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What is T.C.M.?
The ancient Chinese used the concept of Yin and Yang and the number 5 to explain
everything, including our human body, in the nature world. The Yin and Yang are two opposing
forces in the universe. The Yin stands for negative, down, dark, cold, female, water etc; the
Yang, on the other hand, represents positive, up, bright, hot, male, fire etc. These two forces
are always in balance in the nature world, for example, stable objects with same amounts of
protons and electrons; day followed by night, hot season followed cold season, similar percentage
of male and female population etc.
In human body, if Yin and Yang attain perfect harmony, we are healthy, if they are out of
balance, disease will occur. However, perfect harmony is rarely attained and most of us
exist in a state of fluctuating health: one day we feel well and the next day less well. The
healthy body has healing power to keep a normal fluctuating balance of the Yin and Yang. It
is only when the change causes persistent and irreversible disharmony that it results in
established disease.
The essential principle of traditional Chinese medicine is to specify the exact nature of
the imbalance between Yin and Yang, and the pathogen causing the trouble; and then to select
the appropriate therapies, such as acupuncture, herbal remedy, massage (TuiNa), food therapy,
moxibustion, cupping, qigong or even sport therapy ( e.g. Taiji ) to correct these
pathological processes. As the nature forces of the body become balanced, the disease will
be eliminated.
As TCM is a holistic approach, when making diagnosis, a Chinese doctor needs to listen to the
patient's complaints and gether relevant information including family history, lifestyle,
working environment, diet and other physical and spiritual concerns. Then the doctor needs to
check physical signs and assess the Yin and Yang balance state by feeling the pulse and
observing the tongue.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.) is one type of Oriental Medicine. It has a recorded
history of about 3000 years, but some authorities claim that it has been practised in China
for much longer.