What To Expect With Traditional Chinese Medicine

Information gathered using all four methods are then put together to obtain a more holistic understanding of a patient and his or her condition. Besides seeking to understand the symptoms that the patient is experiencing, the Traditional Chinese Medicine physician will also look at the impact of a wide range of personal and environmental factors (e.g. mood, level of activity or inactivity, diet, weather and season, use of drugs, sexual activity, etc) [3].

This means that every patient is regarded as unique, and the entire individual, not just the illness, is taken into consideration.

The information gathered by the TCM physician will allow him or her to determine the root cause(s) (病因) of the patient’s illness. Because a single disease root cause can bring about different patterns of disharmony (also known as syndromes, 证型) in the body, and the different syndromes have different underlying disease pathways (病机) for bringing about the illness, the TCM physician will also determine the disease syndrome and pathway presented by the patient during diagnosis.

With the necessary information about a patient’s condition (i.e. root cause, pattern of disharmony and disease pathway), the TCM physician will then go about developing a strategy (治法) for the patient’s treatment.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, treatment is delivered with the goal of correcting the areas of disharmony in the patient’s body. At the same time, the symptoms experienced by the patient are addressed. In this way, treatment is very much individualized. In fact, one-size-fits-all types of remedies would often be frowned upon by TCM practitioners.

During your Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment, you might encounter a situation where two individuals are given two different set of remedies for the same illness diagnosis of depression or “Yu Zhen” (同病异治). This is because the two individuals are considered to have two different patterns of disharmony in their bodies, or manifesting different syndromes of “Yu Zhen”.

On the contrary, two different individuals with different illnesses may be given the same set of remedies (异病同治). This is because the two individuals are considered to have the same patterns of disharmony in their bodies. Such principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment are distinctively very different from that in western medicine.

When it comes to TCM treatment, the various treatment methods include (but are not limited to) herbal formulas, acupuncture, acupressure and moxibustion, diet therapy, energy healing, massage and manipulation, etc. [3]

Unlike conventional western medicine that makes it a point to use as few medications as possible so as to reduce risk of harm [4], TCM practitioners usually prescribe herbal formulas, i.e. combination of several herbs that are specially selected to address the syndrome and symptoms experienced by the patient. A single TCM formula can contain up to 15 or more herbs, depending on the needs of the patient.

The use of several herbs within a single TCM formula is for the same reason of reducing harm. This is possible because the various herbs in the formula can moderate each other. Moreover, through using several types of herbs with the same action, but small quantities of each herb, Traditional Chinese Medicine remedies are able to maintain their effectiveness yet reduce side effects.

Based on ancient Chinese philosophy, the actions of herbs in a TCM herbal formula is described using the analogy of an active “cabinet”. Every formula comprises 4 categories of herbs: “Monarch” herbs, “Minister” herbs, “Assistant” herbs and “Messenger” or “Servant” herbs [5].

The “Monarch” herb(s) addresses the principal factor(s) causing the imbalance or disease syndrome. The “Minister” herb(s) strengthens the action of the “Monarch” herb(s) and/or addresses any coexisting condition(s). The “Assistant” herb(s) is designed to strengthen the actions and/or reduce the side effect(s) of the first two classes of herbs. The “Messenger” or “Servant” herb(s) directs the effects of the herbs in the formula to the target body part(s), and/or harmonizes the properties of the other herbs in the formula. [4]

Your TCM herbal remedy may come in the form of decoctions (i.e. herbs boiled in water), powder, syrup, tinctures, capsule or tablet, inhalants, suppositories, enemas, douches, soaks, plasters, poultices, and salves. [3]

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