Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Explained

Welcome to our office

This information is offered to introduce our patients to Oriental Medicine, acupuncture, and homeopathic medicine. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call or EMAIL to ask the doctor. Our goal is to address all of your concerns and help you have a pleasant and beneficial experience as a result of your treatment here.

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine is very different than Western medicine in both philosophy and application. In Western medicine, health is defined as the absence of disease. In Chinese medicine, health is defined as an abundance of energy and vitality with an overall feeling of well being.

Allopathic medicine, which is the most prevalent type of medicine practiced in the United States, primarily treats the symptoms of illness. For example, if you have migraine headaches, you will be given medicine to reduce or eliminate the pain. In Chinese medicine, your doctor will attempt to discover the cause of the migraines and eliminate the problem that is at the root of your pain and suffering.

Western medicine can sometimes treat symptoms for years until an organ or system fails, at which time surgery is often implemented. Chinese medical doctors emphasize keeping your bodily systems and organs functioning in peak condition so that illness and disease will not set in. Most illnesses and diseases do not take hold of a person’s health suddenly; the precursors to the illness are usually functioning for a long time before it gets to that stage. Often, by the time allopathic medicine acknowledges there is a problem, it is too late to do anything to stop it, or the person’s health has been greatly compromised and it will take a long time to recover. Usually recovery in this case is never complete and the person will be unable to resume their original state of health.

Because Chinese medicine views the normal state of being as one of health and vitality, if someone isn’t in that state, it is assumed there is an imbalance that needs to be treated. Consequently, the idea of preventative medicine and wellness care is an important part of Chinese Medicine.

Meridians

One premise in Chinese Medicine is that the body functions as a system of energy flowing along pathways referred to as meridians. When energy is backed up or blocked in a particular area, the effect is like a kinked garden hose through which no water can flow. Like a slowly wilting garden, a body with blocked meridians will begin to lose its vitality and illness will set in.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. Fine needles are placed in strategic points along the body’s meridians to restore and optimize the flow of energy to allow healing to take place. With a little help, the human body will heal itself if given a chance.

The onion analogy

A person’s state of health can be viewed like the layers of an onion. Symptoms that are most obvious are like the outer layers of the onion. Once the cause of those symptoms has been healed, oftentimes a deeper problem is discovered underneath. For example, if you have the flu and you take some homeopathic medicine or herbal medicine, your flu will probably clear up quickly, particularly if you began taking the medicine at the first sign of symptoms. If you get flues and colds on a regular basis, your doctor may find that you have a weakened immune system. This is a deeper layer of the onion.

Western medicine most often deals with only the outermost layers of the onion. Chinese medicine attempts to heal you all the way to the core. The goal is to gain and maintain optimum health rather than simply cover up and suppress the symptoms of deeper problems.

Diagnostic procedures

In our office we utilize a procedure known as muscle testing. This involves using the muscles of your own body to let the doctor know what is happening with your health. This technique is painless and far less invasive than traditional diagnostic tests. There is no need to fast prior to testing, no need to draw blood, cut you open, give you anesthesia or pre-test medicines, expose you to x-ray radiation or allergens. Muscle testing is therefore much more cost-effective than other diagnostic techniques and allows the doctor to gain immediate knowledge about the cause of your condition. Knowing what is wrong right away means treatment can begin right away. There is no need to wait for the results of expensive laboratory tests.

 

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for further information.