About Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
About Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
Oriental medicine is an umbrella term for many methods of healthcare that originated in East Asia. It unites ancient healing methods with modern medicine. It addresses the whole person as a system, looking at and exploring symptoms and patterns as a way to maintain or restore health.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one form of Oriental medicine. One of the important treatment tools is acupuncture. Another is herbal pharmacology, which combines over 400 natural products into thousands of formulas to treat health problems.
Oriental medicine is a complete system of healthcare used by millions of people worldwide to prevent, treat and manage a wide range of health problems.
According to the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health, Oriental medicine can be used to treat or relieve symptoms of diseases of the gastrointestinal, urogenital, gynecological, respiratory, circulatory, musculoskeletal or nervous system as well as emotional and psychological disorders. A few examples are: women's disorders during menstruation and menopause, chronic pain, arthritis, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, depression, urinary tract infections, hypertension and allergies.
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be used alone or partnered with western (allopathic) medicine or other types of care for a patient's health care team.
TCM has developed many methods for prevention and treatment of disease including:
- Acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping
- Chinese herbal medicine
- Dietary therapy
- Exercise
- Medical massage (also known as Tui Na)
Currently, TCM is valued as a sophisticated and rational medicine with a step-by-step methodology which is the standard of care in professionally practiced Chinese medicine around the world. TCM has a solid foundation in a codified prescriptive methodology placing it in the world of professional medical practitioners.