Here is something that’s important to know: Traditional Chinese Medicine is simply medicine. In the history of Chinese culture, China was relatively isolated from the western world and developed its own complex ways of treating disease under its own paradigm. The west began to see the body on the level of cells and microorganisms,with the development of technology like microscopic imaging. In ancient China, the body was viewed much more macroscopically, that is, as an intrinsic part of nature, where climactic laws of nature were observed and it was assumed that a similar thing takes place in the body. In other words, the laws of biophysics of the outside world were seen to happen internally too. For example, if heat could exist in the outside world, it must exist in the body too. Too much heat can cause damage. This roughly translates to the damage that excessive inflammation may cause. These concepts developed and evolved over time as various doctors observed what worked and what did not. As it exists today, Chinese medicine is a well integrated and increasingly researched form of medicine that continues to improve people’s lives.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has become increasingly popular in the US since it’s arrival in the 1970’s. More and more people are getting exposed to it and many have a basic understanding, linking TCM to herbal remedies and acupuncture. What one may experience as a patient seeing a TCM doctor in the US is slightly different than what you may experience in another country but what holds true for all practitioners of TCM is that they are licensed and board certified with specific standards of practice and safety.
When TCM is referred to in this blog, it refers to the culmination of a couple thousand years worth of medical knowledge that has been added to and refined by various cultures and scientific advancement. It’s a form of medicine that has sought to give value to its ancestors as well as adopt the concepts of modern clinicians, scholars, and scientists.