Compatible herbs create synergy, which can enhance overall efficacy while reducing side effects. Like herbs, food items are classified according to their nature, actions, flavors, and associated meridians in TCM, and used medicinally. TCM food therapy generally recommends eating fresh, seasonal foods to help the body transition into the current season, and pairing them with herbs such as goji berries, jujube dates , cinnamon, and ginger.
Diets are customized to individual body constitutions. For example, a person who has a tendency to have cold extremities and poor circulation will benefit from consuming more warming foods such as pumpkin, scallion, beef, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper etc.
In ancient Eastern philosophy, exercise is not about gaining speed or losing weight. Movement is about activating one's chi to improve circulation and metabolic functions, strengthening the mind-body connection, removing any emotional blockages, and cultivating inner peace.
TCM exercises often pair mindful breathing techniques with light movements and meditation. Some traditional examples are Taiji and qigong. In TCM, a balanced lifestyle is active yet restful, so following your circadian rhythm and getting adequate sleep are equally important to this branch.
This branch includes gua sha, Tui na, and cupping. Gua sha and cupping are modalities aimed to speed up circulation, break up adhesion, promote lymphatic drainage and anti-inflammatory responses , and release toxins from the body.
Tui na is one of the most ancient forms of bodywork. It literally translates to "push-and-grasp. The goal is to unblock those pathways, facilitate lymphatic flow or drainage, improve circulation, and stimulate the nervous system. Traditionally, the practice is combined with muscular manipulation and joint mobilization to achieve osteopathic functions. In the past, TCM actually split some of these therapies into their own branches. The eight branches in older forms of TCM are acupuncture, herbal medicine, food therapy, meditation, energetics, tui na, cosmology, and feng shui.
In recent years, TCM has gained much popularity in the West as the collective consciousness gear toward well-being and preventive medicine. With continued research efforts, there is no doubt TCM and its recommended lifestyle can become a golden standard in living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. TCM is an age-old approach to medicine that sees the body as a complete system that must be balanced to work in harmony.
Inspired by patterns in nature, TCM takes a holistic approach to health and prioritizes prevention over treatment. The five main branches of TCM are acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet, movement, and manual therapy. Each one can help correct subtle imbalances in the body to promote mind-body health.
Want your passion for wellness to change the world? Become A Functional Nutrition Coach! Enroll today to join our upcoming live office hours. Another method uses both acupuncture needles and moxa. A needle is inserted into an acupuncture point and retained.
The tip of the needle is then wrapped in moxa and burned, generating heat to the acupuncture point and its surrounding area. The moxa is then extinguished and the needle is removed. The risks of heat therapy include burns, blisters, scarring and allergies. In the case of direct moxibustion, patients should experience a pleasant heating sensation deep into the skin.
However, if the patient experiences strong pain, blistering and scarring, it may indicate that the moxa is left in place for too long. Therefore, indirect moxibustion is growing in popularity because there is a much lower risk of pain or burning. The two most common types of dry cupping are fire cupping and suction cupping. In the procedure of fire cupping, the inside of a glass cup is heated with fire, then placed onto the skin. As the air inside the cup cools, a vacuum is created causing the skin and muscle layer to rise and redden into the cup.
In the procedure of suction cupping, a plastic or silicone cup, with valves at the top that attach to hand pumps, are placed on the skin then pumped to create suction by removing the air.
In the procedure of wet cupping, the skin is punctured by sterile needles before either the fire cups or suction cups are placed on the skin. This technique draws out the blood, thus removing harmful substances and toxins from the body. These marks might remain on the skin for up to 10 days.
These marks are a result of bruising and minor bleeding from broken capillary blood vessels. As with any heat therapy, there may be a chance of burning and scarring. Further, wet cupping carries a risk of exposure to and transfer of infections and bloodborne diseases, if needles are not properly sanitized.
Gua sha is a technique in which a smooth-edged tool, such as Chinese soup spoon or pieces of honed jade, is pressed and stroked on a lubricated area of the body until a mark appears. Press-stroking is to be performed sequentially - line by line and in one direction - until the entire area is completed.
When done correctly, Gua Sha should not be painful. The mark is a result of bruising and broken capillary blood vessels sha. Raising sha removes abnormal qi and blood stagnation, and reduces inflammation; therefore, it provides immune protection, and improves the circulation of the body.
According to Western medicine, it functions on: the nervous system to enhance human defense mechanism, and the circulative system which speeds up the circulation of blood and lymph to enhance metabolism. Tui Na is a type of therapy based on TCM theories of Zang-Fu organs and meridians, but it also combines the anatomy and pathological diagnosis from Western medicine. You lie on a padded table for the treatment, which involves:. Some people feel relaxed and others feel energized after an acupuncture treatment.
But not everyone responds to acupuncture. If your symptoms don't begin to improve within a few weeks, acupuncture may not be right for you. The benefits of acupuncture are sometimes difficult to measure, but many people find it helpful as a means to control a variety of painful conditions.
Several studies, however, indicate that some types of simulated acupuncture appear to work just as well as real acupuncture. There's also evidence that acupuncture works best in people who expect it to work. Acupuncture has few side effects, so it may be worth a try if you're having trouble controlling pain with more-conventional methods.
Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Acupuncture care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Ear acupuncture Open pop-up dialog box Close. Ear acupuncture Ear acupuncture involves placing acupuncture needles into specific points around the ear.
In , for example, the FDA banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra and plants containing ephedra group alkaloids due to complications, such as heart attack and stroke. Ephedra is a Chinese herb used in dietary supplements for weight loss and performance enhancement. However, the ban does not apply to certain herbal products prepared under TCM guidelines intended only for short-term use rather than long-term dosing.
It also does not apply to OTC and prescription drugs or to herbal teas. If you are thinking of using TCM, a certified practitioner is your safest choice.
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