Oriental Medicine offers an individual a different kind of healthcare system supported by thousands of years of empirical evidence which is being augmented by modern scientific research. It is an energy based medicine that is holistic in nature, unifying mind, body and spirit. Illness is considered an invitation to change – not the process of removing signs and symptoms, or returning to “normalcy” (the lifestyle that caused the original problems). True healing involves getting to the root of an imbalance, condition or illness, resolving it and moving into a state of harmony and balance. True healing has the capacity to turn around chronic, degenerative diseases, to stop the downward spiral of illness and to start promoting health.
In Oriental Medicine it is imperative to treat the person, not just the disease. Therefore, treatments are unique and individualized. For example, four patients with the same symptom of headaches would very likely be treated with four different unique treatments, each directed to the specific source of the headache.
Acupuncture
It is well understood that the body is made of up blood vessels that carry blood and nerves that carry messages to and from the brain; however, less well-understood is that the body also has pathways known as meridians that carry energy called qi (pronounced chee), which is our vital life force. Health problems manifest when these energetic pathways get blocked. Much like what happens when a garden hose gets kinked; the vital, nourishing, life-giving water cannot get to the plants and they will start to wither. Doctors of Oriental Medicine can find these blockages, remove them and restore the natural flow back to the body. Once this occurs, the body’s natural wisdom and healing power returns and health is restored.
Herbology
Herbal pharmacology is an extremely important and highly specialized component of Classical Oriental Medicine. For more that 5000 years, the Chinese have been developing, improving, and perfecting health-supporting herbal formulas, creating the most organized herbal system in existence. Due to its long history, these classical herbal formulas are well documented and extremely well understood. Our knowledge of them is presently being augmented and confirmed by modern scientific research. Chinese herbs are considered to be a very powerful form of therapy used to treat most conditions.
Diet Therapy
The evaluation of how we nourish ourselves on a daily basis and one’s nutritional habits can be a profound medical intervention. Food therapy is an effective way to address a variety of health concerns and promote health. Chinese medicine understands not only the vitamins and nutrients that are found in food, but also acknowledges the energetic “temperature,” signatures, and flavors of foods in their effective treatment of disease and cultivation of health.
Moxibustion
There is correlation between heat and function. If your car is running too hot or too cold you know it is not functioning correctly, and it is the same with the body. Your organs can run hot or cold. A liver dumping enzymes is said to be hot. A metabolism that is hypo-functioning can be said to be cold. Moxibustion is the burning of an herb named Ae Yi (mugwort). It is a powerful modality used to increase the warmth (function) of a point, meridian, or organ.
Gua Sha and Cupping
Gua Sha and Cupping are common folk medicines used throughout China and Asia. They have the capacity to resolve many kinds of stagnation, promoting normal circulation to the muscles, tissues, and organs directly beneath the surface treated. They also stimulate the related meridians & acupuncture points to regulate the dysfunction of the corresponding organs. Gua Sha and Cupping can enhance other Classical Chinese medical modalities such as Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs.
