Chinese traditional medicine is a form of health care that began in China over two thousand years ago. It is a classical tradition, meaning that its ideas come from ancient texts, rather than scientific experimentation. Historically, traditional Chinese medicine has influenced many East Asian societies, including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
Origins.
The foundations of Chinese traditional medicine came together in the first century B.C. At that time, Chinese scholars compiled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon. This classic text takes the form of conversations between the legendary Yellow Emperor and his advisors. The Inner Canon gathers observations about the natural world, health, and disease accumulated over countless generations.
Fundamental concepts.
One of the basic concepts of medicine described in the Inner Canon is qi << chee >> . Qi is a basic life force that is a combination of energy and matter. Everything in the material world is made of qi, which also animates and transforms matter.
Yin and yang.
According to the texts, all qi is in a relatively yin or yang state. These terms originally referred to the shady and sunny sides of a mountain slope. Eventually, yin and yang became abstract terms representing complementary qualities.
Yin is associated with qualities such as dark, sinking, cool, reactive, and feminine. Yang is associated with the complements to those qualities: bright, rising, warm, active, and masculine. Harmonious functioning and health depend on maintaining yin and yang in balance.
Health.
In Chinese traditional medicine, good health is a kind of harmony in which the body’s qi undergoes orderly cyclical change. That harmony also extends to a person’s relationship to the surrounding world. Because all things are made of qi, the substance and energy of the body resonate with its environment—that is, what happens outside the body affects what happens inside. For example, unseasonable weather or troubled family relationships can disrupt a person’s health. The goal of Chinese traditional medicine is to maintain harmony and prevent disorder.
Therapies.
Chinese traditional medicine emphasizes prevention over therapy. However, it does include a variety of herbal medicines and other therapeutic procedures. Two common therapies follow from the idea that qi moves along fixed channels in the body, called meridians. In acupuncture , a practitioner inserts needles at points along these meridians on the body to stimulate the circulation of qi. Another way to move qi is through a procedure called moxibustion. This procedure involves burning a dried herb called mugwort at certain meridian points.
Chinese traditional medicine today.
Forms of traditional Chinese medicine continue to be practiced in East Asia and around the world. In China, the government supports this practice. In other countries, it is increasingly accepted and regulated as an alternative form of healing.
