Chinese medicine is a broad term which uses different treatment modalities that were developed in China 3000 years ago.
It encompasses acupuncture, Chinese herbs, moxibustion, cupping, Chinese massage, and other modalities.
When a practitioner prescribes Chinese herbs, the patient will get a mixture of different herbs that are cooked together, to form a tea, a powder, or pills. They are prescribed according to the Chinese diagnosis the practitioner has landed on. This diagnosis comes about through careful observation of the person, their skin tone, their mood, the quality of this spirit, their tongue, their pulses and their abdomen.
Acupuncture a form of Chinese medicine that uses very fine solid, stainless steel needles as a treatment for many forms of chronic illnesses.
Acupuncture can be used as an effective and gentle approach to treat digestive issues, reproductive, endocrinal and musculoskeletal health, skin conditions, sleep disorders, and emotional and psychological ailments. Appropriate points are chosen according to the Chinese / Japanese diagnosis the practitioner has come up with. These points are energy points on energy channels, all over the body.
In combination with acupuncture, a Chinese medical treatment known as ‘moxibustion’ which involves the burning of very fine leaf from the Mugwort plant may also be used. Moxibustion has the capacity to warm, and heat the acupuncture point, shifting the energy and blood in specific ways to promote healing.
Cupping is another form of Chinese medicine which uses round glass cups to create vacuums on the skin, gently sucking up the skin and tissue into the cup.
It is the release of the cup that sends the energy on its way. Cupping may be used when there is a lot of tension in shoulders and backs.