Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

TCM is a term relating to the style of acupuncture practised in China in the last 50 years or so. Whilst drawing on the principles and methods that have evolved over some 2000 or 3000 years, TCM has been influenced by the way Western medicine perceives and treats disease, emphasising specific signs and symptoms present within the patient.

Yinyang symbol and ba gua carved onto a rock wall.One of the main principles guiding TCM is the oldest philosophical concept of Yin Yang – a dynamic equilibrium of opposite but complementary and mutually transforming qualities present in all natural and social phenomena and each containing the potential of the other. Examples of yin yang include: night and day, cold and heat, winter and summer, water and fire, inside and outside.

Diagnosis in the Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on observation of the pulses and tongue as well as the symptoms described by the patient. All these factors are then gathered into an energetic picture – pattern of disharmony - comprising the state of Qi and relationships between Yin Yang, internal organs (Zang fu), body fluids, meridians etc. Based on this pattern of disharmony, the acupuncturist aims to restore balance and thus the state of health by needling specific points on the body and influencing the flow of Qi.

 

If you have any questions regarding acupuncture treatment or would like to have an informal chat about how acupuncture could help you

please call me on 07941 872 814

or email me at info@nourishinglifeacupuncture.co.uk