Related Terms

• Acupressure, acupuncture, acustimulation, acutherapy, Asian bodywork, auricular acupuncture, chi kung, Chinese herbal medicine, Chinese nutrition therapy, classical acupuncture, coining, cupping, eclectic Chinese medicine, electroacupuncture, ethnic Chinese traditional medicine, feng shui, five element acupuncture, I Ching, Japanese acupuncture, medical acupuncture, moxibustion (moxa), Qi gong, qigong, Reiki, scraping ("coining"), shiatsu, tai chi, taoism, tiji, ting sha, TCM, traditional acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, tui na.

Background

• Chinese medicine is a broad term encompassing many different modalities and traditions of healing that share a common heritage of technique or theory rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy (Taoism). Given the distribution of the world population, it is likely that more people have been treated by Chinese medicine in its various forms than any other approach in history. There are many possible ways to categorize the modalities and traditions of Chinese medicine. The following categorization will be used in this monograph to describe the major approaches available:
• Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM): In the 1940s and 50s, the government of China undertook an effort to combine the myriad forms of Chinese medicine into a unified system officially labeled traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The intent was to integrate the country's large work force of traditional practitioners into a Western-style health service delivery system to help provide care for a large population, using familiar and inexpensive methods. TCM uses a well-defined theory and places a heavy emphasis on herbal medicine supplemented by acupuncture. Herbs are usually given in the form of manufactured or processed pills, extracts, capsules, tinctures, or powders, in contrast to the raw and dried form favored in ethnic Chinese traditional medicine.
• Chinese herbal medicine: This is perhaps the oldest form of medicine based on Chinese medical principles. It is based on the energetic qualities of the herbs rather than the chemical properties as understood by Western pharmacology. There are over 2,000 different kinds of herbs (of which about 400 are commonly used). Chinese herbal medicine may be employed as a complete system of healing in itself, or may be combined with many of the other practices outlined below.
• Eclectic Chinese medicine: The greatest number of Western practitioners of Chinese medicine may be described as eclectic, although their original training was in one of the specific forms above. Many practitioners draw from several different sources to create their own synthesis that works best for them in their own style of practice.
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Theory

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Evidence

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Safety

Many complementary techniques are practiced by healthcare professionals with formal training, in accordance with the standards of national organizations. However, this is not universally the case, and adverse effects are possible. Due to limited research, in some cases only limited safety information is available.

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Author Information

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References

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

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