
Chinese Traditional Medicine
Recently Answered
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1 AnswerDr. Maoshing Ni, PhD, LAc , Geriatric Medicine, answeredIn Chinese face reading, different areas of the face correspond to different areas of your body, which can reveal health issues and help prevent onset of illness. Watch as Chinese medicine expert, Mao Shing Ni, L.Ac. & PhD, explains this concept.
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4 AnswersBoston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answered
A practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine uses several diagnostic techniques such as questioning, observing, examining the tongue, listening (to breathing, voice, etc.), and reading the pulse.
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2 AnswersDr. Henry McCann, DAOM , Alternative & Complementary Medicine, answered
The most common traditional Chinese healing therapy in the US is acupuncture, although in China the most common therapy is herbal medicine. However, in addition to these two most common ones, there are many others.
Cupping: Cupping is a type of therapy that uses glass cups (or sometimes bamboo or other materials), to apply suction to different parts of the body. This is commonly used to treat conditions such as the common cold or other breathing problems. It is also commonly used to treat pain conditions, and research has shown that it can be very effective for this.
Tuina: Tuina is a type of massage therapy that also combines acupressure, and joint mobilization similar to what chiropractors do. It is also commonly used to treat pain.
Moxibustion: Moxibustion is a type of heat therapy. In moxibustion a special material made out of an herb leaf (called moxa) is burned at acupuncture points to heat them up. In Chinese medicine moxibustion is thought to have a strengthening effect on the body. In 1998 the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that showed moxibustion can be useful for turning breech babies!
Diet and Lifestyle: One of the most important traditional Chinese healing therapies is teaching people how to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle. Since each person is different, each patient usually gets a different diet recommendation.
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2 AnswersDr. Stephen H. Atkins, PhD , Integrative Medicine, answered
In traditional Chinese medicine, meridians are energy pathways that flow throughout the body. In this video, Dr. Stephen Atkins, an integrative medicine specialist, explains how meridians are thought to work.
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1 AnswerDebra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answeredTuina is a massage-like healing art dates back to the Shang Dynasty of China, 1700 BC. There is indication that tuina massage was used to treat diseases in children and digestive complaints in adults. Acupressure is the pressing of acupoints, but Tuina (pronounced "twee-nah") uses different strokes that are applied to specific points, muscle groups, and meridians. Tuina goes beyond the physical touch effect to rely on the physical expression of Qi or energy flow from the giver to the receiver for ultimate healing.
To stimulate health, a Tuina practitioner uses:
• Hand techniques to massage the soft tissue of the body
• Acupressure to touch specific points that affect the flow of Qi
• Manipulation techniques to realign the musculoskeletal system. -
2 AnswersDebra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answeredChinese medicine is as old as Chinese civilization itself and gets its theoretical basis from the Taoist principles of yin and yang, the five movements, and Qi (pronounced “chi”). The significance of yin and yang has infiltrated every part of Chinese existence since the earliest of time, influencing astrology, medicine, art, and even government. Thought to be two complementary forces or principles, yin and yang make up all aspects of life with the original meaning of yin and yang being “bright side-dark side.” Yin is like earth, female, dark, passive, and absorbing and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken line. Yang is thought to be like heaven, male, light, and active. Yang is present in odd numbers and is represented by the dragon, the color azure, and an unbroken line.
When the body is in balance between yin and yang, health is predominant. Yet when the yin and yang are imbalanced, disease occurs. Chinese medicine practitioners view yin and yang as a way of seeing life—that all things work together to be part of a whole; nothing is seen in isolation or as absolute. This philosophy of healing is contrary to Western medicine where a specific disease may be treated separately without considering the total health of the person—mind, body, and spirit.
The concept of yin and yang is associated in Chinese with the idea of the five agents (or elements), including metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The goal of the Chinese practitioner is to harmonize yin and yang and restore balance through these "five elements.” -
1 AnswerDebra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answeredMany historians speculate that massage or touch therapies began as a “medical treatment” in China. The ancient Chinese medicine practitioners believed that when the body was in balance between yin and yang, health was predominant. Yet when the yin and yang were imbalanced, disease occurred. Today Chinese medicine practitioners view yin and yang as a way of seeing life -- that all things work together to be part of a whole; nothing is seen in isolation or as absolute. This attitude is contrary to Western medicine, where doctors may treat a specific illness alone, without taking into consideration the overall health of the person’s mind, body, and spirit.
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2 AnswersDr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredFeng shui is the ancient Chinese science that uses shapes, colors, textures, sound, light, symbolic imagery and the arrangement of furniture to adjust the energy of a home.
According to this tradition, energy tends to be stagnant near the walls of a room. Place your bed away from corners to avoid feeling stifled by the lack of space between the side of your bed and the wall.
Don't put your bed next to a window, as it is thought in feng shui that the window drains out the good energy. Ideally, the window should be to the side of the bed so you can receive positive energy from the universe when you wake up.
When lying in bed you should have full view of the door, but the soles of your feet should not face the doorway.
This content originally appeared on doctoroz.com -
2 AnswersEllen Whitehurst , Health Education, answeredFeng Shui is an ancient art and science that enlightens and empowers by harnessing energy or Chi and directing it around the outer environment in order to positively impact any individual's inner one. Feng Shui is a dedicated way of learning how to live in harmony and balance within one's environment.