What is Chinese medicine? 

Chinese medicine is one of the world’s oldest forms of both treatment and prevention of illness and disease.  It encompasses traditional forms of diagnosis and treatment and is based on the belief that one is free of disease if there is balance and harmony which reflects the theory of Yin and Yang.  Chinese medicine is a holistic approach to health where external factors are looked at like climate, lifestyle, dietary, hereditary and other factors as well as internal factors like emotions and thoughts affect a person’s wellbeing.

Mind affects body and body affects mind.

Chinese medicine treatment is specific to the individual considering all the internal and external factors which is affecting the person’s wellbeing.  An example to this is no two people necessarily have a stomach ache due to the same cause.  This influences the diagnosis being made and therefore the treatment will be different in the two individuals according to the pathophysiology which is explained in Chinese medicine. 

Pathophysiology explains the scientific basis as to why the disease occurs in the body.  This in Chinese Medicine is described using the elements in earth like metal and wood and elements in nature like wind or damp to describe what is happening in the body as well as what is in excess and what is deficient in the body which then also affects the mind and behaviour of a particular individual or vice versa.

We also use diagnostic tools such as looking at the tongue and feeling the pulse to get an overall picture of what is happening in the body as well as any other diagnostic tests used in western medicine such as blood tests, salivary hormone tests, CT scans, MRI scans, etc.  This is then all integrated and put into a pattern of differentiation which we call a syndrome where the signs and symptoms all relate to a particular pattern described partially by what we observe in nature and incorporating the theory of Yin and Yang.

There are over 1000 Chinese herbs in the pharmacopia and over thousands of formulas which contain from one herb up to as many as thirty in one formula to help with a group of signs and symptoms that form that particular syndrome. We therefore fit a tailored prescription of herbs according to the syndrome that we see happening in the individual.

Chinese medicine:

- Treats all kinds of illnesses
- Enhances health and well being
- Assists in prevention of illness
- Has no side affects with treatment
- Treats the cause of illness, not just the symptoms
- Treats the person as a whole being

Chinese medicine (incorporating herbs and/ or acupuncture) can safely and
effectively treat common illnesses and can benefit in the management of
chronic conditions.