To see and treat the human being in its entirety is the principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – for over 4,000 years. It includes very different treatment methods such as herbal medicine, qigong and, of course, acupuncture, which has become particularly established in pain therapy and allergies. In Germany, an estimated 40,000 doctors and numerous alternative practitioners are trained in acupuncture, and the number is growing. What else does traditional Chinese medicine have to offer?
Traditional Chinese medicine: holistic approach.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM for short, got its name from the World Health Organization (WHO) to conceptually separate it from Western scientific medicine – also called conventional medicine. It is psychology, philosophy and medicine in one, virtually independent of apparatus and cost-saving. Most statutory health insurance companies cover the cost of acupuncture at least in part within the framework of “model projects”, and private insurance companies cover it according to the guidelines established for this purpose by the legislature.
Qi – the energy of life
According to ancient Chinese ideas, after observations on sick and healthy people, Chinese doctors assumed an energy flowing in the body, called qi (pronounced “chi”), which passes through the regions lying under the skin and reaches into the deeper tissues of the body. These pathways traverse the body in a net-like fashion. They are energetic processes that cannot be made visible. Simply put, Qi is the life energy of the human being. Qi, with its yin and yang components, flows along the pathways from the center of the body to the ends of the extremities and back. Yin and Yang are the two life-sustaining forces – they are simultaneously active in the body as opposite poles. Their balance represents the ideal state of health, their imbalance leads to discomfort and disease. The doctor wants to recognize the energetic situation in which the patient finds himself, to understand the Qi distribution in order to be able to judge it correctly in case of illness and to initiate appropriate measures.
Good results with acupuncture
“Nearly 85 percent of acupuncture patients reported that their symptoms improved after therapy. Almost all of them suffered from chronic conditions, most commonly back pain, headaches and respiratory problems.” This is literally what an acupuncture study by the Guild Health Insurance Funds says – encouraging figures. The evaluation of a long-term study by the University of Freiburg showed that, on average, patients had already been ill for seven years when they started acupuncture treatment. The study was based on 11,149 acupuncture sessions.
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Used more than 85 percent of the time, acupuncture is used for chronic conditions, including:
- Migraine
- Allergies
- Toothache
- Diseases of the digestive tract
- Orthopedic diseases
Acupuncture works through both the nervous system and hormones and has been shown to increase circulation, relax muscles and relieve pain. In addition, harmonization of the psyche and the unconscious nervous system occurs. Acupuncture is a treatment method that is practically free of risks and side effects, provided it is used by appropriately trained doctors and alternative practitioners. Ideally, acupuncture and conventional medicine complement each other in diagnosis and therapy. Medical societies for acupuncture in Germany and Austria have set training standards and have been providing training for over 60 years. In the EU, there are an estimated 80,000 physicians and numerous alternative practitioners who have completed training in acupuncture.
Other methods of traditional Chinese medicine
Chinese herbal therapy and Chinese dietetics are gaining more and more followers. The fact is that this method is even the most important form of therapy in TCM. Almost all diseases, one speaks of circa 90 percent, can be treated with herbal mixtures, teas and Co. There are more than 7,000 remedies, the dosage and composition of which are adjusted to the patient. The doctor combines various individual drugs. Often, the remedies only take effect after a long waiting period. Herbal medicine is therefore more suitable for the treatment of chronic diseases; for acute complaints, conventional medicines are usually more advisable.Learning herbalism takes a lot of time and its application takes a lot of experience.
Tuina
Tuina, a special combination of manual medicine and massage, is not very common in Germany. With Tuina, one performs treatment based on the meridian and acupuncture point system at the points or along the meridians. Unlike acupuncture, the stimuli are not applied with needles, but through different manual techniques.
Qigong and Taiji (Tai Chi).
Better known to us are Qigong and Taiji, a combination of meditation and movement. Qigong attempts to activate qi and make it flow through movement-oriented exercises. The movements are gentle, flowing into each other and precise, and are supported by breathing, body awareness and meditation. For example, an important energy center in the area of the lower abdomen is gradually strengthened by the exercises. Taiji (also spelled Tai Chi), on the other hand, is a combination of martial techniques with slowly executed movement sequences with the purpose of achieving the greatest possible relaxation. Here, too, the movements are soft and flowing, stimulating the flow of energy and helping to achieve well-being and health.
Cupping as a TCM form
Cupping is another form of TCM: Via glass balls on the skin, from which air is extracted – usually they lie on acupuncture points – negative pressure is created. This acts like a connective tissue massage, the flow of qi, blood and lymphatic fluid is stimulated, and local blood circulation to the skin and muscle layers is promoted.
