Still the most used form of medicine in China and commonly used alongside western medicine, TCM actually encompasses much more than just acupuncture, including: herbs, acupressure bodywork (tui na), tai qi and qi gong (systems of movement and stances to benefit mind and body) and a general philosophy of life that is much more integrated with nature than is generally seen in the west. All aspects of TCM relate to the rebalancing of the body’s vital substances, such as Qi and the blood and the complementary forces known as yin and yang. Balance leads to harmony in the functioning of the different body structures and good health.
All things have an energetic property, including the bad things, and so pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, can be expelled from the body with the help of acupuncture and herbs. To give an example of pathogens from a TCM point of view, a common head cold is often a combination of wind-cold and damp. The wind brings in the infection, the cold may manifest as chills and cause aches and the damp - well that’s what causes you to use so many tissues! If it were a wind-heat invasion you may well have a sore throat a redder than usual tongue and feel feverish.
Unlike much of conventional medicine, TCM does not aim specifically at masking symptoms e.g. pain killers for an aching back, but aims to cure the underlying imbalance. A dull aching back, for instance, is commonly caused by an energetic deficiency related to the kidneys, and so the kidney energy would need to be strengthened. A more painful back may be due to a block in the flow of qi in the bladder channels parallel to the spine. Clearing the flow will reduce the pain and allow the back to repair itself.
