Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

102 Alternative and Complementary Approaches
energy balances are yin and yang, reflecting dual
qualities of hot and cold, dark and light, male and
female, and so on. TCM also draws from the five
elements of nature—fire, earth, water, metal, and
wood—and symbolic representations of organ systems.
TCM’s primary therapeutic approaches are
herbal remedies and ACUPUNCTURE.
TCM physicians, also called doctors of Oriental
medicine (OMDs), complete experience-based
programs of study in which they serve in an
apprentice fashion with a practicing TCM physician.
Many of the written guidelines TCM physicians
follow today derive from texts nearly as old
as the practice of TCM itself, updated to accommodate
modern knowledge and methods. Some
states in the United States require specific licensing
for TCM physicians and others for acupuncturists.
A few states limit the practice of acupuncture
to conventional health-care practitioners.
The TCM Physician’s Examination
The TCM physician’s examination differs from a
conventional physician’s examination in that
there is considerable focus on factors such as posture,
SKIN texture and tone, and how a person
handles or carries his or her body. These factors
often reveal to the TCM physician where and how
the body’s energy channels are blocked. The TCM
physician also closely examines the tongue, from
which TCM derives information about the state of
the body’s energy balances and blockages. The
TCM physician also checks the PULSE at numerous
points, some of which are not conventional pulse
points. The TCM physician also asks many questions
about the symptoms, how the person feels
(physically and emotionally), the person’s life
experiences and circumstances, and in general listens
closely to what the person describes and
explains. TCM diagnoses blend symptoms, energy
balance and imbalance, and the elements with
perceptions of the affected organ systems and
their functions. Treatments then undertake to
release energy blockages to restore the flow of
energy to organ systems and throughout the body.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a key therapeutic form in TCM. In
traditional acupuncture, the TCM physician inserts
hair-thin needles into specific points along energy
channels called meridians. In the United States,
TCM physicians and other acupuncturists use sterile,
single-use needles. The needles, according to
TCM, redirect the flow of energy. Contemporary
Western medicine, which also incorporates
acupuncture for treating chronic PAIN, ADDICTION,
and other conditions, views the placement of needles
as stimulating electrochemical responses in the
NERVE endings. The process is painless, though some
people feel a tingling sensation.
The TCM physician may place the needles in
locations considerably distanced from the affected
organs. For example, numerous acupuncture
points on the outer EAR correlate to structures
throughout the body. The outer ear is also the primary
location for acupuncture points related to
addiction. The needles typically stay in place for
20 to 30 minutes. Simple or acute conditions may
require one to three treatment sessions; chronic or
complex conditions may require a number of sessions
over a period of weeks. Seldom does a condition
require more than 12 treatments in total.
Chinese Herbal Remedies
Chinese herbal remedies derive from ancient
recipes handed down through generations and
generations of practitioners. They are precise
measures of specific herbs, in specific preparations
and intended for use exactly as the TCM physician
prescribes, and there are thousands of different
formulas as well as custom preparations that blend
specific herbs into a combination to meet an individual’s
health needs. The remedies typically have
Chinese names that reflect either the herbs they
contain or the effects they are intended to
achieve. Major remedies have four groups of herbs
to treat four levels of the condition. The order in
which the herbalist mixes the herbs together has
symbolic significance that is as important as the
herbs themselves. Major remedies have an
emperor, minister, assistant, and envoy.
Most Chinese herbal remedies, when experienced
and knowledgeable herbalists prepare them,
are safe to take as the physician prescribes. Many
herbal combinations contain potent ingredients
and can evoke strong responses. It is important to
know the source of the herbs as some herbs that
come from directly from China may contain heavy
metal contamination. Some herbs interact with