What is Oriental Medicine?

What is Oriental medicine?
Asian traditional medicine has ancient roots going back thousands of
years. It is a medical system practiced both in rural villages as well as in
hospitals. The different forms include acupuncture as in China, Korea
and Japan to herbal medicine in Tibet, India and Southeast Asia, to
massage techniques in Thailand, China and Japan and Qi Gong
breathing exercises in China. For example, a person who complains of
frozen shoulder in China may have the choice between of getting
acupuncture or Tui Na massage treatment for the condition. Infertility may
be addressed using herbs or moxa warming therapy. Patients may be
directed to incorporate Qi Gong breathing techniques into their daily
routine to counter the effects of chemotherapy. Oriental medicine has
long benefited generations of people and plays an integral part of Asian
culture, and it is fast becoming an accepted form of treatment for many
conditions in the Western world.

Some differences between Western and Oriental medicine
When you go to see a Western medical doctor, you go through a familiar
process. The physician asks questions about your condition, may do an
exam and follow up with lab tests. Later, you receive a diagnosis and
treatment options that may include prescription medication, surgery or
lifestyle changes. The physician in many ways is like the clock maker.
Each part of the clock must work together perfectly to keep accurate
time. When one part is damaged, it can be repaired or even replaced.
This is a very useful approach when for example someone suffers broken
arm. At the emergency room, they will take X-rays of the arm, set the
bone and put it in a cast. The patient may have to take pain killers during
the recovery time. The emphasis is on putting the right pieces back
together.
On the other hand, when you come to see an Oriental medical
practitioner, you will have a different experience. At first, the practitioner
will begin by asking you a series of questions. These questions may be
related to the condition. Take a sprained ankle. You will be asked when
and how it occurred and where it currently hurts. The treatment will
usually be straight forward with possibly acupuncture, herbs and
massage. However, for many conditions, there may be a whole series of
seemly unrelated questions. The practitioner is trying to create an overall
picture of the disorder, trying to get to the root of why this condition
occurred. For example, if someone comes in complaining about fatigue,
the practitioner will ask about the person’s dietary habits, sleep habits,
work schedule, amount of physical activity, feelings of heat or of cold,
perspiration, bowel patterns and more. This creates a picture, a
landscape of the body.
Oriental medicine can be called holistic in that it attempts to look at all
aspects of the body and how the person feels. As in our previous
example, fatigue is only one symptom among many that constitute a
disharmony. The person is as we say “out of balance.” The terms that
may be used come directly from Chinese farming culture. Weather terms
like dryness and dampness, heat and cold are given. The seasons of the
year and times of the day are used to explain illness. We want to know
how your interior garden is growing. We want to know if there is stagnant
water somewhere or places with poor soil conditions. We want to see how
you are going through the seasons of your life.

What is Qi?
From the very beginning, you may wonder what is this thing called Qi
(pronounced “chi”). It is used in talking about illness, acupuncture, herbs
and all types of Oriental therapies. The character Qi is actually quite
common in modern Chinese. It is used with all sorts of concepts such as
air, gas, energy and strength . Originally, the character shows an image
of steam rising from rice cooking. It is communicating the idea of a
dynamic and nourishing energy. Qi is translated as life force and energy.
It is present in changes, it holds things together, it is present in both living
and non-living things. In medicine, Qi is used to discuss physical
conditions as well as emotions. It moves, warms and protects the body. It
is at the root of all transformations in the body.
What are channels?
For this concept, we go back to ancient China. Water was important to
the Chinese who relate these pathways to a spring gushing forth from a
deep well and becoming a mighty river which flows into the sea. The
Chinese could tap into this natural resource for farming and by extension
in the body. These channels were able to connect and reach all
agricultural communities. It was vital to their existence. Just as watering
rice fields was important to Chinese farmers, the channels or meridians
are important for us, carrying both Qi and blood to all parts of our bodies.
Channels or meridians can be thought of as pathways that make up a
transportation network for our bodies. Without it, there would be no
nourishment to an area of the body.

What is disease?
This leads us to then what is the concept of disease or disharmony in the
body. In Oriental medicine, disease involves either a blockage or a lack
or excess of something in the body. For example, if there is blockage,
you may experience pain. Acupuncture may be the therapy to release the
blockage in a meridian. If there is an excess, you may complain of feeling
bloated after eating. There may be an excess of dampness in the
abdomen that is not properly transformed. With deficiency conditions, a
person may experience fatigue or even hot flashes. The aim of treatment
for these conditions is to open up the blockage, reduce excess or build up
a deficiency.

What is Yin/Yang?
Another concept in Asian medicine comes from the two terms, Yin and
Yang. These terms do not exist independent of each other. They are
used to describe polar opposites. They transform into each other. They
are part of a whole but may be in imbalance. All things can be described
in these terms.

In Oriental medicine, these terms are used often to describe different
conditions such as Kidney Yin Deficiency and Liver Yang Rising. These
are two conditions where there is an imbalance showing up in the body.

What can you expect during a treatment?
After the initial interview and examination, the practitioner will explain the
various treatment modalities. They may include any of the following:

Acupuncture
Moxa
Cupping
Gua Sha
Sotai Exercises
Herbs
Dietary Recommendations
Tui Na Massage
Stretching Exercises
Qi Gong Exercises

Yin	Yang
Female	Male
Night	Day
Downwards Direction	Upwards Direction
Solid Substance	Movement
Earth	Sky
Cold	Hot