Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
and Acupuncture
Yan Zhang Ph.D. L.Ac.
Dept. of Family and Community Medicine
TTUHSC Global Health Series
February 6th, 2013
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a
comprehensive system for the assessment and
treatment of acute and chronic disorders, as well
as preventative health care and maintenance.
• Fundamental Characteristics:
• Holism
• Individualized treatment based primarily on the
diagnosis and differentiation of syndromes
What is TCM?
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TCM in the history
Source: http://www.thenewmedicine.org/timeline/chinese_medicine
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TCM in the world
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Cause of
diseases
TCM
MWM
an imbalance between the
various bodily system; “bodymind” as a continuum
intrusion of a foreign
element such as bacteria,
viruses, or cancer cells;
Distinguish body and mind.
Methodology Empirical evidence-based; prescientific theories of cause and
effect; Oriental Philosophy of
opposites: yin and yang;
Individualized.
Diagnosis
“Looking,” “Listening and
Smelling”, “Asking,” and
“Touching”
scientific methodology;
precise measurements;
controlled experiments;
clinical trials;
Standardized.
Lab, high-tech instruments
such as X-rays and CAT
scans.
TCM vs. MWM
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TCM Theories
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• Qi (chi) is translated as “life force energy” or
“life activity.”, which flows through energetic
pathways called meridians.
• TCM believes that
• health is a function of a balanced, harmonious flow of
Qi
• illness results when there is a blockage or imbalance in
the flow of Qi.
Qi (chi, 气)
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• Meridians are invisible lines where the Qi flows.
• Different meridians correspond with specific
organs or organ systems.
• The body has been mapped with these meridians
• Twelve ordinary meridians
• Eight extraordinary meridians
Meridians (经络)
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• A philosophical concept grown out of the tenets
of Daoism (a.k.a.Taoism).
• Represent a wider range of opposite properties in
the universe:
• Yang: moving, ascending, bright, progressing,
hyperactive, including functional disease of the body
• Ying: stillness, descending, darkness, degeneration,
hypo-active, including organic disease
Yin-Yang [阴阳]
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Zang Fu & Five Elements
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• Looking
• Listening &
Smelling
• Asking
• Touching
TCM Diagnoses
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Tongue Diagnosis
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中医十问歌
一问寒热二问汗，
三问头身四问便，
五问饮食六胸腹，
七聋八渴俱当辨，
九问久病十问因，
再兼服药参机变。
妇女尤必问经期，
迟速闭崩皆可见。
再添片语告儿科，
天花麻疹全占验。
10 Key questions
• Hot, Cold and Fever, Chills
• Sweat
• Head & Face
• Urine, Stool
• Appetite and eating habit
• Thorax, Abdomen
• ENT
• Thirst
• History：disease and treatment
Additional
• Gynecological
• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
TCM 10 Questions
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Pulse Diagnosis
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Eight principles: refer to four pairs of
fundamental qualities of a disease:
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•
•
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exterior/interior,
heat/cold,
vacuity/repletion,
yin/yang
Syndrome Differentiation
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Main Approaches
• Herbal Medicine
• Acupuncture and Moxibustion
• Food Therapy
• Mind-Body Exercise
• Tuina (Massage)
TCM Treatments
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• Herb classification: :
• Four Natures: cold (extreme
yin), cool, neutral, warm and hot
(extreme yang).
• Five Tastes: pungent, sweet,
sour, bitter and salty
• Meridians: which organs the
herb acts upon
• Each herbal medicine
prescription is a cocktail of
many herbs tailored to the
individual patient.
Herbal Medicine
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Drugs made based on Established Formulas
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• “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy
food” ― Hippocrates
• Some Principles
• Don’t eat nor drink too much (balance)
• More vegetables and less meat
• Do not skip breakfast
• Eat well for lunch
• Eat less for dinner
Food Therapy
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• Four Food Groups – grains, fruits, meats and
vegetables
• Five Tastes – influence a specific vital organ
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•
•
•
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Sweetness: spleen or stomach
Sour: gall bladder or liver
Salty: kidney and bladder
Pungent: lungs or large intestine
Bitter: heart or small intestine
• Nature of Food – hot, cold, warm, cool, wet, neutral
• Depends on constitution of body
• Affects our mood
TCM Theory in Food
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Challenges
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Qigong
Tai-chi
Ba Duan Jin
…
Mind-Body Exercise
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• Oriental bodywork therapy that:
• combines the work of massage, chiropractic,
acupressure and other forms of body manipulation,
• seeks to establish a more harmonious flow of Qi
through the system of meridians by applying massage
or manipulation, allowing the body to naturally heal
itself.
Tui Na (twee nah推拿)
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• TCM
•
•
•
•
is an old comprehensive system,
promotes the balance of life,
addresses holism,
works in a way that might not be explained by western
medicine,
• provides opportunities for further discoveries and
serves as a complementary and alternative approach
for health care.
Take Away Message
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• According to the 2007 National Health Interview
Survey
• an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000
children had used acupuncture in the previous year.
• Between the 2002 and 2007 NHIS, acupuncture use
among adults increased by three-tenths of 1 percent
(approximately 1 million people).
Acupuncture Use in US
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• Based on theory of meridians- where Qi (vital
energy) and blood circulate in the body
• By stimulating certain points of the body surface
reached by meridians through needling or
moxibustion, the flow of Qi and blood can be
regulated and diseases are thus treated.
Acupuncture Theory
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• Also called acupoints
• 361 meridian points
plus 48 extra points
(non-meridian)
• Points have numbers
and names, standardised
by WHO, examples:
Sanyinjiao/ SP6 : 三阴交
Three Yin channel
Junction
Fengchi/ GB20 : 风池 Pool
of Wind
Yingxiang/ LI20 : 迎香
Welcome the scent
Acupuncture Points
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Western Medicine Proposed Explanations:
How Does It Work?
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• WHO: RCT Tested Conditions
• Pain: lower back pain, shoulder pain, knee
pain, migraine/headache, sciatica pain, etc.
• Stress related: sleeping problem& palpitation
• GI system issues: nausea, diarrhea,
constipation
• Women’s Health: hot flashes & cramps
• Other: dizziness, neuropathy, sinusitis and etc.
Suitable Conditions
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Needles
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Elctroacupuncture
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Moxibustion
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Cupping
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Needle phobia
Use of blood thinner
Bleeding disorders
Heart valve disease
Epilepsy
Diabetes
Pregnancy
Local infection
Cautions and
Contraindications
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• What Happens During an Acupuncture Session?
Video Demonstration
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Questions?
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