in illness.
While Western medicine emphasises intervention and cure with manufactured pharmaceuticals, TCM uses herbs that have been around for millennia to supplement imbalances in the body. Each have their merits, and these days, it is increasingly common to supplement western medicine with TCM herbal treatments and lifestyle adjustments. In fact, in China, Eastern and Western medicine are deeply intertwined in the treatment plans of patients with chronic diseases. In Western countries such as Australia, TCM therapies including acupuncture, therapeutic massage are studied by family doctors to be used a treatment adjuncts to conditions such as muscle pain, osteoarthritis.
The mainstay of TCM is the use of herbs to promote overall wellbeing. This could take form in prepackaged herbal formula that is either over the counter or prescribed to you with easy to follow dosages. For the more adventurous, you can also get specific herbal ingredients from your local TCM store and instructions of how to boil soups to alleviate your health concern, or for overall wellness. In Cantonese culture, it is a common practice to boil daily soups for the whole family to enjoy, much of which stems from TCM. Soups and herbal supplements are used for a whole range of purposes, including better digestion, better blood circulation, better fertility to more vain purposes of skin rejuvenation, weight loss and anti-ageing. “You are what you eat” rings true.
As modern medical research constantly strives to push new boundaries of human disease management, it is also important to remember that we have a wealth of knowledge passed on through past generations. Perhaps we should shift our focus from curing a disease that has already manifested to preventing it from happening in the first place. Perhaps rather than relying solely on pharmaceuticals that have side effects, we can try natural remedies as a gentle support to our health.