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Ancient paths/Modern practice
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a discipline dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of diseases as well as the maintenance of health. It is a complex and integrated
system with many components. As a medical system Traditional Chinese Medicine is a gentle
and non-invasive form of therapy with a tradition going back over 2000 years. It remains
one of the oldest, safest and most comprehensive medical systems in use today.
Traditional Chinese Medicine views health as a state of dynamic balance. Within you is a
universe of elements and qualities - active, passive, expanding, contracting, and moving.
When energy and blood flow freely in optimal amounts, you come into balance. Your organs
function fully. Your mind is clear. You can meet the challenges of daily life with flexibility,
strength, and resilience. When these elements conflict, you can become ill.
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that imbalances of yin and yang, stagnation of Qi
and blood, blockage of meridians, and disharmony between our body and the environment result in illness.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has different techniques to correct such imbalances,
eliminate stagnation and blockage and restore the harmony in the body by improving the
immune system or by regulating the internal system. Traditional Chinese Medicine incorporates
non-invasive treatments such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, diet, etc. and is very effective
in limiting the side effects commonly associated with modern medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is appropriate for a wide range of illnesses, including problems
affecting the endocrine, neurologic, and immune systems.
Practitioners diagnose by asking questions, making simple observations, and
feeling pulses.
These techniques can detect subtle changes in your body - long before symptoms appear on
medical tests. You can take prompt action to enhance health and prevent illness.
To develop an approriate treatment plan, traditional Chinese medical doctors depend upon a
detailed account of each patient's dietary, physical and emotional habits in addition to
focusing on the immediate problem. Broad clinical experience, along with a thorough
knowledge of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, are required in order to make accurate
diagnoses and prescribe effective treatment.
Training
During their initial five years of
training, in addition to studying the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine
(an ancient medical classic written over 2000 years ago), students of
Traditional Chinese Medicine will take 20-30% of their course hours in
western medical training in addition to the 70%-80% that they take in
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Training in Traditional Chinese Medicine includes
Traditional Chinese Medicine foundation study in theory, the classics, diagnosis,
pathology and etiology. In addition to the study of acupuncture and moxibustion, Chinese herbs,
tuina, dietary therapy, tai-chi, and qi gong, the doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine will also
study the basic sciences which include biology, biochemistry, anatomy,
physiology, public health nutrition, and the philosophy of health.
Today's Health Care
The China Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Minneapolis
and St. Paul, Minnesota, carries on this ancient tradition of care and knowledge. The
Institute offers the care of doctors who are graduates of Chinese medical schools and the intense integrated
training mentioned above. These doctors are thereby specialists in all aspects of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, which include acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and traditional Chinese dietary
therapy, and have many years of experience treating patients with a wide variety of concerns.
Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Lifestyle Choice
Traditional Chinese Medicine is known in China more as what we now would call
a "wellness" program: a system of maintenance and prevention, balance and general
health. It is not just something that is only used in cases of acute illness or
only for chronic disease or pain. It is one part of an integrated system of diet,
exercise, spiritual, and mental health -- based upon a consistent philosophical system.
Once you complete your treatment at the China Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine for a specific
condition, you are encouraged to consider a regular treatment program
of acupuncture and Chinese herbs (adjusted to your own individual needs) as an important
component of your general program of physical, mental, and spiritual health. Just as
a holistic approach is beneficial and helpful in the case of disease or injury, so too is
that approach appropriate in maintaining well-being.
Regular treatment by a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with the customary
exercise, good nutrition, and good mental and spiritual health, can assure you a long and
happy life.
Please talk to your doctor about the benefits of a continuing treatment program integrating
Traditional Chinese Medicine. The success you will achieve in the process of treatment
for a specific condition can then continue to be an ever-present part of a good and long life.
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