As one of the oldest medical arts, Chinese medicine uses methods that were developed more than 3,000 years ago to maintain health, prevent and treat diseases. These practices and philosophies were recorded in four fundamental classical texts that provide the root understanding diseases today.
In Chinese medicine, the concepts of health and disease are relative. The classics speak of health as a state where the functions of the zang-fu organ systems and meridians are normal, while qi, blood, yin and yang are all in balance. The body should have sufficient qi (vital energy) that flows freely and smoothly throughout the body without stagnation.
When these functions become abnormal and this balance is lost, the yin and yang within the body become disharmonious and disease occurs. This concept can be illustrated by running water. In order to be healthy and clean, a river needs to keep flowing. If the river slows down or stops and becomes stagnant, it accumulates trash and develops a rancid odor. (The qi in) your body works the same way.
The following are the characteristics of Chinese medicine.
Holistic:
Chinese medicine emphasizes the concept of holism. While the human body itself comprises an organic whole, the human body and the universe are also an integral whole. Thus the human body has a very close relationship with nature, and the changes between the day and night, the four seasons, or the different environments we live in, for example, all affect the body’s physiological functions and pathological changes.
“Humans relate to the heaven and earth and correspond with the sun and moon”- Lingshu, Suilu lun di qi shi jiu (Miraculous Pivot, chapter 79).
Dynamic:
The ancient Chinese philosophies of the Dao De Jing and Yi Jing regard the universe as consisting of qi (vital energy). Everything in the universe is produced by the movement and transformations of qi. Reality exists in a constant state of motion which reflects this qi dynamic. This is also true of the human body. Constant energetic cycling promotes the growth and development of the tissues and organs as well as the physiological activities of the body. Pathological changes are also always in a state of dynamic transformations.
Thus symptoms can be different at different times of day or different times of the year. Chinese medicine incorporates an understanding of dynamic change into its development of treatment strategies.
Complexity:
Chinese medicine recognizes the human body as an integral whole and the human body and the universe is an integral whole. The energy constant moves in our body as well as in the whole universe, so as to form the complexity of our body and our relationship to the universe. In Chinese medicine we value this complexity, not only when diagnose the disease, but also in treating the disease.
Unity of Body and Mind (Xing Shen He Yi)
In Chinese medicine, the physical (Xing) and the mental emotional/spiritual (Shen) coexist and are treated simultaneously. Supporting the physical and mental emotional unit as one (Xing Shen He Yi) is the ultimate goal in maintaining good health. A calm and peaceful spirit helps the body to generate qi, which is then able to flow freely and support healthy physiology. When the physical and the spiritual unite harmoniously, disease can not occur. However, if there is either physical or mental disturbance, overall health suffers and all aspects of the individual are affected.
Chinese medicine emphasizes the holistic, dynamic and complexity of our body by uniting the body and mind as one to promote optimal health. When treating diseases, treatments can differ by person, time, and geographic location. You are a unique individual—even if you are suffering from a disease that someone else also has, the Chinese medicine treatment might differ from that person, because of your constitution, your mental, emotional state and more.