The
methods are part of Chinese medicine
Acupuncture: (from the Latin word acus, "needle", and
pungere, meaning "prick") is a technique in which the practitioner
inserts fine needles into specific points on the patient's body. Usually
about a dozen points are needled in one session, although the number of
needles used may range anywhere from just one or two to 20 or more. The
intended effect is to increase circulation and balance energy (Qi)
within the body.
Auriculotherapy:
which comes under the heading of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.
Chinese food therapy,
food treatment: Dietary recommendations are usually made
according to the patient's individual condition. The "five flavors" (an
important aspect of Chinese herbalism as well) indicate the function of
various types of food. A balanced diet, which leads to health, is when
the five functional flavors are in balance. When one is diseased (and
therefore unbalanced), certain foods and herbs are prescribed to restore
balance to the body.
Chinese herbal
medicine: In China, herbal medicine is considered as the primary
therapeutic modality of internal medicine. Of the approximately 500
Chinese medicinal herbs, 250 or so are commonly used. Rather than being
prescribed individually, herbs are formulated to adapt to the specific
needs of individual patients. A herbal formula can contain 3 to 25
herbs. As with diet therapy, each herb has one or more of the five
flavors/functions and one of five "temperatures" ("Qi") (hot, warm,
neutral, cool, cold). After the herbalist determines the energetic
temperature and functional state of the patient's body, he or she
prescribes a mixture of herbs tailored to balance disharmony. One
classic example of Chinese herbal medicine is the use of various
mushrooms such as reishi and shiitake, which are currently under intense
study by ethno botanists and medical researchers for immune system
enhancement. Unlike Western herbalism, Chinese herbal medicine uses many
animal, mineral and mineraloid remedies, and also uses more products
from marine sources.
Cupping: A
type of Chinese massage, cupping consists of placing several glass
"cups" (open spheres) on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the
cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. As the air
in the cup is heated, it expands, and after placing in the skin, cools,
creating lower pressure inside the cup that allows the cup to stick to
the skin via suction. When combined with massage oil, the cups can be
slid around the back, offering "reverse-pressure massage".
Die-da or Tieh Ta
is usually practiced by martial artists who know aspects of Chinese
medicine that apply to the treatment of trauma and injuries such as bone
fractures, sprains, and bruises. Some of these specialists may also use
or recommend other disciplines of Chinese medical therapies (or Western
medicine in modern times) if serious injury is involved. Such practice
of bone-setting is not common in the West.
Gua Sha is a
form of mechanical dermabrasion using a hand-held scraper to irritate
and inflame various regions of the JingLuo's dermal areas. It is
frequently used to treat invasion by seasonal external pathogens.
Moxibustion:
"Moxa," often used in conjunction with acupuncture, consists in burning
of dried Chinese mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) on acupoints. "Direct Moxa"
involves the pinching of clumps of the herb into cones that are placed
on acupoints and lit until warm. Typically the burning cone is removed
before burning the skin and is thought, after repeated use, to warm the
body and increase circulation. Moxa can also be rolled into a
cigar-shaped tube, lit, and held over an acupuncture point, or rolled
into a ball and stuck onto the back end of an inserted needle for
warming effect.
Physical Qigong
exercises such as Tai chi chuan, Standing Meditation, Yoga, Brocade
BaDuanJin exercises and other Chinese martial arts.
Qigong and
related breathing and meditation exercise.
Tui na massage:
a form of massage akin to acupressure (from which shiatsu evolved).
Oriental massage is typically administered with the patient fully
clothed, without the application of grease or oils. Choreography often
involves thumb presses, rubbing, percussion, and stretches. |