Chinese Medicine & Herb    Chinese medicine (CM) is one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine. It has been practiced in China for several thousand years. Chinese medicine offers a non-invasive, non- toxic approach to healing the body.    Chinese medicine is comprised of three major therapeutic components:    1): Herbalism: derived from ancient therapeutic formulas, but revised according to modern theories and research. The ingestion of herbs and herbal extracts is probably the most frequently applied therapeutic method in China and Asia.    2): Acupuncture: (coupled with other physical techniques, such as moxa and tuina), also practiced according to ancient teachings, especially the Nei Jing, but adapted to several new methods including application of electrical stimulus, focus of needling on selected body parts, and with newly identified, relocated, or therapeutically re-assigned points.    3): Large portions of Western medicine, including diagnostics, surgery, and drug therapy, largely following the techniques of doctors from the West, but also using drugs derived from Chinese herbs and incorporating the traditional methods as deemed desirable.    Methods Of Diagnosis    Traditionally, the act of diagnosis is Chinese medicine has been divided into four categories which, today, may be summed as pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, questioning, and general evaluation. Historically, in China, pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis have been considered extremely important. Many practitioners would ask only one or two questions and rely entirely on these diagnostic methods.    In modern times however, there is considerably less emphasis on these techniques, especially in the West. The much greater awareness of health issues by individuals seeking professional health care, made possible through modern communications and high literacy rates, brings the discussion of health matters to the center. One's health history and current status, as well as daily practices that affect health, can all shed light on the nature of illness, thus making the questioning by the practitioner a particularly important part of the diagnostic procedure.    As a result, many practitioners rely on the tongue and pulse diagnosis to confirm impressions obtained from questioning and general evaluation.    What The Practitioner Looks For    Although there are numerous considerations to be made in arriving at a diagnosis, the practitioner of Chinese medicine is mostly concerned with two issues: the condition of hormonal systems and the status of the main organ systems. The hormonal system, which is not of much concern in orthodox Western medicine, is an aspect of the body that is in constant flux and which must remain in a state of dynamic equilibrium in order to assure good health. The organ systems of Chinese medicine, though identified by recognizable names of organs, such as kidney, liver, and lungs, are actually terms applied to ancient conceptual frameworks rather than physical organs. As a result, they often have only limited connection with our modern understanding of the organs. The organs described by practitioners of Chinese medicine have certain well-established functions, but they don't have specific locations, as do the organs we usually discuss in Western medicine.    The Humors And The Health Effects    The most important and mysterious humoral system of Chinese medicine is called "Chi" (often spelled "Qi"). It is a composite of essential substances present at birth and enduring for life, and essences extracted from food, beverage, and air. Sometimes translated as "energy," Chi is a much more complex concept than one's feeling of aliveness, or the idea of electromagnetic energy. It is the Chi that nourishes the body and mind, which provides resistance to diseases, maintains the homeostatic (normalizing) mechanisms, and powers our movement. Ill heath may arise when there is a deficiency of Chi, when Chi is "contaminated" with pathologic substances, or when Chi is not flowing in its normal pattern. It can be said that all diseases involve some problem with Chi.    The other two humoral systems of the body are moisture and blood. Imbalances of these humors often follow from a disruption of the normal Chi. Moisture refers to both the watery and the oily substances of the body. It may be insufficient, in which case the individual shows signs of dryness; it may be excessive, in which case the individual may be congested or swollen or have lots of moisture streaming from the body; or it may be poorly distributed, causing a variety of problems including digestive disorders and localized swelling.    The humoral system called "blood" is largely congruent with the concept of blood we have today, but the types of problems described for the humor are somewhat different than those we usually recognize. The blood may be deficient, which can cause anemia, fatigue, and depression, or the blood may be hot or contaminated with "toxins," causing inflammation and localized swelling. The blood may be "stagnant," circulating poorly through an area, or congealed (as occurs in bruises), causing sharp pains.    Diseases may involve Chi, moisture, or blood disorders, or a combination of these. Blood disorders in particular can represent serious problems if not cleared up rather promptly.    The process of diagnosis attempts to determine to what extent each of the humors is involved in the individual's health problems, and in what manner each has been disrupted compared to its normal condition.    The Organ Systems    The organs identified by Chinese medicine sometimes overlap with those identified in Western medicine, but often they are different. Thus, when a practitioner describes an organ imbalance, there may be no correlation with what is determined during an evaluation by Western medical methods. For example, an Oriental diagnosis of a "kidney" disorder may correlate better with a Western diagnosis of hormonal imbalance (which is difficult to evaluate by current Western medical techniques) rather than nephritis, kidney stones, urinary excretion problems, or other kidney diseases recognized by Western medicine. An Oriental diagnosis of a "spleen" disorder may correlate better with a Western diagnosis of a gastrointestinal problem than with a disease affecting the organ that filters out dead blood cells, as we understand the spleen's function from the Western view. Thus, an Oriental diagnosis of an organ system disorder must be understood in the proper context.    Further, the nature of disorders described by Chinese medicine are somewhat unique: the organs may be described as suffering from excess or deficiency, hot or cold, damp or dry without having anything to do with size, temperature, or actual moisture content. Such terms correlate with patterns described by Chinese medical theory. Hence, a damp spleen may refer to the experience of diarrhea; deficiency of the spleen may provide an explanation for excessive menstrual bleeding, and a cold spleen may refer to the observation of weak digestive function. Such organ system disorders may be diagnosed by pulse and tongue features aside from specific symptoms described by the individual.    Selecting Herbal Formulas And Ingredients    Chinese herbs are categorized by their influences on syndromes (such as excess or deficiency, hot or cold, moist or dry). Herbs are also defined by their inherent tastes and by the organs ( from the Chinese perspective) that they influence. Syndromes that have a hot quality, indicated by sign such as rapid pulse, redness of the tongue or complexion, dark colored nature of fluid discharge, thirst, hyperactivity, or feverish feeling are treated largely by herbs that are classified as having a cooling nature. Syndromes that have a cold quality, indicated by the opposite signs of slow pulse, pale color of the tongue or complexion, light color of fluid discharge, absence of thirst, or chilly feeling are treated largely by herbs that are classified as having a warming nature. Because most people have a mixture of cold and hot types of symptoms, the prescription is likely to contain a mixture of warming and cooling natured herbs. '    Herbs that have a spicy taste are used to treat a condition of accumulation or stagnancy, such as accumulation of moisture, or restrained movement of Chi. These are indicated by a sense of fullness, numbness, tenderness or pain in some parts of the body, uneven circulation, or swelling. They usually have a drying quality. Herbs that have a bitter taste often are used to help remove "toxins" and to clear up inflammation and infection. They are used when there is fever, infection, localized redness, or severe pathologic disorder. Many of these herbs also have a drying nature. Herbs that have a sweet taste are used for treatment of deficiency syndromes, Usually observed in persons with deteriorating health, those undergoing drug treatment who experience severe side-effects, in persons who have had surgery or have recently suffered a serious illness, or in those with debility caused by extreme emotional stress. The sweet herbs often have a moisturizing effect. Herbs that have a salty flavor are used when there is a localized swelling or hardness. They are used for very thick sputum, for swollen lymph glands, tumors, and abscesses. Herbs that have a sour flavor are often astringent in quality and are used when there is excess drainage of fluids, as might occur in cases of frequent urination, chronic leukorrhea, excessive sweating, or watery sinus drainage. Herbs that have a bland taste have a gentle quality and are often used to help distribute moisture.    Once a diagnosis is derived, the herbs of the proper category can be selected and combined to make a formula. Alternatively, a well-known prescription, manufactured in a convenient to use form, which addresses the disorders, can be used.    Complex Health Problems And Formula Adjustment    Almost everyone today has a rather complex type of health problem. Due to the diversity of foods and chemicals that enter the diet, the use of pharmaceutical drugs, and living in unnatural settings, health problems carry a tremendous diversity beyond that experienced by the ancient Chinese. Therefore, the process of diagnosis and selection of a treatment is made more complex. An initial prescription is selected for use during a trial period of a few days or weeks. Then, another level of diagnosis is undertaken, namely the evaluation of the person's response to the herbal therapy. It is necessary to discount coincidental changes and temporarily induced changes (sometimes called a "healing crisis"), focusing on fundamental changes or the absence of such changes. Following this evaluation of responses, the prescription may be continued, modified slightly, enhanced by use of another prescription, or changed dramatically to follow the course of improvement towards optimum health. However, it is important not to become caught up in "symptom chasing," the process of trying to alleviate every symptom or condition, whether long-standing or recently elicited. Such practice, which often serves as a diversion from the important task at hand, is entered into by the patient (who naturally desires complete freedom of all symptoms) and by the practitioner (who naturally wants to succeed in satisfying the desire of the patient). This should be avoided as much as possible. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, the most critical disease process, and the symptoms generated by it, should be addressed by a prescription aimed at treating an underlying process which has been carefully diagnosed by consideration of the various symptoms and signs. Determining treatment priorities is important: critical conditions are treated before less critical ones, congestive disorders are cleared before substantial toxification is undertaken. Additional symptoms, far removed from or unrelated to the main problem, may need to be temporarily ignored, or dealt with only when the more important conditions are clearly on the road to satisfactory resolution.    Constitutional Factors    Just as each individual has a basic personality and body type that persists throughout his or her lifetime, one also has a propensity towards certain type of imbalance in the humoral systems and organs is considered a constitutional factor, and is not expected to be completely remedied, but rather controlled. The constitutional factors are diagnosed by an evaluation of a person's health history and this determination will affect the prognosis and, therefore, the treatment recommended. The duration of herbal therapy will depend to a large extent on how comfortable the individual is in living with the constitutional factors. A person who tolerates their influence well - feels basically healthy most of the time, and thus is in need of treatment only on rare occasions obviously will find satisfaction with a short term of treatment. A person who does not tolerate the constitutional influence very well- feels uncomfortable and perhaps without adequate energy much of the time-will require regular treatment (either continual or intermittent) because a relatively slight return to imbalance will be highly noticeable. By distinguishing the temporary influence of pathogens from the constitutional influences, one can select an effective therapy and provide a reasonable plan of treatment.    Back to top __________________________________________________________________________                                            Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Center of Fort Worth                                    2481 Forest Park Blvd., Fort worth, Texas 76110| (817)253-2891                             Copyright © 2005 Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine  Center of Fort Worth                                                                      Texas All Rights Reserved

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