 About Chinese Medicine, Herbal Medicine or Oriental Medicine...
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the great herbal systems of the world. Chinese herbal medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person's Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked.
Chinese medicine is successfully used for a very wide range of conditions:-
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Acne
- Rosacea
- Urticaria
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Chronic constipation
- Ulcerative colitis
- Endometriosis
- Infertility
- Hepatitis and HIV: some promising results have been obtained for treatment of Hepatitis C, and supportive treatment may be beneficial in the case of HIV
- Chronic fatigue syndromes, whether with a background of viral infection or in other situations
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Chronic coughs
- Allergic and perennial rhinitis and sinusitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Cystitis
- Diabetes, including treatment and prevention
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Pre-menstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhoea
Chinese medicine includes all oriental traditions emerging from southeast Asia that have their origins in China. Practitioners may work within a tradition that comes from Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan or Korea. It is a complete medical system that is capable of treating a very wide range of conditions. It includes herbal therapy, acupuncture, dietary therapy, and exercises in breathing and movement (tai chi and qi gong). Some or several of these may be employed in the course of treatment
Because of the complexity of plant materials, herbal medicine is far more balanced than medicine based on isolated active ingredients and is far less likely to cause side-effects. Secondly, because herbs are typically prescribed in combination, the different components of a formulae balance each other, and they undergo a mutual synergy which increases efficacy and enhances safety. Thirdly, herbal medicine seeks primarily to correct internal imbalances rather than to treat symptoms alone, and therapeutic intervention is designed to encourage this self-healing process.
Chinese herbal medicines are very safe when prescribed correctly by a properly trained practitioner. Over the centuries doctors have compiled detailed information about the pharmacopoiea and placed great emphasis on the protection of the patient. Allergic type reactions are rare, and will cause no lasting damage if treatment is stopped as soon as symptoms appear.
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