Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine1 (TCM) is a complete system of healing that
dates back in written form to 200 B.C. Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
have all developed their own unique versions of traditional medicine based
on practices originating in China. According to traditional Chinese
medicine, the body is a delicate
balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin
represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the
hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in TCM are
that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state".
In contrast, disease results from an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This
imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (or vital energy) and of
blood along pathways known as meridians. TCM practitioners typically use
herbs, acupuncture, and massage to help unblock qi and blood in patients
in an attempt to bring the body back into harmony and wellness.
Treatments in traditional Chinese
Medicine are tailored to the subtle patterns of
disharmony in each patient and are based on an individualized diagnosis.
The diagnostic tools of TCM differ from those of conventional medicine. There are
three main therapeutic modalities:
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Acupuncture and moxibustion (moxibustion is the application of heat
from the burning of the herb moxa at the acupuncture point)
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Chinese Materia Medica (the catalogue of natural products used in
TCM)
-
Massage and manipulation
Although traditional Chinese medicine proposes that natural products catalogued in Chinese
Materia Medica or acupuncture can be used alone to treat virtually any
illness, quite often they are used together and sometimes in combination
with other modalities (e.g., massage, moxibustion, diet changes, or
exercise). The scientific evidence on selected modalities from TCM is discussed
below.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is widely used for relief or prevention of pain and
for various other health conditions. It is particularly useful for
the treatment of nausea/vomiting and dental pain. While the effect
of acupuncture is well documented, it is difficult to explain exactly how
acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine.
It has been proposed that acupuncture produces its effects by the conduction
of electromagnetic signals at a greater-than-normal rate, thus aiding the
activity of pain-killing biochemicals, such as endorphins and immune
system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have
shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release
of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and affecting the parts of the
central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body
functions, such as immune reactions and processes whereby a person's blood
pressure, blood flow, and body temperature are regulated.
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Chinese Materia Medica
Chinese Materia Medica is a standard reference book of information on
medicinal substances that are used in Chinese herbal medicine.
Herbs or botanicals usually contain dozens of bioactive compounds. Many
factors--such as geographic location, harvest season, post-harvest
processing, and storage--could have a significant impact on the
concentration of bioactive compounds. In many cases, it is not clear which
of these compounds underlie an herb's medical use. Moreover, multiple
herbs are usually used in combinations called formulas in traditional
Chinese medicine, which makes
the standardization of herbal preparations very difficult. Further
complicating research on TCM herbs, herbal compositions and the quantity
of individual herbs in a classic formula are usually adjusted in TCM
practice according to individualized diagnoses.
In the past decades, major efforts have been made to study the effects
and effectiveness of single herbs and of combinations of herbs used in
classic TCM formulas. The following are examples of such work:
Artemisia annua. Ancient Chinese physicians identified that
this herb controls fevers. In the 1970s, scientists extracted the
chemical artemisinin from Artemisia annua. Artemisinin is the
starting material for the semi-synthetic artemisinins that are proven to
treat malaria and are widely used.
Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (Chinese Thunder God vine).
Thunder God vine has been used in TCM for the treatment of autoimmune
and inflammatory diseases. The first small randomized,
placebo-controlled trial of a Thunder God vine extract in the United
States showed a significant dose-dependent response in patients with
rheumatoid arthritis.
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1. Information on this page has been adapted from source material on the website of the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine.
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