What is Chinese Medicine?

#168383970 / gettyimages.com

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)is a holistic system of medicine that is approximately 2500 years old. In TCM, an important guiding principle is “Yi bin tong zhi. Tong bing yi zhi.” This translates to “One disease, different treatments. Different diseases, one treatment.” So in TCM the treatment is based on pattern differentiation rather than disease. This makes sense since the disease is a manifestation of a patient’s unique pattern.

The treatment modalities in TCM can be grouped into three broad categories which are Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Lifestyle (which includes Qi Gong, Tai ji, dietary instructions, etc.).

Acupuncture can be considered a medicine of trajectory in which channels and points are selected based on the location of the disorder. So inserting thin acupuncture needles will affect the closed circulatory system which includes blood circulation, the nerve pathways, and fascial matrix. As a result blood circulation is normalized, nerve impulses are regulated, and the fascial matrix relaxes, reducing pain and tension in the body.

Herbal Medicine affects the internal physiology and pathology of a disorder. The appropriate formula is selected based on pattern differentiation. A skilled practitioner will determine the pattern using concise questioning, pulse diagnosis, as well as looking and listening to the patient.  Just giving a formula to a patient just because they have a headache is no better than giving them an aspirin. It does not take into account the patient’s unique pattern that they are presenting with and ignores the guiding principle,  “One disease, different treatments. Different diseases, one treatment.”