Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (also known as TCM) is a comprehensive and independent medical system that has been developed in China over the last 3,000 years.

Chinese medicine is a closed medical system that offers approximately 3000 years of experience and verification. Chinese life and thought are based on a philosophy that is very closely linked to nature. The findings and forms of therapy in Chinese medicine are based on biological and / or psychological life functions and processes. In contrast to the purely body-oriented and microscopic approach of Western medicine, Chinese medicine is a functional and holistic medicine. The whole person is always considered, in their physical, mental and spiritual state.

Yin and Yang

They represent two opposing and complementary dynamic forces in the universe. The ancient Chinese monad symbolizes the constantly changing balance between these forces - such as day and night, activity and rest, inhalation and exhalation, giving and taking. Their interaction creates a kind of life energy known as Qi (chii). It flows in clearly recognizable pathways (called meridians) and connects the various regions and organs of the body with each other.

Health and illness

Health is synonymous with the free flow and balance of life energy (qi), and the balance of yin and yang.
In turn, illness is described as a situation of imbalance in a person on a physical and / or psychological - spiritual level. Various internal (such as emotions) and external (such as the climate) factors can lead to internal imbalance. The flow of Qi is disturbed.

Diagnosis

During the diagnosis, the therapist focuses his attention on the entire individual and "collects" all relevant information, signs and symptoms. They are seen as an external manifestation of an internal state. The "picture" that emerges from them allows conclusions to be drawn about where and how the balance in the person is disturbed.

The most important diagnostic procedures are

• Observation of the patient
• Interrogation of the patient
• Pulse diagnosis
• Tongue diagnosis

Therapy

The therapy attempts to restore balance and harmony in the patient.

The most important therapy methods are the following:

• Acupuncture
• Nutritional science
• Herbal medicine
• Tuina
• Qi Gong

Prevention

The subtlety and precision of Chinese diagnostics makes it possible to recognize incipient disturbances of inner balance, even if the person does not yet feel any symptoms. This is why Chinese medicine is also suitable for preventing manifest illnesses.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a medical healing method that attempts to restore and maintain health through the body's own (self-healing) powers. By needling a small selection of over 360 acupuncture points located on the body's surface, the qi is influenced and certain organ systems are affected. The points are carefully selected according to the diagnosis in order to restore the flow of Qi, dissolve blockages and channel pathogenic external influences out of the body.
For classical acupuncture, it is of crucial importance that the treatment is preceded by a diagnosis based on Chinese medicine.

(Don't) be afraid of small needles

Acupuncture needles are very fine, their diameter is usually about 0.2mm, so they would fit into the cavity of hypodermic needles. As they do not contain a cavity (unlike hypodermic needles), the body tissue is not actually injured during insertion, but displaced. Needling is therefore rarely perceived as painful.

Diseases

Acupuncture has certainly made a name for itself through the treatment of pain and support for smoking cessation. However, to limit it to this would not do justice to the possibilities of acupuncture. It would be just as misleading to list the many illnesses that acupuncture can be used to treat - from acute illnesses to chronic conditions such as depression, hormonal disorders, headaches etc. - Misleading because Chinese medicine always looks for and treats the cause - the pattern - that lies behind the symptoms of an illness.
Correspondingly, two people with the same illness (according to conventional medical diagnosis) are treated completely differently if the illness has different underlying causes from a Chinese perspective.

Who

There is no upper or lower age limit. Babies and children can also be treated. They usually respond very quickly to acupuncture. Pregnant women can also be treated without side effects. Support during pregnancy can even be very helpful during this time and make childbirth easier.

How often

The duration of the illness provides a certain guideline: the longer the illness, the longer / more often the treatment. However, the individual response can vary considerably and only becomes apparent after several (five to six) treatments. In rare cases, an improvement in the condition only occurs after about the tenth treatment.

Cupping and moxa

These are related forms of therapy that are based on acupuncture. In cupping, the points are stimulated with cupping glasses. Cupping therapy is particularly suitable for treating the "outer layers" of the body, such as muscles and skin. In moxa therapy (moxibustion), acupuncture points are heated by burning dried leaves of a type of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) or with moxa cigars - sticks twisted from mugwort leaves.