Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the methods of ancient medicine. It is increasingly valued and used for many illnesses and ailments and is also an ideal complement to Western medicine.

The TCM doctors all come from China and have completed 5-6 years of university studies as a doctor in China, all have over 15 years of TCM experience.

TCM diagnostics

Four classic methods of diagnosis

In TCM, both sick and healthy people are viewed and treated from a holistic and energetic perspective; any energetic disorder should be detected as early as possible to prevent illness from developing.

Over the millennia, TCM has developed a multifaceted diagnostic procedure. The two cornerstones of the diagnosis are tongue and pulse diagnosis: by closely observing the shape, color and quality of the tongue and feeling the 28 different pulse qualities, the therapist or doctor can draw conclusions about the internal processes in the body.

These diagnostic procedures are supplemented by information that can be obtained from questioning and observing the patient. From the combination of these four classical diagnostic methods, the Chinese medicine doctors and therapists develop a picture of the disharmony (physical and/or psychological) that is to be corrected by the therapy.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture or "inserting needles" is the best-known type of therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Europe. Acupuncture points are particularly suitable points on the skin from which the energy flow (Qi) in the meridians and the associated organs can be easily reached and influenced. The needles are left in place for approx. 40 to 60 minutes. The person is brought back into balance energetically.

Acupuncture is supported/enhanced by the following additional therapies:

• Moxibustion:
  The acupuncture points/energy zones are stimulated by burning moxa cigars, burning moxa herbs (mugwort) on needles or ginger slices or with the moxa box. This method is as old as acupuncture and is closely linked to TCM. It is mainly used for (cold) findings.
  
• Cupping:
  Glass balls (cupping balls) are heated and placed on the body. A vacuum is created as they cool down. The resulting strong suction stimulus stimulates blood circulation.
  
• Star hammer:
  This is used to stimulate acupuncture points.
  
• Ear acupuncture:
  The ear reflects the body with its organs. Ear acupuncture can stimulate the acupuncture points and meridians.
  
• Electrotherapy:
  The effect is intensified by vibrating the needles during acupuncture. This form of therapy can also be achieved by attaching electrodes to the needles.
  
• Heat therapy:
  The effect of the needles is supported by a special heat lamp.

Tuina massage

Tangible help
Tuina is traditional Chinese massage. Tuina is particularly effective for musculoskeletal disorders, but also for many other problems such as osteoarthritis, after a stroke, injuries or tension.
Tuina mainly uses special hand techniques and manipulations such as pushing, stroking, pressing, rubbing, tapping, clapping and even vibration techniques. The various Tuina massage techniques can also be used to positively influence internal disharmonies.
A wide range of applications of a special form of Tuina can be found in pediatrics. Children respond very well to children's tuina. This enables the effective treatment of numerous clinical pictures without having to intervene in the body with acupuncture needles or treat the child with medication.

Cupping

Cupping involves stimulating the meridians with cupping glasses. Cupping therapy is particularly suitable for treating the outer layers such as muscles and skin.

Ear acupuncture

Ear acupuncture is a special chapter within acupuncture, as it is an independent, closed system and can be performed independently of body acupuncture.
There are over 100 ear reflex points inside the ear, which are connected to organs (functional circuits), body sections or specific bodily functions via a neural reflex (reciprocal connection through nerve pathways), i.e. these points can be used both diagnostically and therapeutically.

Moxa

Moxibustion warms the acupuncture points by burning dried leaves of Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort), also known as moxa wool. Mugwort is a medicinal plant native to both Asia and Europe. A point can also be heated with so-called moxa cigars, which are sticks twisted from mugwort leaves.

Healing herbs

The secret of the mixture: Chinese medicines contain plant, mineral and animal substances, with plant-based active ingredients clearly predominating. Not all herbs that are important for TCM grow only in China.

TCM medicines are not "Chinese" because their ingredients can only be found in China. Rather, a medicine is "Chinese" because it has specific healing properties (taste, temperature and pathway entry are important) according to the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Some of the approximately 5000 known and documented remedies were imported to China in earlier centuries; many of the herbs also grow in our latitudes. Some TCM therapists in Switzerland also deliberately use Western medicinal plants that are classified according to Chinese criteria.

As a tea, tablet or extract
The 400 most commonly used Chinese medicines are usually prescribed as complex formulations; the ingredients are finely tuned to each other in order to optimally adapt the mixture to the patient. In ancient China, herbs were prepared as decoctions, i.e. as freshly brewed daily tea, or, if they were tonics (tonics), soaked in alcohol or made into pills with honey.

In Switzerland today, decoctions and modern forms of administration are mainly used: granular extracts, tablets and water or alcohol extracts. Chinese medicinal therapy is often combined with acupuncture.