Some of the natural medical practices that are a part of traditional Chinese medicine include acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage. Traditional Chinese medicine is a type of Oriental medicine, which is to say that it takes into consideration other traditions medical systems that evolved in East Asia such as traditional Korean medicine and traditional Japanese medicine.

According to TCM, the processes that compose the human body are interconnected and are constantly interacting and interrelating with the environment. This theory of health thus seeks to isolate what causes imbalance and disharmony in both the internal as well as external environment of a person and from there it seeks to comprehend a health problem as well as effectively treat it and work to prevent further illness or disease from taking place in the future.

The theory of traditional Chinese medicine is base on more than one philosophical viewpoint. In fact it is based on a variety of frameworks with the most influential being the human body Meridian system, the Theory of Yin and Yang, the Zang Fu organ theory and the Five Elements.

Diagnosis for health conditions as well as proper avenues for treatments are decided upon based on these concepts. In a general sense traditional Chine medicine is not connected with the scientific outlook of the modern Western way of thinking but some practitioners do try to make sure that it is conducted in an “evidence-based” framework of health and medicine.

What is today known as traditional Chinese medicine was once called classical Chinese medicine (CCM). For a period of 30 years CCM was outlawed in China until a man by the name of Mao Zedong decided in the 1960s that something had to be done in regards to classical Chinese medicine. During those years he gathered together 10 of the top doctors of the time and had them take a cryptic look at CCM by surveying it carefully and then coming up with a standardized format for which it could be put to use. It is this standardized form that came to be known as what we know it as today, which is traditional Chinese medicine.

Western culture and its modern scientific approach to medicine have not reduced the interest in TCM at all. In fact a great deal of the TCM practices have shown high rates of success and therefore when Western medicine is found wanting, many patients turn to TFCM in the hopes of being healed.

The advantage of TCM is that it does not involve drugs, with the exception of an occasional herbal supplement and therefore patients avoid concerns about chemicals polluting their bodies and dangerous toxicity levels. There are areas in the world where Western medicine is not available and therefore TCM is very important in these areas. TCM has proven to be especially effective when it comes to problems such as a variety of allergies and the flu.

Basically, acupuncture involves the inserting of fine needles at acupuncture points in the human body’s system derived by the Chinese. By these insertions, the body’s immune and healing system would be stimulated back to health naturally.

Acupuncturists view diseases and health disorders as an imbalance in the body’s energy, which flows along well-defined pathways called meridians. This is very closely associated with the nervous system as recognized in the West.

The Chinese had discovered that within the human body, there are 20 meridians in the ‘energy-flowed’ channel system. These meridians are connected to the body organs. The Chinese practitioners believed that most ailments stemmed from the organs which are functioning not at the optimum level.

From this meridian system, there are at least 400 points that control the energy or ‘chi’ flow when the body is at rest or in motion. These points are known as acupuncture points and acted like “gates” to control these ‘chi’ flows. When these “chi” energy flows to the affected parts, it would bring the immune and healing system back to work.

This ‘chi’ is not easy to explain clinically and it’s just like electricity. We never understand how but we knew that electricity is along the power line and we knew what electricity can do and we would just use it.

Our skin had a normal resistance, a healthy point is 100,000 Ohms, but acupuncture points have unique electrical characteristics, which distinguish them from surrounding skin. These can be felt by acupuncturists in the course of their work.

The meridians, which connected the body organs, had been measured and mapped electronically, radioactively and thermally by using modern technological methods.

Acupuncturists believed that this “chi” energy enters the body through these acupuncture points, which in turn flow into the inside of the organs. This “chi” energy will stimulate the organs to optimum level.

From a study conducted in China, observation had shown that from 324 acupuncture points, 99% of the points are within 0.5 mm away from nerves, 96% are closely related to superficial nerves just beneath the skin and 86% are near an artery. This can clearly conclude the close relation between acupuncture points and the nervous system.

Acupuncture is a safe and non-invasive treatment in healing. There are many ailments which can be treated by acupuncture.

Acupuncture treatments must only be done by qualified and well-trained practitioners or under the supervision of experienced acupuncturists, using only disposable acupuncture needles. Care must be taken to clean the acupuncture points with alcohol before acupuncture treatment. The procedure is almost the same as giving an injection, before and after.

Another are of concern is the side-effects of acupuncture. The side-effects are normally small bleeding and dizziness but when acupuncture are done correctly, these side-effects are very much minimize.

Acupuncture can be concluded as a relatively safe healing therapy that has minimal side effects.

Acupuncture had been used to treat asthma, migraines, arthritis, infertility, depression, high blood pressure and gynecological problems; and even for aesthetic treatment like weight loss effectively.

In recent times, acupuncture had been advocated and used as an alternative treatment to medical conditions that do not readily respond to conventional medicines. There had been cases where acupuncture had been used on patients, who had undergone surgeries, to stimulate the neurological and musculoskeletal system.

The use of acupuncture had been limitless, given that acupuncture had been roped in to cure addictions like smoking, alcoholism, eating disorders or drug abuse.

Will acupuncture be a main stream or complementary treatment in future?

There had been a lot of debates on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture. The medical professionals had varying opinions to embrace it wholly as acupuncture results are unable to clinically proven.

Acupuncture had an underlying reception as more people all over the world are wary of modern medicine which is much more invasive. In fact, there are many advocates on natural methods of healing nowadays as people are more receptive on the natural healing within themselves.

This could stem from the fact that mankind had been using herbal and natural more than 5,000 years ago before the advert of the modern pills and prescriptions about 200 to 300 years ago after the medical world discovered that the many elements in our bodies.

On the whole, acupuncture would be seen and used as a complementary treatment. The advanced of medical technologies and analysis could paved the way for acupuncture to be a partner in the heath and wellness for mankind in the future.