Being from the west, and also being a Christian, I have found the idea of Chinese medicine to be hard to swallow. Not only am I accustomed to western medicine, and have preconceived notions about how it should be practiced, but the idea of having an inner life force, a "qi", is a totally new concept for me. With my studies of China, I decided to try and be open minded about Chinese medicine, it is after all the Chinese usage of wormwood (Artemisia annua) that led to the development of Artemisinin, which is used to treat resistant malaria.
Acupuncture 針砭 (zhēnbiān)- Is a treatment where fine needles are placed and manipulated along the meridian's of a person body where the flow of their qi can be found. Often being used to treat pain, the practice of acupuncture has come to the west, and is often used as a complementary treatment for illnesses such as, headache, anxiety, arthritis, muscles spasms, allergies, ect. Acupuncture has even been used for weight loss.
Cupping- Is an ancient Chinese practice which involves using plastic or glass cups, which can vary in size, that are then heated inside to reduce pressure, so that when applied to
the skin creates a suction. Usually an oil is applied to the skin before the cups, so that they can be moved around the person's skin. After several minutes, usually 10-15, the cups are removed, leaving unsightly, but supposedly painless red marks on the are which has been cupped. Cupping often follows acupuncture, and is done along the person's meridians as well. Modern purposes of cupping are mostly for the treatment of pain, lung disorders, gynecological disorders, insomnia, and digestive disorders.
Scraping 刮痧 Gua Sha -Is a form of Chinese therapy which involves using pressure strokes with a smooth-rounded tool, on skin lubricated with oil. It creates about 4 inch long "scrape marks" along the meridian's of a person's body, and is used to release toxins and remove blood stagnation. Gua Sha is used to treat colds, fever, chills, pain, nausea, digestive problems, acute respiratory problems, ect.
Chinese Herbal Medicine- Is an ancient practice which often involves boiling herbs for long periods of time, and then drinking the liquid that has been left over. The idea of consuming these herbs is not to treat one particular illness, but rather to treat the entire body, and create balance between a person's Yin and Yang. In modern medicine, Chinese herbs have been made into pill and are still used to treat a large array of disorders and illnesses. Popular Chinese herbs are Ginseng, Wolfberry, Dong Quai, Ginger, Ephedra, Bupleurum, ect.
Hmmmm, so I think I might be willing to try out Cupping, scraping, and acupuncture. Once I do, I will let everyone know exactly how it worked out for me!
For now, here are some links to videos you can see if you want to learn more.
12 comments:
I am saying this as a Chinese person...
Be careful about Chinese medicine. Anything that hasn't been tested and proven to work in a scientific manner should not be trusted.
Acupuncture has been proven to work. It has nothing to do with "qi" though.
The other stuff you blogged about should be looked upon with suspicion.
My aunt has a health food store and she also is a phsical theripist. And one of the things she does is this electronical Acupuncture on different parts of my body and after she did that I felt great. I would most deffintly be willing to actually do Acupuncture one day.
I myself am very skeptical of Chinese medicine, I wrote this entry simply to let people know some of the methods used in Chinese medicine. I would be willing to try them, but if I was to have a serious illness, I would definitely rely on western medicine.
sailorroxy, I have to get one of those machines that your aunt has :)
hi my name is rafael mendes my nickname is b-boy polegar add my blogger just my friend bye bye
hi my name is rafael mendes my nickname is b-boy polegar add my blogger just my friend bye bye
have u ever tried Cupping?its rlly comfortable and relize ur pressure ur could get rlly relaxed from cuppting. oh,u could also do it on the back of your feet.lol it did it this summar it was awesome!
Cupping doesn't really work. Even the Chinese don't believe in it. Acupuncture works and so does the herbal medicine even though it tastes disgusting. Normally, acupuncture works hand in hand with Chinese herbal medicine.
You have to realize the strength and weaknesses of both eastern and western medicine. Western medicine is notoriously poor for those strange illnesses that doctors can't see or measure. Diseases such as irritable bowel is just their way of saying we don't know what the hell is wrong with your guts. Eastern medicine is poor for serious illnesses such as cancer or organ failure.
It's knowing what kind of medicine you need and when that you'll find that having both serves you the best.
though I don't know much about Chinese medicine, but it works, I know. My grandfather, two of my uncles, two of my aunts and one of my cousin are Chinese doctor 中医 (an e-dictionary translate 中医into herbalist doctor); My grandmother, one of my aunts, my mom and four of my cousins are western doctors and nurses. I know they both work, especially Chinese medication. I see people who can not be cured by western physic get to my grandfather and was healed by him. I see these with my own eyes. Chinese medicine can not be explained by western science was only because the so-called science are not developed enough to expain it. The science before Galileo can not explain correctly why feather drops slower than rock in the air, does not necessarily follows "feather drop faster than or as the same speed with rock in the air". Chinese medicine was based on experience and worked thousands of years. Actions speak louder than words, right?
To basically explain Qi, Qi = positive emotions, feelings, love, bliss, motivation, desire, energy etc. There's infinite levels of Qi and types of Qi. You can measure the Qi you have and the type of Qi based on how much you feel in those areas. If you love China obviously you have a lot of Qi for China (lol).
You can actually see Qi, just close your eyes and press gently on your eyelids, you will see, fractal patterns, sparks, all kinds of phenomenon. My theory is that you are releasing energy from the eyes and you see it, so therefore the more you press it the less intense the patterns gets because you've released all the Qi.
Qi is very complex, if you are with a friend who is in a bad mood at you sit next to him his Qi will pass onto you and you will feel upset. If a mother who is out shopping has the strong feeling that her baby at home is in need, she will feel the Qi connection and return home immediately.
To explain these medicines, just as your friend in my example was in bad mood and passed it on inadvertently, his Qi can stay in your body and harm your health if it stays in there for a long time. Chinese medicine like acupuncture and cupping is a means to release that bad, take the weight off your shoulders and make you feel better. And when that weight is off you, the body can heal naturally, you will smile all day.
I hope these explanations paint a crystal clear picture on what Qi is by using examples you can experience first hand for yourself.
Heya, nice blog - interesting that you like China so much (I like China, too, despite being Korean-American). The easiest of the therapies listed to try I think is acupuncture, as it does not hurt and is fairly quick. (Incidentally, I don't think that it is called zhenbian - "zhen" does mean needles or acupuncture, but "bian" is an ancient forerunner of the needles when instead, ancient Chinese used stone knobs to stimulate the acupoints.)
In any case, Chinese medicine is one of the treasures of Chinese culture, it would be a waste to throw it away due to skeptics!
Wow, this piece of writing is nice, my younger sister is analyzing such
things, so I am going to convey her.
Also visit my homepage site
Post a Comment