Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
TCM is a holistic medicine system drawing on thousands of years of practice and development. Acupuncture is part of this healing system (along with dietary advice, herbal medicine, massage and qi gong), and is based on the understanding that channels of Qi (or energy) run throughout the body connecting up different areas and bodily systems. When a person is healthy their Qi flows abundantly throughout the channel network but when blockages occur illness can arise in one area of the body, or more commonly, illness can occur systemically in the body impacting physical, mental and emotional health.
Certain lifestyles and environmental factors are seen to affect the free flow of Qi. Among them are emotional stress, physical strain, overworking mentally, prolonged exposure to damp, cold or hot air, poor nutrition and irregular eating patterns, and trauma. During an acupuncture consultation and treatment, identifying the signs and symptoms of the Chinese medicine patterns occurring and the root cause of illness happens through asking questions, taking the pulse on both wrists and looking at the tongue. Certain acupuncture points are then stimulated to restore and balance Qi flow throughout the body, encouraging health to be restored.