Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) 

 

"Understanding the properties of foods, their effects on health, using food for preserving health and preventing and treating illness is the science of traditional Chinese medical and dietary therapy."

- Dr. Zhuoling Ren, a TCM specialist at the China Academy of

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest natural medicines in the world. It has a long history of over 4000 years in China. Today, TCM is gaining popularity worldwide even with all the advances in modern medicine. Many medical researchers have been going to TCM to find clues for cures and many western doctors in integrative medicine are using TCM treatment modalities in their practises.  

Modern medicine focuses on cure has played an important role in treating acute diseases and saving lives which were not possible in the past. As the result, people are living much longer life than previous generations but at a huge price tag which more and more countries and individuals are finding it unaffordable and unsustainable.  

TCM on the other hand, focuses on prevention and natural cures which makes it inexpensive, accessible and is the better form of medicine (an once of prevention is better than 10 pounds of cure). We believe it is to everyone’s best interest, especially now, to take a closer look at what TCM has to offer and use TCM as an alternative or complementary treatment where appropriate.

 

TCM Treatment

There are eight types of health problems that are more suitable to look for TCM treatment:

1.  Degenerative diseases – when you have chronic symptoms such as dizziness, lack of energy, heart palpation, insomnia, constipation, diarrhoea and profuse sweating which western medicine cannot find the causes and can offer effective treatment, it is better to find help from TCM doctors before the problems can deteriorate into full blown illnesses.

2.  Infectious diseases – problems such as flu and hepatitis, using herbal detoxification can be more effective and safer than relying too much on antibiotics which can create more problems such as creating super bugs in our body or killing the good bacteria population in our gut which is the cause of many serious health problems including autism.

3.  Women’s diseases – the approach in TCM in not just treating the symptoms but in improving the overall health of vital organs such as the spleen, liver and kidney, and in particular in promoting blood and qi have proven to be most effective in delivering permanent cures to women.

4.  Children’s diseases – TCM focuses on nutritional balancing and digestive health which is very effective in solving most children’s problems originated from wrong diet and weak digestion.

5.  Chronic diseases – TCM in treating the whole body as a whole is more effective in preventive care and in improving chronic conditons that come with age.

6.  Health problems with many symptoms – TCM treating the root of problems can solve many different symptoms at the same time. This can eliminate the need to use different drugs for different symptoms and can prevent drug over usage and associated adverse side effects.

7.  Allergic to drugs – for people who are allergic to western medicine, their best alternative is to use herbal medicine in TCM.

8.  After sickness or surgery – TCM has a better system of nutritional care and support with the help of superior herbs used in food therapy. It can speed up recovery and improve patient's body constitution and functions.

 

TCM - A System of Self-care

TCM is a natural health management system and it is meant for everyone to learn, to understand and to practise in taking care of their own health and their family. It is a system of self-care using food (nutrition) and exercise (energy) as the primary treatments.   We believe it is the key to solve today’s healthcare crisis.  When people are gettting more informed and knowledgeable about preventing sickness and can manage their own health through their daily food, they can become healthier and therefore creating less healthcare burden on societies at large.

Since no one can patent and benefit from natural food cures, that’s why you will never find the for-profit healthcare industry promoting the knowledge and benefits of natural medicine and cures. It is up to us as consumers to become knowledgeable in order to make the best choices for our health as well as for our pocket book. 

This section is to introduce you to the basic principles in TCM in very simple terms. We believe this basic information is very important for you to understand how TCM works, how our lives and health are being governed by the law of of the universe and how we can live our lives to the fullest if we care to comply.

Health and wellness is a personal choice and the result of dedicated life long stewardship. Reap what you sow and there is no mistake.