December 28, 2009
Chinese herbs and medicine is a 4000 year practice as far as recorded history (between 2100 – 1700 B.C.) goes. Most likely, Chinese herbs have been farmed, provided that humans have been in this region of the planet. The application, almost certainly, began in the pre-history of China’s populating. Given there is considerable argument here, we’ll agree, its been a long time. In general, the practice of Traditional Chinese herbal herbs fits prominently in Chinese medicine practices. In fact, if you specialize in this area alone, you could be very busy and well known for helping a lot of people. In this article, the focus will be to present Chinese herbology in its proper position and its function in this modality’s framework. The purpose of showing this order is to encourage customers to view physical conditions and their solution in a graduated process. By living in our fast paced life-style with high stress, long work hours, reduced family contact, fast food, low nutrition, reduced energy, etc., our immune system becomes extra challenged. It doesn’t come about suddenly and so the care is suggested to be at the same pace as the conditioned was entered. The exception occurs while the infirmity is urgent and life-threatening.
TAM (Traditional Asian Medicine) CARE
(Four Tiers of Asian Medicine)
- Food Therapy
- Herbal Therapy
- Exercise: Tai Chi & Qi Gong
- Acupuncture & Cupping
I. FOOD THERAPY
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
– Hippocrates circa 431 B.C.
Traditional Chinese Medicine first employs food as a therapeutic tool. Why? Because we are very pre-occupied with food. Our stomachs will let us know that we are hungry, so most of us, unless we are imbalanced, will eat 1-6 times per day unless food is not available. Given that, we eat, its imperative to think about what we are eating due to the fact, food has a major effect on the fitness of our bodies. If we drink pop, alcohol, eat desserts, cheese, candy, red meat, bread, processed foods, etc. then guess what happens to the body? It clogs up and gains weight and we get sick. If we eat vegetables, fruit, water, fish, then what happens? We share our emotions, lose weight to balance and leanness and we can get well. The effective TAM practice will include food therapy with the knowledge of what food works best with a particular constitution. Has anyone ever pay attention to of, “You are what you eat”? What that means, is that certain foods will definitely determine the cell quality in the tissues of your body. Food, ideally, provides substance to make energy from, benefitting the cells so they can do their job. The more energy, the more capacity your cells have to do their jobs. If they are obstructed with poor choices, that fit your wants, then the result will be illness. Foods that balance your ailing constitution, are essential to re-establishing your health. Master herbalists, sophisticated in this specialty, will recommend this strategy in order to form a foundation for other traditional Asian medicine. Regardless of whatever remedial strategy, allopathic or naturopathic, treatment can be disrupted, if food remedy does not consistently accompany the therapeutic course of action. For that reason, food therapy is vital to reinstatement of your health. Though food is a more subtle remedy, its gradual nourishing effect, has the power to restore, unnoticed, only because it takes more time. Thus, when we get sick, it is difficult, to connect the dots as to how we got in that condition.
This discussion of the Four Tiers of Chinese Medicine is further covered at Longevity Mountain. For those of you who desire to know the prioritized next 3 levels, Chinese herbs, Chinese medicine exercise and Accupuncture/Cupping.
February 3, 2009
Sometimes it’s difficult for us to understand the school of Chinese medicine because we generally view religion and science as being completely polarized. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, the mind, body and universe are all connected and disturbances in the body are seen as manifestations of imbalance. Maybe we’re not taking time out to meditate and relax, or we’re ingesting all sorts of toxins into the body, or perhaps we’ve had too much or too little change in our lives that sends our bodies out of harmony.
Ancient written texts such as, “A Treatise On Cold Damage,” and “Basic Questions of Internal Medicine” were written 3,000 years ago, and were the results of oral traditions that started 5,0000 years ago.Since the Nationalist government feared missing out on scientific progress, classic Chinese medicine was fobade in the 1930′s. However, thirty years later, Mao Zedong chose ten highly respected doctors to create a traditional but standardized practice called Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today TCM is taught in all Chinese schools and has even made its way around the world, opening schools in England, the US and Russia.
“Yin” and “Yang” , from the Taoist ideas, are one of the basic principles of TCM.” The term is used by the school of Chinese medicine to describe a series of opposites; for example, hot and cold, dark and light or moving and still. The body goes through constant motion, just like the seasons. The body naturally breaks down if the cycle of equilibrium is disrupted by an excess or deficiency of something.
Another principle in traditional Chinese medicine is the idea of the “Five Elements” which are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. It is believed that these elements are in constant motion and work in an interdependent relationship, as do the various organs and systems within our own bodies. According to the Five Elements chart, if you’re feeling fearful, then it means you need more calm in your life or if you’re angry and frustrated, then you need more patience. The Five Elements Theory is further defined by the Zang Fu Theory, which explains the functions and interaction between various body parts in more detail.
Traditional Chinese medicine doctors can give you many surprising solutions to common ailments. For instance, women suffering premenstrual syndrome can be treated with herbal supplements like angelica to relieve cramping, buplerum to relieve irritability and irregularity with biota seed. The good news about Chinese herbal medicines is that they’re safer and less expensive than other drugs on the market.