Author:

Nurriddin Abdel-Baaith

Dawning of a new era..

Today we are living in the dawning of a new era of consciousness and awareness. From Traditional Chinese Medicine to modern Integrative Medicine, the movement toward acceptance has grown considerably. Our values and perceptions of life – both spiritual and mundane, are evolving…. keeping in step with the evolving of our universe as we move into a new era of light and cosmic energy.

The world ‘round people are re-evaluating the value of life and our place in it. With the climatic and geographical changes our planet is experiencing, the family of man is beginning to rethink its place in the universal scheme of things. Humankind is being forced to reconsider our effect on the environment as well as the effect of the environment on us. We can readily see these effects reflected in changes in the world of medicine and healing. To our benefit, we see the beginnings of the merge of western or ‘contemporary\’ medicine and ancient traditional healing practices.

Merger of the ‘old\’ and the ‘new\’..

As our appreciation of nature, life, and the human condition grows deeper, we see the reconnection of modern science and medicine with the ancient high science of healing sometimes referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Energy Healing. We also see the emergence of new technologies applied to ancient methods, such as zappers (blood electrification), pulsars and electromagnetic muscle and nerve stimulation.

This merger of the old and new is sometimes referred to as Integrative Medicine (a union of Contemporary & Holistic Medicine). Combining principles and methods found in contemporary medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, as well as holistic medicine, Integrative Medicine seeks to view illness and the human condition as a whole, treating both mind and body, while also employing use of modern technologies and treatments in the diagnosis and eradication of illness and disease.

Rise of Integrative Medicine

Today both doctors and patients alike are bonding with the philosophy of integrative medicine and its whole-person approach — designed to treat the person, not just the disease.

Integrative Medicine depends on a partnership between the patient and the doctor, where the goal is to treat the mind, body, and spirit, all at the same time. Though some of the therapies used may be non-conventional, a guiding principle within integrative medicine is to use therapies that have some high-quality evidence to support them.

Combining conventional Western medicine with alternative or complementary treatments, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, biofeedback, yoga, meditation, and stress reduction techniques — all in the effort to treat the whole person, Integrative Medicine seems to promise more time, more attention, and a broader approach to healing — one that is not based solely on the Western biomedical model, but also draws from other older and even ancient cultures.

The amazing extra benefit…

There is an amazing and ‘extra\’ great benefit that comes from this new age of enlightenment in medicine. That is the knowledge that many common illnesses can be eliminated without the use of dangerous drugs and invasive techniques that dominate western contemporary medicine, simply by employing the proper method of holistic healing and natural medicines. And many of these non-invasive treatments and methodologies such as the practice of Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, massage, herbal medicine, and more, are being covered by insurance plans such as Medicare. Many of these methods of holistic medicine can be controlled by the individual, and even performed in the home. These methods and techniques are sometimes referred to as natural healing and natural medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine – union of mind and body..

One of the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and holistic healing is the understanding that the human organism is one. What affects a part (organs, glands, systems, etc) also affects the whole person and likewise treatment involves treating the whole person and not just the symptomatic conditions. This concept, known as holistic medicine focuses on how the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual elements of the body are intertwined to maintain a state of overall wellness.

Holistic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine utilize approaches to wellness maintenance that border on the meta-physical, which is the concept of the control of the mind over matter.

Manifestation of this new awareness can be readily seen today in many hospitals and treatment centers across Europe and Asia, and is now gaining prominence in the United States as well. These centers of treatment incorporate patient preference in the choosing of treatments such as hypnotherapy, auriculotherapy, acupressure, acupuncture, nutrition therapy, fitness and stress relief programs, Qigong and Tai Chi, massage, reflexology, etc. along with recommended contemporary practices, while minimizing or eliminating harmful and dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, long standing prescriptions and invasive techniques such as surgery and radiation treatments; thus allowing more control to the individual over their own healthcare as well as the costs of medical supplies and services.

For more on natural healing see Energy Healing.. , or visit our website at http://www.thebountiesofnature.com .

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/from-traditional-chinese-medicine-to-modern-integrative-medicine-dawning-of-a-new-era-5324445.html

About the Author

Author:

Xiang Lin

One Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that Westerners may find intriguing is the breathing discipline called Qigong (also dubbed chi kung by others.) This Traditional Chinese Medicine practice is related to the concept of the role of your body energies play in influencing the actions of your body in coordination with specified breathing patterns. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ailments may result when bodily energies are trapped or constrained in a certain way and need to be released so that your body remains in a state of balance or wellness. This Traditional Chinese Medicine belief is related to the concept of Yin and Yang, which is said to be integral to how the elements of the universe are made up within your body – when Yin seems to be too strong, for instance, then Yang becomes too weak. To achieve wellness, you need to bring both Yin and Yang energies back into harmony within your body. Qigong is the Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that aims to facilitate harmonization of your energies which seem to be (as the Westerners put it) ‘out of whack.’

Qigong as a Traditional Chinese Medicine discipline may be a bit complicated for Westerners to fathom since it is not a single body of knowledge practiced by just one group of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates. There are estimated to be over 3,300 styles plus schools that propagate this Traditional Chinese Medicine discipline nowadays. The commonality between styles and schools is that they all advocate the role of qi or chi in Traditional Chinese Medicine – meaning, your breathing can affect how energy is distributed throughout your body and in connection, how ailments can be relieved through proper breathing coupled with the right body movements so that your body is brought back into harmony. The name itself (Qigong) means qi (or breath) and gong (or the discipline itself) – taken together, Qigong then is the art of adjusting your breathing to achieve optimal health benefits.

It should not surprise newcomers to Traditional Chinese Medicine that Qigong is closely related to Oriental martial arts, where proper breathing is necessary to achieve the right results. From a Western medical perspective alone, Qigong is a pretty good Traditional Chinese Medicine discipline because it has been scientifically proven that altering breathing patterns can result in better stress reduction treatment and facilitates improved exercise practices. Qigong can be likened to another Traditional Chinese Medicine practice which is meditation (that incidentally is also integral to some Oriental martial arts as well.) To believers in Qigong though, this art of breath work goes much further than just Traditional Chinese Medicine health benefits – it is their way to tap into their oneness with the universe and even connect to those universal energies that they believe all exist within us.

In the past, the discipline of Qigong was a closely guarded secret of Oriental martial arts practitioners and other believers in Traditional Chinese Medicine as well. But now that the Orient and its secrets have been opened to Western students as well, we may find this Traditional Chinese Medicine practice is now being explored and even accepted by Western medical arts practitioners too. Chinese hospitals have been advocating use of Qigong practices as part of normal Traditional Chinese Medicine procedures in treating their patients since year 1989 onwards. Even major Chinese universities are now offering studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine practices like Qigong to their students. And fortunately for Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates, even the current government in China has adopted Qigong as an integral component of the National Health Plan, thus putting Qigong under formal government regulation. This allows Traditional Chinese Medicine like the Qigong discipline to be practiced openly rather than force advocates to practice Qigong in secret.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/the-role-of-qigong-in-traditional-chinese-medicine-302613.html

Author: Noreen Walczak

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that employs the use of special ‘hair-thin\’ needles that are inserted just below the skin at strategic points in the body known as ‘acupuncture points’. This helps in regulating the flow of energy, stimulates the body\’s healing mechanisms, mitigates pain and restores good health in myriad ways.

Acupuncture Increases Fertility

Women getting IVF treatment can increase their chances of getting pregnant by 50if they get the right acupuncture treatment.

Acupuncture Reduces Your Number of Headaches

Instead of stocking up on aspirin, Acupuncture can be a very effective tool in struggling with the frequency and severity of headaches. In many patients Acupuncture can extinguish headaches altogether.

Acupuncture Helps Patients Fight Depression

Many patients suffering from depression, whether mild, or severe, are undergoing acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for their condition in recent years.

Acupuncture Helps with Weight Loss

Acupuncture can bolster a patient\’s resilience, help fight cravings, and enhance a patient\’s ability to respond positively to healthy diet and exercise choices.

Benefits of Acupressure and Acupuncture in Asthma Sufferers

Needle acupuncture has shown symptomatic relief to individuals with asthma in several studies. As an alternative method of stimulating acupuncture points, acupressure may also have the potential to provide similar benefits to asthma sufferers.

Acupuncture alleviates Migraines

Acupuncture has been proven to prevent migraines. The approach used to treat migraines is to remove the root cause of the migraine, and that is tension. Another benefit of acupuncture treatment to a migraine sufferer is that it is painless, and there are also no side effects of the procedure.

Acupuncture Reduces Diabetes Symptoms

If you are looking for ways to naturally control your diabetes symptoms, you may consider acupuncture as a viable form of treatment.

Acupuncture is mostly painless, but sometimes a slight pricking sensation may be felt when needles are inserted. Continued research on the effects and benefits of the acupuncture show that this modality can be an effective primary treatment in healthcare as well as a useful adjunctive therapy. One of its appealing features is no side effects when performed by a licensed acupuncturist.

Finding a qualified acupuncture practitioner

- it does require extensive training and precision – a licensed acupuncturist, and if possible use a referral or search the Practitioner Directory for Acupuncturists and reviews of Acupuncturists in your area, if there is not one listed in your area and they will assist you in finding a selection of Acupuncturist in your area..

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/benefits-of-acupuncture-treatment-3358521.html

About the Author

Holistic Guidance is a Alternative Health Treatments and social community of individuals interested in self-discovery and healing including healthy living, environmental awareness and constructive spirituality from all around the globe, offering Acupuncture Practitioners listing and share information about Benefits of Acupuncture and How Acupuncture helps to cure many diseases.

Author: Jennifer Gawne

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese system of medicine which involves the practice of inserting fine needles into the skin. To research the beginnings of the art and practice of acupuncture we must pierce the folds of time and cast our minds back to ancient China.

The oldest records of ancient Chinese acupuncture are found on bone etchings thought to be from around 1600 B.C. or almost 4000 years ago.

Archaeological excavation of sites around China through the last century has brought to light a number of pointed stones which archeologists have determined are ancient acupuncture needles. These stones slivers were for medical treatments, used to make skin incisions and to stimulate specific points on the body.

The history of ancient acupuncture originated with the use of these stones, then slivers of animal bones were used. Later still, bamboo needles were used for therapeutic purposes.

Another archeological dig in China, at a site from the Shang Period (1766-1122 BC), excavated a tomb and found a stone hook which was contained in a lacquer casket, indicating an object of value. It was determined that this was also a medical instrument used in ancient Chinese acupuncture.

Not only do the medical instruments and ancient needles show us that acupuncture was being used at these times, but history has large, bronze artifacts proving the importance of ancient Chinese acupuncture.

A life sized bronze man was created to show acupuncture points on the body and greatly contributed to the development of ancient Chinese acupuncture. The creator of this figure, Wang Weiyi (c.987-1067), had the idea of casting two statues in bronze representing a man from the front and behind. On these statues were engraved 657 acupuncture points. These statues were used in the Imperial acupuncture exams for new acupuncturists in ancient China. The statues were coated in thick wax and then filled with water. The student taking the exam would locate the acupoint and needle into the wax covered statue. When the needle was withdrawn a small drop of water would be evident if the student had needled the correct point.

Wang Weiyi also compiled the book Tongren Shuxue Zhen Jiu Yujing (Illustrated Manual of the Bronze Man Showing Acupuncture and Moxibustion Points). The text of this work was also engraved on two stone steles more than two meters high and seven meters in width, and were erected at Kaifeng, then capital of the Northern Song dynasty, for public benefit. Wang Weiyi’s ancient work provided the impetus for a great leap forward in ancient Chinese acupuncture. The points on the body had been mapped out, the ancient instruments had been created and ancient Chinese people were being healed.

Recorded history of ancient Chinese acupuncture from the book, Songshi (History of the Song Dynasty) recounts that Emperor Renzong, who fell ill in 1034, was cured successfully through acupuncture. This helped popularize ancient acupuncture and the art and practice of acupuncture became the forte of specialized physicians such as Wang Zhizhong during the Southern Song dynasty. Wang was the author of A Description of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, (Zhenjiu Zishengjing) published in 1220, a classic text on ancient acupuncture.

Ancient acupuncture is not the exclusive possession of the Chinese. The papyrus Ebers of 1550 BC is the most important of ancient Egyptian medical treaties. It refers to a book on the subject of vessels which could correspond to the twelve meridians of acupuncture.

The Bantu of South Africa sometimes scratch parts of the body to cure disease. In the treatment of sciatica the Bantu cauterize with a hot metal probe a part of the ear. This practice corresponds with the acupuncture method of Auricular or Ear acupuncture.
Some Eskimos practice simple acupuncture with sharp stones, just like ancient Chinese acupuncture. An isolated tribe in Brazil shoot tiny arrows with a blowpipe into specific parts of the body.

The great contribution of the Chinese to the primitive, or largely local form of acupuncture practices mentioned above, is that they have developed a fairly complete systemic method. Cataloged and described in many text books, it is taught at universities and is reproducible under experimental conditions.

The methods and practice of acupuncture have come a long way since its ancient beginnings but the interest and desire to understand this ancient art is as fresh as ever.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/a-brief-story-of-ancient-chinese-acupuncture-1684004.html

About the Author

Jennifer Gawne is a Registered TCM Herbalist at the Academy of Classical Oriental
Sciences in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia. ACOS is a Traditional Chinese
Medicine and Acupuncture School offering 3, 4 and 5 year fully-accredited diploma programs.

The Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences teaches classic TCM acupuncture and stays true to classical forms. History and language are important components of education at the Academy, as we must know where we have been in order to know where we are going.