Principles of Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine views a healthy person as balanced (pingren 平人). Thus, illness can be understood as a loss of balance within the body. This balance, like a scale, exists between Yin and Yang , and between excess and deficiency. Through diagnosis, the practitioner assesses the imbalance, its location, and the underlying pathological mechanism to explain the symptoms and the illness. They then select the most appropriate treatment principle and method to restore balance.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is probably the most well-known therapeutic method of Chinese medicine in the West. It consists of inserting needles into specific locations along pathways of circulation called meridians (or channels), in order to restore circulation on these meridians, and to stimulate or restore the functions of the body's organs.
Since the 2000s, it has experienced significant growth in Europe, particularly with the arrival of new styles of acupuncture, such as Tung acupuncture, Tan Wu Bian , SaAm , Mukaino , etc.
Moxibustion
Ancient Chinese medical texts do not separate acupuncture and moxibustion. And even today, in modern Chinese, we speak of acupuncture-moxibustion (zhenjiu 针灸).
Moxibustion is a technique for heating meridians and acupuncture points by burning mugwort (in its traditional form), herbal mixtures, or charcoal. This heating method can be performed with mugwort rolls held close to the skin, by applying moxa to the needle, by placing moxa on a substrate (clay, ginger, coarse salt, etc.), or directly on the skin.
This method essentially warms the Yang , dispels the cold, and circulates the Qi .
Herbal medicine
Medicinal products have been used by the Chinese for millennia. The first Chinese medical work to compile ancient pharmacological knowledge is the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong 's Classic of Materia Medica), which dates back to the Warring States period (475 BC - 221 BC). This work contains 365 products and already presents their essential characteristics. Over the centuries, knowledge of medicinal products has greatly expanded, to the point that the latest materia medica (中华本草), published in 1999 by the Chinese Department of Health, contains approximately 9,000 medicinal products.
At the clinic, prescriptions consist primarily of plant-based products and rarely include animal or mineral products. Each prescription is carefully tailored to the patient's current condition to avoid any side effects. Prescriptions generally include between 5 and 15 products, prepared by decoction, or in powder or pills. The patient then take this preparation 2 to 3 times a day for a specified period.
The tuina
Tuina is the manual branch of Chinese medicine. It comprises three main categories: 1 - An Mo , or massage of the meridians and acupuncture points. 2 - Ban Fa , or stretching techniques. 3 - Dong Fa , or joint mobilization techniques.
During a session, several of these methods are often used.
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In massage (An Mo), we find various manual techniques, such as rolling, grasping, pressing, kneading, rubbing, percussion, etc.
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The stretching methods (Ban Fa) consist of loosening the muscles and releasing spasms to increase the degree of joint mobility and relieve pain.
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Joint mobilization methods (Dong Fa) allow joints to be brought back into their normal operating axis.
Dietetics
Chinese dietary therapy has been used for centuries in China. It is primarily a method of disease prevention, but can also be used curatively, alongside other therapeutic methods. It is based on the same principles as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Tuina massage. Thus, after a diagnosis, the practitioner provides dietary recommendations tailored to the patient's specific situation.
Additional treatment methods:
Gua Sha
Although written records of Gua Sha appeared relatively late in the history of Chinese medicine (around 700 years ago), the Gua Sha method is considered very ancient, even predating acupuncture. Since then, the techniques have been passed down primarily orally, within families and medical settings, which is why Gua Sha is considered a folk method.
In the term Gua Sha (刮痧), Gua (刮) means "to scrape" and Sha (痧) refers to the small red dots that emerge from the superficial or deep layers of the skin during scraping. This method involves scraping the skin with a paddle, most often made of horn or cow hoof, sometimes stone or metal, in order to stimulate defensive Qi, expel pathogenic factors, and restore the circulation of Qi and blood.
Gua Sha can be used for many acute or chronic problems. It is currently used mainly to treat pain, colds, headaches and migraines, but Gua Sha can also be used in more severe and chronic situations, such as for hepatitis, fibromyalgia, algodystrophy, cysts, etc.
Like cupping, Gua Sha produces petechiae or small bruises on the skin that usually disappear within 3 to 5 days after the session. These marks, while not very aesthetically pleasing, are necessary for the treatment, as they indicate the elimination of the pathogenic factor.
The suction cups
Cupping is a simple and effective treatment method, which consists of applying a glass or plastic bell, a piece of bamboo, or animal horn to the skin by a suction effect.
It's a very old method, with evidence of its use dating back to antiquity in Egypt, then Greece and China. It was also commonly used in Western medicine until the 1950s, but following the advent of antibiotics and perhaps due to a lack of serious research on the subject, it gradually fell into oblivion. However, it is experiencing a resurgence in the West thanks to its use by some high-profile athletes.
Cupping therapy remains very effective and is still used today in Chinese medicine. It is used for acute illnesses (colds, bronchitis, asthma, muscle pain, etc.), but also for chronic illnesses (rheumatic or muscular pain, digestive disorders, migraines, etc.).