Alternative
Medicine
"Surgery
or Acupuncture ? Antibiotics or Herbs ? BOTH ARE BETTER. More
and more M.D.s are mixing Ancient Medicine and New Science to
treat everything from the common cold to heart disease." said
Life Magazine, Sept. 1996. Ancient Medicine is also called
Alternative Medicine, which includes chiropractic, naturopathic,
homeopathic, and Chinese therapies such as acupuncture, massage,
and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As the world gets smaller,
people are expose more and understand these alternative methods.
The government, regulatory agencies, and medical professionals
are also paying more attention and conducting more researches
on them. In 1980, The World Health Organization released a list
of 43 types of pathologies which can be effectively treated with
acupuncture. A 1993 study found that one in three Americans had
used alternative therapies. While Western techniques are clearly
better at dealing with trauma and bacterial infection, the Ancient
Medicine is more successful with chronic diseases such as asthma.
The combination of Ancient Medicine with Western science provides
better healing solutions for people looking for good health.
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Traditional
Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced in Asia
for over 5,000 years. It is not surprising, therefore, that
between 65 to 80 percent of the world's health care services
are classified as "traditional medicine." The philosophy behind
TCM is holistic health care, from diagnosis to treatment to
maintenance. TCM works to regenerate the organ functions in
one's body. Health is restored by bringing the bodily functions
into balance, activating and increasing the body's natural immune
system.
In
excess of 5,000 Chinese herb have been categorized and classified
according to the various properties which they contain. Over
the years, more than 25,000 formulas were created and refined
for specific types of infections, illnesses and diseases. These
formulas are specific combinations of herbs; most of them discovered
over a thousand years ago. These combinations became necessary
and more complex as experience showed that some herbs canceled
out the effect of other herbs. It was also discovered that the
medicinal properties of many herbs required certain other herbs
to be present to act as a catalyst.
The
healing power of the ingredients found in these natural herbal
formula has never been doubted by most Asians. The difficulty
in utilizing many of these ancient formulas has been determining
which formulas work with the individual person/symptom-complex
combination. TCM prescribes a formula based upon the individual
being treated as opposed to Western practices where treatments
and preventatives are tested for their effectiveness on a group
of people.
Thus,
the effectiveness of TCM in the past was largely determined
by the doctor prescribing and administering the formula. These
doctors drew upon all of their resources in prescribing a specific
formula. Physiology and pathology of the human body, disease
etiology, blood, bodily fluids, channels-collateral, and differentiation
of symptom-complexes. These all relate to the physical manifestations
of an illness. The doctors then interpreted these physical manifestations
through the basic theories of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, Zang-fu,
and Qi. >> Go
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Modern
Chinese Medicine
For years, the Chinese government and the government of the
Republic of China on Taiwan have put great efforts into promoting
the modernization of Chinese medicine. As a result, there are
now professionals trained in both traditional Chinese Medicine
and modern Western medical arts to conduct research on the development
of Chinese Medicine. The Western Science methodologies have
been employed to analyze the effectiveness of herbs and treatment
on various subjects. Many of the differences between TCM and
Western scientific practices are now being studied for their
synergistic potential. Joint research efforts with research
institutes such as Stanford University, College of Physicians
& Surgeons of Columbia University, and National Cancer Institute
have been made to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese Medicine
and improve the classification and selection/prescription of
formulas. This research indicates that Chinese Medicine is very
effective in regenerating organic function and treating chronic
diseases.
A
modern diagnosis technique also used to enhance the old traditional
diagnosis method. Taking a patient's pulse has been a traditional
way of detecting illness. With new techniques developed through
modern Chinese Medicine, pressure reactions convert variances
in the patient's pulse into electromagnetic waves. These waves
are analyzes by a computer and register them on a screen. This
represents the marriage of modern scientific precision with
the art of traditional Chinese Medicine. It opens up a new world
of medical diagnosis and treatment.
Western
methodologies are also making the formulas of TCM available
globally. Originally, these ancient formulas once prescribed
were taken home and slowly boiled into soup to be consumed.
This four-hour process was done twice daily and the soup often
smelled and tasted unpleasant. Modern technology has finally
enabled the potent essence of these healing herbs to be extracted
in their natural state for delivery to people in need around
the world. >> Go
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Human
Organ Restoration Theory
The Human Organ
Restoration Theory
is a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM) and Western Scientific methodologies. Initially, pathology,
symptommatology and clinical therapeutics in the East and West
were studied to bring about the best treatment possible. With
the precision of western technology, the exact combination of
herbs was determined and its effectiveness was evaluated. The
restoration of organic function is by using Chinese medicinal
herbs. These herbs are formulated to regulate physiologic functions
while at the same time repairing the dysfunction of the pathologic
organ. With the help of modern technology, the effectiveness
of TCM can be verified through analysis. Once the effectiveness
of the treatment is determined, the normal physiologic metabolism
can be restore.
The
Advantages of TCM
For most of its young life Western medicine has approached health
and a well being from a very different perspective. It has been
reactive, rather than proactive. Symptoms and science have been
the drivers. Western medicine tests and dissects to determine
what is not working in the body and attempts to introduce external,
often synthetic, chemical compounds to compensate. TCM, on the
other hand, asks why the body is not functioning properly and
attempts to use individualized organic herbal formulas to rejuvenate
and restore the body to its natural state.
For
example, Westerners determined that people with Diabetes
Mellitus lack sufficient insulin and/or the ability to regulate
the amount of insulin their bodies produce. So they created
an industry to allow diabetics to externally monitor and regulate
this function by testing their blood and injecting themselves
with manufactured insulin. TCM instead focuses its treatment
on restoring the natural balance and functionality of each person's
organs. TCM, more specifically, has developed formulas
which help to restore the pancreas and revitalize
natural insulin production and regulation within the body.
TCM
offers many advantages and can be used safely on its own or
as a complement to Western pharmaceuticals. The most significant
advantages of the TCM approach are: >>
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