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General Information on TCM Theory
TCM therapies- Acupuncture, TuiNa (acupressure/orthopedic massage), Internal Medicine (diet and nutrition, Chinese herbs), and Qigong (Qi cultivation, exercises)- are four interconnected parts of a unique Whole Medical System that have been in use for over 2500 years in China, based on current anthropological and archeological observations.
Whole Medical Systems, as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), involve complete systems of medical theory and practice that have evolved independently from, or parallel to, allopathic (conventional-Western) medicine. One unique aspect of Chinese medicine is its' ability to accept the validity of multiple overlapping models of human physiology and to use these frameworks simultaneously, as needed, to evaluate and discuss pathologies and to develop a treatment plan.
Treatments are based on integrating the various aspects of an individual’s health and environment and may be considered to be spirit-mind-body or constitutional medicine. All successful TCM therapies, like other aspects of Integrative Medicine, are somewhat dependent on the patient’s commitment to participate in the transition from illness to well being.
In TCM, although disturbances along the spirit-mind-body axis may become manifest at any one of the three levels, chronic conditions which neither get worse nor better usually involve a mind or spirit component ( i.e., unresolved emotions, relationship issues) manifesting at the body level.
Unlike Western clinicians, a TCM clinician spends a significant amount of time (~ 1 hour) at each visit with the client both to identify and to resolve health issues. This is because we believe that the individual is a microcosmic dynamic system that is changing and adapting to its physical and social environment all the time. To us, pathologies begin to manifest when this flow/adaptive behavior is disturbed or blocked. Detailed interviews, palpation or touch, and Tongue/Pulse signs are used to arrive at a diagnosis.
In addition, an individual's response to an external disturbance or event in their physical or social environment can push their constitution to either the heat (increased metabolism) or the cool (decreased metabolism) side of what would be considered normal. This tendency is predictable, according to TCM theory, based on the yin-yang balance in the underlying constitutional pattern.
The TCM clinician then uses the least aggressive therapy, individualized to the patient’s constitutional needs, to treat the condition that is the basis of the chief complaint and restore balance and adaptive dynamics within the system.
TCM theory is an environmentally aware system of healthcare and recognizes that diseases can be caused by environmental and seasonal factors (i.e., pathogenic influences such as heat, cold, and damp which are known as External pathogenic influences) that can enter through the skin and are usually manifest as physical or bodily syndromes. They may, however, affect the mind or spirit, if left untreated for a long time. Since the Lung is considered, in TCM theory, to be the organ network which governs the skin, people who are prone to frequent coughs, colds, and fevers may be considered to have diminished function in that organ.
The common cold, cough, hayfever/allergies, fever with sweats and chills are examples of the TCM Exterior pattern or type of pathology. Here, in the Pacific Northwest, our cold and damp winters are hard on people with arthritic syndromes (called Bi syndromes in TCM). Bi syndromes represent a complex pattern which is often the result of both External and Internal pathogenic factors.
Internal factors may be related either to emotional patterns or to organ level imbalances and are a part of the whole constitutional pattern. The role of emotional imbalances, when left untreated, in precipitating as organ level pathologies is accepted in TCM theory. Emotional imbalances are considered to affect the proper functioning of their corresponding TCM organs- i.e., anger < > Liver, or grief < > Lung.
Constitutional patterns are also often discussed using Zang-Fu theory (the basis for the Five Phase/Element model of Chinese medicine) with each of the principal organs‒ i.e., Heart (Fire), Spleen (Earth), Lung (Stone or Metal), Kidney (Water), and Liver (Wood)‒ being assigned a role in the generation and control of another organ. These formal relationships remind clinicians that all organ systems are interconnected and chronic pathologies in one organ will affect another system. These TCM organs represent functional networks rather than the familiar anatomic organs we are familiar with from Western science.
The generation and control relationships between TCM organ complexes are shifted from optimal states in conditions we consider as pathologies. Current health related issues of concern may have manifested as milder disturbances at a much earlier date. For these reasons, we advise our patients to be as complete as possible in filling out the medical history form.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used successfully to treat musculoskeletal and pain syndromes and internal diseases and syndromes (e.g., addiction, allergies, arthritis, cancer, dysmenorrhea, fibromyalgia, G.I syndromes such as IBD, menopause, migraines and other headaches, PMS, Temporomandibular Joint Disease (TMD), uterine fibroids, etc.). Many of these conditions are successfully treated using a combination of acupuncture, TuiNa, Chinese herbal prescriptions, and Qigong.
Resolution of musculoskeletal pain syndromes often occurs within a few weeks and chronic conditions improve significantly after a few months of treatment. The participation of the patient, in understanding their constitutional needs, is a significant factor in determining the speed at which chronic conditions are resolved.
The Portland metropolitan area is a leader in our country in offering a variety of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities to address the needs of the public in an integrated healthcare environment. More work is needed in developing models of sustainable healthcare.
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