For centuries, Chinese Medicine (CM) has been treating the unique health conditions of men, women, children, and the elderly with good success and without side effects. Here I would like to briefly discuss the methods, practices, and scope of CM so you may have a better idea when to consider CM for your family.
Methods and Practices
CM is based on a holistic understanding of physiology that was developed through careful observation of health and disease over many hundreds of years. In the clinic the CM physician gathers information about the patient's condition, then arrives at a CM diagnosis that is unique to that individual at that moment in time. The diagnosis guides the physician to a treatment principle, which then leads to a specific treatment. There are many forms of treatment in CM, such as herbology, acupuncture, diet, and massage, and CM physicians tend to specialize in one or more of these.
Scope
It may sound surprising to some, but CM can be used to treat the entire range of human health conditions. That's not to say that it's a panacea: some illnesses can be cured, some can be helped, and for some there is little that can be done. But CM can be helpful for maybe 90% of conditions, so I generally suggest people look into it.
Furthermore, CM is known for its ability to treat the ¡°root¡± of disease, as opposed to the ¡°branch¡± (i.e., symptomatic treatment), and therefore many illnesses can actually be eliminated permanently.
Pediatrics Many common childhood illnesses can be treated successfully with CM. Children are very responsive to treatment and often their problems resolve quite quickly. Commonly treated conditions include: asthma, bronchitis, chronic cough, poor digestion, poor appetite, ADD/ADHD, restless sleep, allergies, weak immune system, etc.
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Gynecology
CM excels in this specialty, and there are many gynecological conditions that can be successfully treated with CM. Examples include: painful menstruation, irregular menstruation, PMS, infertility, menopause, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, etc.
Men's Health CM can also be used to treat problems specific to men, such as prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction, infertility, etc.
General Family Medicine CM is used to treat many general health conditions that can occur in any of the above groups. Examples include: respiratory: asthma, bronchitis, cough; digestive: gastric ulcer, acid-reflux, IBS, viral hepatitis, constipation; endocrine and metabolic : diabetes, hyper/hypo-thyroid, overweight and obesity; mental-emotional: stress, insomnia, depression, anxiety, addiction; cardiovascular: high-cholesterol, atherosclerosis, poor circulation; skin : acne, eczema, psoriasis, urticaria; neurological: peripheral neuropathy, Bell's Palsy, headache, migraine; musculo-skeletal: various aches and pains, strains and sprains, tendonitis, carpal-tunnel syndrome; etc
Conclusion
The quality of CM care in Shanghai is some of the best in the world. For expats living or visiting here, it's a unique opportunity to experience high-level CM first-hand. While I wish that you may never need to visit a CM physician, in the event that you do become ill, I hope this article will inspire some of you to give CM a try. You may be pleasantly surprised at the benefits of this ancient and venerable medical tradition.
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