What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is a standardized and systematized collection of traditional models of health and pathophysiology, as well as a variety of therapeutic modalities for the cultivation of wellness, enhancement of baseline physical and cognitive perforance, stabilization of emotional behavior and stress adaptation and the prevention and treatment of disease. TCM draws from a rich variety of classical influences dating back as early as 220BCE. Although many classical schools of thought and practice have been preserved as lineage-based specializations of Chinese medicine, the term TCM refers to a somewhat more generalized and pragmatic application of classical ideas as coalesced into a common standard during the 1960's. When a practitioner of Chinese medicine indicates that she or he is trained in Classical Chinese medicine, this means that she or he practices a form of Chinese medicine that has been preserved through specific lineages and very closely resembles its original form in both theory and practice. By contrast, a TCM practitioner draws from an evolving array of symbiotic schools of thought and practice that also incorporate and adapt to modern western medical thought and practice. While the majority of my training consists of broader TCM material, I am also trained in a variety of classical models, which, in any case, still exert a vibrant influence on contemporary TCM.

There are five basic modalities, or therapeutic interventions associated with Chinese medicine, regardless of which school of thought is concerned. Listed in order of least to most intensive, these are: traditional Chinese nutrition and dietetics; Qi Gong and movement therapy; Tui Na (traditional Chinese massage); acupuncture and moxibustion; and herbal medicine. Traditionally, these modalities were used in conjunction for best results and were often applied in this order so as to minimize side effects and maximize the blending of interventions into patients' daily lives. Most licensed acupuncturists in the US are exposed to all of these modalities but not all are required to achieve high levels of proficiency in modalities other than acupuncture. I am proud to offer extensive inclusion of all modalities, as well as personalized instruction for patients who wish to learn how to implement them at home. I was trained in and received my license to practice Tui Na in China in 2006 and have also trained extensively in Qi Gong ad movement therapy under martial arts masters while living in China between 2006 and 2010. I opted to include a rigorous course of herbology training in my master's program in TCM here in the US and, having lived and studied in China, I have absorbed a comprehensive approach to medicinal cuisine. I feel that my competencies in each of these five modalities and practice of combining them on a personalized and case by case basis is what sets me apart from the average acupuncturist. Below are introductions into each modality, a brief history of its evolution and some examples of how, why and when it is applied clinically.

Traditional Chinese nutrition & dietetics

Details coming soon!

Qi Gong & movement therapy

Details coming soon!

Tui Na, or traditional Chinese massage, & traditional manual stimulation

Details coming soon!

Acupuncture & moxibustion

Details coming soon!

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine

Details coming soon!