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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced for more than 2,500 years. It is a system of medicine that categorizes body patterns into specific types of diagnoses with corresponding treatment plans. TCM is practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, Thailand, Tibet and India. One may be surprised to find that TCM theory and practice has spread to France, England, Spain, Germany, Russia, much of Middle and South America, and Africa. It has gained worldwide acceptance and recognition as effective medical treatment. Due to the sheer weight of evidence, TCM demands that it be taken seriously as a clinical approach of considerable value. Over 15 million Americans have turned to it, making it the complementary treatment of choice for Americans everywhere.
In addition to acupuncture, herbs, acupressure, the therapies that are widely known, TCM also includs, electro-acupuncture, infrared, cupping, qigong and guasha (spooning).
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Electro-acupuncture |
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 A variation on traditional acupuncture, electro-acupuncture was developed in China in the 1950s. Acupuncturists apply a low intensity pulsing electric current to the needles, which is then conducted through to the acupoint to stimulate it. Electro-acupuncture reaches a large number of acupoints simultaneously, and is especially useful for controlling serious pain.
The picture on the right side shows the acupuncturist sues electro-acupuncture to ease the pain of a frozen shoulder. The doctor attaches electrodes, connected to an electro-acupuncture machine to needles inserted at selected acupoints along a meridian - in this case the Large Intestine meridian, which runs down the arm. When the machine is switched on, a light electric current is transmitted into the acupoints for a few minutes.
According to clinical observations and research reports on electro-acupuncture, the acupuncture points on the meridian leading to a hyperactive organ all bear positive electric charges. This condition is considered Yang. When the organs is hypoactive, an excess of negative charges in its meridian and acupuncture points can be detected. This condition is considered Yin.
Electro-acupuncture techniques use week current to neutralize the excess negative charges of hypoactive meridians (stimulation or tonification) or to supply negative charges to hyperactive meridians and visceral organs (sedation).
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The basic principles of electro-acupuncture instruments are not too complex. The source of power can be derived form batteries to generate 3 to 6 bolts. The frequency and wave form control box causes the electric current to vibrate at certain frequency, with a specific type of wave form. The frequency is 10 to 200 per minute.
After two acupuncture needles are inserted in the skin, electrodes from the instrument are tightly clasped to the handles of the needles.
The body fluids and tissues between the two needles complete the circuit for the electric current. Generally, the electric current is extremely low, 25 to 150 microamperes.
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 Infrared treatment is the use of infrared radiation to stimulate local and general blood circulation in order to treat various disorders and to relieve pain. It may also be used for muscle disorders and rheumatic diseases or in the relief of pain caused by minor muscle damage.
Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths from the invisible part of the spectrum. These light wavelengths are longer than those of the red part of the visible spectrum and are shorter than microwaves. Infrared light occur in sunlight and in incandescent lamps. Infrared radiation is felt as heat.
Infrared light penetrates to a depth of about 30-40 mm which makes it more effective for bones, joints, deep muscles, etc.
The photons of light energy enter the body as negative ions. This calls upon the body to send positive ions like calcium among others to go to the area being treated. These ions assist in firing the nerves thereby relieving pain. Infrared treatment is successfully used in pain therapy, dermatology and rheumatology with excellent therapeutic effects in the treatment of shoulder humerus periarthritis, tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Infrared treatment is applied when patient is receiving acupuncture treatment. The combination of these two will help the patient to get better results.
The SE Health Lamp (The Special Electromagnetic Health Lamp) used in our clinic is different from conventional infrared lamp and microwave therapeutic device. The SE Health Lamp features a round plate coated with a proprietary mineral formation consisting of 33 elements essential to the human body.
When activated by an built-in electric heating element, this mineral plate emits a special band of electromagnetic waves ranqinq from 2 to 25 microns in wavelength and 28 to 34 mw/cm2 in intensity that coincide with the wavelengths and intensity of the electromagnetic waves released by a human body and are consequently absorbed by the body (so-called selective absorption). This absorbed electromagnetic energy has been found to yield therapeutic effects on the human body by
helping generate various beneficial biochemical stimuli that the body may lack due to illness, accident or injury;
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accelerating the decomposition of unstable structures such like dead cells; and
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enhancing the body ' s function of adjustment and immunity
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Cupping has been used in China since the third century B. C. It involves lighting a match in a small, round "cup" made of glass, bamboo, ceramic, or metal, or small jar, and removing it quickly and applying the cup to the skin. The flame creates a partial vacuum, and the cup sticks tightly to the skin. Several cups may be applied at any one time to a particular part of the body, such as the low back. Sometimes, a needle is inserted and then a cup applied over it.
The jars are left in position for 10 to 15 minutes while the vacuum inside the cup produces strong suction on the skin and increases the blood flow and circulation.
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 The cup is released by pressing the skin next to the edge of the cup so the vacuum is broken.
A small bruise will result. Do not worry as this is necessary for the desirable therapeutic effect.
Cupping is particularly helpful for conditions such as rheumatism, lumbago, stiff neck and shoulders as it increases circulation and the mobility of affected areas.
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Qi-gong ("chee-gong") is an ancient Chinese discipline that uses breathing exercises, movement, and mediation to balance and strength the body's Qi (vital energy). The practice of qi-gong is essentially Oriental medicine without needle. Several of the martial arts, including t'ai chi and kung fu, are derived from qi-gong, but qi-gong itself is oriented more toward healing and less toward self-defense than these related practices.
Practice of qi-gong, they will become educated about qi flow. That means millions of more people will feel comfortable seeing an acupuncturist /herbalist to diagnose and help balance their qi. This is the real grassroots foundation of the revolution in energy medicine occurring in the West today.
 Qi-gong, meaning "energy cultivation", is intended to manipulate two forms of energy; internal Qi and external Qi . Internal Qi can be developed by the repetition of qi-gong's ritual exercises and by meditation, a practice that is believed to balance the body's energies and promote internal wellness. Some qi-gong master are able to emit external Qi, energy transmitted from one person to another for healing purposes.
Qi-gong, or "chi kung," is the ancient Chinese art that means "mastering subtle energy." When applied to healing, there are two basic modalities. One is called "qi emission," in which a medical qi gong therapist often employs TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) style diagnosis to assess the energetic patterns in the patient. Qi-gong diagnosis may use pulses or off-the-body methods of scanning the patient's qi field. Then the qi-gong healer may tap into either his personal or a universal energy field, which is then focused and radiated into the patient's body lying on a table or while sitting.
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This alters the energetic matrix of the patient's meridians, and causes their physical body to be reorganized or regenerated to be free of the original injury or illness. The patient may feel a gentle warmth or tingling begin to flow in different parts of the body. Depending on the skill of the healer, it can be used with great success on anything from mild headache to broken bones to sexual dysfunction as well as chronic illnesses such as cancer and aids. When combined with acupuncture, qi is sent through the needles to regulate meridian flow, allowing for much faster and deeper healing than using needles without qi emission. This type of qi gong therapy is already part of standard TCM curriculum in mainland China.
Qi-gong practice can greatly improve overall health and even help cure a wide variety of ailments. In more serious diseases, patients usually employ qi-gong along with conventional medical care to speed recovery and alleviate pain.
Those wishing to practice qi-gong should begin by studying with a teacher. The exercises are deceptively simple and need to be performed over and over again under the guidance of an expert before the student begins to feel their effects. There are literally thousands of qi-gong exercises, but the techniques can be divided into standing, sitting, and walking. Students may stand with legs apart and breathe from the diaphragm in a particular pattern while performing ritual movements with arms and legs; or they may sit and roll objects between their palms to stimulate energy points. Walking may be slow and regular, or more random and free. Student's may also practice meditation techniques, focusing the mind on an energy point while counting breaths. |
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Gua sha (pronounced gwaw saw) stone massage is practiced most often in rural Chinese homes and in numerous clinics in China. In the United States, many Chinese families do gua sha at home.
Gua means "to rub or scrape." Sha is the red, pebbly rash that surfaces afterward, signifying that cellular debris, or "stagnant blood," as the Chinese call it, is being expelled through the skin.
Some might call the 2,000-year-old technique a touch barbaric, because it may cause mild to moderate discomfort in some patients. Others feel no pain or even are tickled by the technique.
Like acupuncture, gua sha is based of the Asian concept of promoting qi (pronounced chee) - the body's vital energy or life force. Practitioners of Eastern medicine believe that qi runs along meridians of energy that start or end in the fingers, feet and face.
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 Points on the meridians govern particular organs. For example, when a patient's wrist turns red during gua sha, it means qi is blocked in the lungs, large intestine, small intestine, heart and pericardium (the sac around the heart). Redness in the face can signal a blockage in the gallbladder, stomach, bladder or large intestine. Most practitioners do gua sha on arms, back and chest, where many of the meridians lie.
Many doctors who practice conventional, Western medicine dismiss the concept of qi and feel more comfortable believing that gua sha, acupuncture and other Eastern techniques "bring circulation to the afflicted area and thereby loosen up the muscle."
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 Insurance covers acupuncture & acupressure. Call (408)524-0676 now for any helps.  |
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