Oriental
Medicine
Practiced
for over 3,000 years in China and throughout Asia, Oriental Medicine is
a holistic form of medicine, which views health as a constantly changing
flow of energy. Oriental Medicine includes the practice of Acupuncture,
Herbal Medicine, Nutrition & Diet, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage) and
Exercise (Qi Gong).
Acupuncture became popularized in the West starting in the 1970's when NY Times journalist James Reston traveled to China with Henry A. Kissinger during the Nixon administration. While in China, Reston suffered an acute appendicitis attack and underwent an emergency operation, using acupuncture as the sole method of anesthesia and to treat post-operative pain. This sparked our nation's interest in this ancient medicine.
Most commonly in the West, acupuncture has been recognized for the treatment of pain. While it is indeed effective in the treatment of both chronic and acute pain, Oriental Medicine can be used to address a full spectrum of internal and external disorders. Today in China, Oriental Medicine is used side by side with Western medicine. Depending on their conditions, people in China choose to receive either Western or Oriental medical treatment (or both) in hospital settings. Increasingly in the West, the unique and powerful benefits of Oriental Medicine are becoming recognized. The art and science of Oriental medicine, while strongly rooted in the Classic texts, continues to evolve.
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Basic Theory
Oriental
Medicine is based on the observations of the laws
of nature and their application to the human body, mind and spirit. The
first and foremost law is that everything around us is in a constant state
of change. In health, the body responds to these changes easily, maintaining
balance and harmony.
When the body's ability to adapt is disrupted because of environmental factors, trauma or emotional stress, the flow of life, Qi (pronounced "chee"), becomes blocked or stagnant, When the Qi no longer flows smoothly, life's transformations are stopped or altered. It is from these blockages that many diseases arise.
One of the main foundations of Oriental Medicine lies in the theory of Yin and Yang. All things in the universe are seen to consist of the two opposing but complementary forces, Yin and Yang, and all phenomena result from their continuous interplay. Yin is often characterized as darkness, coolness, night, winter, earth; Yang as brightness, warmth, day, summer and heaven. Yin and Yang together form a harmonious whole and cannot exist without the other. Neither is absolute and, just as night turns into day, each transforms into the other according to the rhythm and balance of nature.
Living beings can be seen as a microcosm of the energetic flow of the universe and are subject to the same cosmic laws. Diseases at the basic level are viewed as imbalances of Yin and Yang in the body. Imbalances can occur for many reasons. For example, they can arise from the energetics received from one's parents, from the food or air we take in, from the environment we live in, emotional or physical trauma, or simply from the daily stresses of life. Oriental Medicine seeks to restore this balance, bringing harmony and health to the body, mind and spirit.
[top]
Practiced
for over 3,000 years in China and throughout Asia, Oriental Medicine is
a holistic form of medicine, which views health as a constantly changing
flow of energy. Oriental Medicine includes the practice of Acupuncture,
Herbal Medicine, Nutrition & Diet, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage) and
Exercise (Qi Gong). Acupuncture became popularized in the West starting in the 1970's when NY Times journalist James Reston traveled to China with Henry A. Kissinger during the Nixon administration. While in China, Reston suffered an acute appendicitis attack and underwent an emergency operation, using acupuncture as the sole method of anesthesia and to treat post-operative pain. This sparked our nation's interest in this ancient medicine.
Most commonly in the West, acupuncture has been recognized for the treatment of pain. While it is indeed effective in the treatment of both chronic and acute pain, Oriental Medicine can be used to address a full spectrum of internal and external disorders. Today in China, Oriental Medicine is used side by side with Western medicine. Depending on their conditions, people in China choose to receive either Western or Oriental medical treatment (or both) in hospital settings. Increasingly in the West, the unique and powerful benefits of Oriental Medicine are becoming recognized. The art and science of Oriental medicine, while strongly rooted in the Classic texts, continues to evolve.
[top]
Basic Theory
Oriental
Medicine is based on the observations of the laws
of nature and their application to the human body, mind and spirit. The
first and foremost law is that everything around us is in a constant state
of change. In health, the body responds to these changes easily, maintaining
balance and harmony. When the body's ability to adapt is disrupted because of environmental factors, trauma or emotional stress, the flow of life, Qi (pronounced "chee"), becomes blocked or stagnant, When the Qi no longer flows smoothly, life's transformations are stopped or altered. It is from these blockages that many diseases arise.
One of the main foundations of Oriental Medicine lies in the theory of Yin and Yang. All things in the universe are seen to consist of the two opposing but complementary forces, Yin and Yang, and all phenomena result from their continuous interplay. Yin is often characterized as darkness, coolness, night, winter, earth; Yang as brightness, warmth, day, summer and heaven. Yin and Yang together form a harmonious whole and cannot exist without the other. Neither is absolute and, just as night turns into day, each transforms into the other according to the rhythm and balance of nature.
Living beings can be seen as a microcosm of the energetic flow of the universe and are subject to the same cosmic laws. Diseases at the basic level are viewed as imbalances of Yin and Yang in the body. Imbalances can occur for many reasons. For example, they can arise from the energetics received from one's parents, from the food or air we take in, from the environment we live in, emotional or physical trauma, or simply from the daily stresses of life. Oriental Medicine seeks to restore this balance, bringing harmony and health to the body, mind and spirit.
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