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| ABOUT
ORIENTAL MEDICINE |
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History
Oriental medicine—a term comprising
acupuncture, herbal medicine and several other related
medical arts—emanated from China, one of the oldest
continuous civilizations. Bamboo and stone acupuncture
needles dating from as far back as 1000 b.c.e. have been
unearthed by archeologists, and medical texts more than
two thousand years old—such as the Huang-di Nei-jing
(Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine)—are
still in use today. By the early centuries c.e., acupuncture
had already become a coherent system using stimulation
of specific points on interconnected pathways to move
and balance the body’s energy and promote the body’s
ability to heal itself.
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Qi
Oriental
medicine begins with the concept of vital energy, or the
life force, called qi (“chee”). Though invisible,
qi—like energy—is the foundation of all physical
phenomena, including living organisms. Ancient Chinese
philosophy, like modern day quantum physics, recognized
that energy and matter are part of a single continuum,
and that each can transform into the other. Although qi
itself cannot be observed, movements and changes in qi
have observable and palpable physical effects. In human
beings, for example, a disruption or imbalance in the
flow of qi can manifest in ill health or disease on the
physical, emotional or spiritual level.
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Meridians
Meridians
are the channels along which qi flows; together they form
an intricate energetic network throughout the body. There
are twelve main meridians, which are associated with specific
organ systems, as well as a number of secondary and “extraordinary”
meridians. |
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Tao
Tao—usually translated as “Way”
or “Teaching”—may be understood as the
indefinable primordial source; as the nature and intrinsic
order of all things in the universe. The universal laws
of balance and change which emanate from the Tao are reflected
within the spirit, mind and body of each person. The highly
skilled practitioner of Oriental medicine is aided by
an understanding of the Tao as he or she examines many
small signs and symptoms in the patient to recognize overall
patterns of health and illness, and determine a diagnosis
and treatment plan.
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Yin-Yang
The universe is characterized by continuous,
cyclical change. Yin and yang represent the polar opposites
or the duality of nature apparent in the ever-changing
picture of reality. Inextricably linked, like the concepts
of light and dark, yin becomes yang and yang becomes yin
in a perpetual dynamic.
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The
Five Elements
The ancients of China recognized five
basic elements—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—which
combine in various ways to form all the substances in
the universe. The interplay of these five elements influences
all of nature, including the human spirit, mind and body.
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