The Major Sectors Of The Chinese Culture

Acupuncture – this technique is also considered to be a complimentary therapy. Acupuncture is a type of an ancient Chinese medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years by the Chinese. This technique is basically where you inject refined needles that have been sterile into the patient’s body.

Acupuncture has been identified as a “method of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease by inserting metal needles into the body at designated locations¬—acupuncture points— at various depths and angles” (Armstrong, 1972). This specific type of medical treatment was officially introduced to the United States in the 1800’s by Chinese immigrants, but was not properly recognized as a healing method until 1972. During that year President Nixon had traveled to China, where a local New York Times journalist had been treated with acupuncture to help him cope with the pain he had, after experiencing an emergency appendectomy (Updated Acupuncture Lecture, Slide 7). Even though it took years for acupuncture to become acknowledged in the Unites States,

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical treatment for multiple issues, and is characterized by needles being strategically inserted into pressure points on the body to relieve symptoms. This is believed to reset you qi or life force within your body. This practice is carried out by acupuncturists all over the world. In western medicine, while we don’t know the exact mechanism of action, it is thought to increase blood flow and raise natural painkiller levels in the body. This rise in natural painkillers and increased blood flow are the major benefits of acupuncture. The risks are very few, there is a very limited chance of organ damage, infection, or soreness after a treatment (Mayo Clinic 2012).

First, the history of acupuncture. Ancient Chinese legend says that in the beginning of time there were 3 characters and one

Acupuncture is gaining popularity as numerous claims are being made to its validity and effectiveness. Although many studies and experiments regarding acupuncture have been done, the scientific basis of the principles of this alternative approach still remains unclear (http://www.health.org/pubs/acu-nih.htm).

Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine for thousand of years. In this medicine have been evaluating, diagnosing and effectively treating a large mixture of heath condition. The common conditions and specialization are given below the list.

Despite the growing evidence that many ailments respond positively to acupuncture, much of the Western World remains incredulous as to its healing abilities. The centuries-old Chinese practice of acupuncture, rooted in 'non-scientific' and 'non-Western' thought and medicine, has burgeoned during the late-twentieth century trend towards 'alternative medicines.' Numerous clients readily attest to the positive effects of acupuncture in treating such conditions as postoperative pain, asthma, and drug addiction. Even so, many people are skeptical that placing hair-thin needles into one's skin in an effort to change the flow of 'Qi'(pronounced Ch'i) through mystical pathways in

The complex structure and foreign nature of Tibetan medicine makes it difficult to relate its practices to Western medicine, making it difficult to determine the clinical efficacy of Eastern medical practice. Several clinical analysis studies have recently been performed in order to determine the efficacy of the “holistic” practices of Eastern cultures. Whether the studies show Eastern or Western practices to be more effective, I believe that the most effective treatment should be a combination of both practices.

While Western medicine has a strong scientific basis, Traditional Chinese Medicine developed gradually through China’s long history, and is very strongly influenced by Taoist beliefs. For example, in TCM there are twelve major organs, six “yin” and six “yang”. Each of these organs are then associated with one of the Five Elements, water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. For a Chinese medicinal practitioner, a disease would be caused by an imbalance of these twelve organs, and would say something like, “too much Fire in the Lungs” as a problem of imbalance. Straightforward interactions between doctor and patient would thus be more common in TCM in order to identify where the imbalance arose through life choices and the environment. The doctor is not limited to treating only physical illnesses, but also illnesses of the mind. The symptoms and differentiating the issue would arise during this step of communication with the patient, which is bolstered by examining the patient’s qi. A fundamental of TCM is “qi”, which includes Yin and Yang, as qi is believed to be spiritual energy and is a part of all movement, such like “the flow of the cosmos” (Kaptchuk). Qi itself can be divided into many different categories, with Meridian qi being the most important for medicine. TCM views the body as a collective whole where “qi” flows through body, with an imbalance of qi leading to the disease in question. The more fixed or chronic the condition, the more

TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be traced as far back as 1000 BC, where stone acupuncture needles were believed to be used. Texts from that period also talked of Yin and Yang and other concepts. The first written work on TCM is titled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Huangdi Newijing (Gascoigne 11). This book was written in 300 BC, but entries date back to the early 2700’s BC. The book is still used in universities of Chinese Medicine around the world and is often called the bible of TCM. Today, TCM is still thriving in China and all of Asia. In recent years, information on TCM has become available to people in the United States. The United States has several schools of TCM, and it is now much easier to buy the necessary

Acupuncture is the science of healing with needles through energy channels; it has a rich history and is now used around the world. The real question is, is acupuncture effective? How can we simply prove that sticking needles into a person’s body is actually taking away their pain or disease? How do we go from believing completely in Western Medicine to believing in Eastern Medicine? Although acupuncture is an Eastern form of healing, it has gained much credibility and respect in the West.

Today, the scientific aspect of acupuncture is being studied more thoroughly and it is being more commonly used as palliative care along with regular treatment. In 1997, the National Institutes of health had a panel of experts come together to discuss acupuncture’s scientific evidence in which, “the panel concluded that acupuncture is an effective treatment for several medical conditions, and described biochemical and physiological mechanisms that begin to explain these effects” (Leake and Broderick). Liz Neporent with ABC News reports that, “More than 14 million Americans have tried acupuncture, according to the National Health Interview Survey, a large ongoing study that tracks healthcare habits in the US.” It has become one of the few treatments in complimentary medicine that is covered by many health insurance plans (Neporent). Dr. Houman Danesh,

One important aspect of Chinese culture is Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM. Chinese medicine has been around for quite awhile, and is still around today. In the United States, we see it as acupuncture and massage. TCM is still widely popular in its home country where it is still practiced as it was a few centuries ago. Chinese medicine is evolving to our modern day times, but it is keeping close ties to its roots. Chinese medicine is also becoming more affluent in different parts of the globe. It is a major part of Chinese history and culture, and the people who participate in it do so with great respect. With Chinese medicine, there is great history, procedures, risks, and how it lives in the modern world.

When you hear the term acupuncture, what usually comes to mind is a setting wherein an individual lying on a table in a Chinese type medical clinic, with many needles protruding from their body. There is a feeling like we have travelled back in time to an era where the medical world is not as advanced as it is today. We assume that the individual lying there on the table was subject to a false belief that this odd procedure was going to do anything beneficial for their well-being. After all, they are getting needles poked into their body. This makes us wonder, if so many people are getting acupuncture, does it really work? And for those getting it because they believe that it helps to control pain, does acupuncture really help patients control their pain or is it a placebo effect?

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.