Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) therapy involves the use of natural plants, each having its own specific characteristics and particular medical use to treat diseases, rectify the over-activity or under-activity of yin and yang, and help restore the body to its normal physiological functions.
How does the doctor diagnose you?
You will be diagnosed not only by observing, questioning, listening, but also by tongue and pulse checking. Each area will reveal information that will contribute to building up a holistic condition of your internal organs.
Why does a Chinese medicine doctor do tongue checking?
Since tongue is highly vascular and contains many important taste receptor cells, it is richly supplied by both the nervous system and circulatory system.
Therefore, the tongue is a very sensitive organ, and its appearance can change with many physiological changes in the body. By observing the tongue, we can see how our whole body is functioning and able to detect imbalances in different systems in our body. When we ask you to stick your tongue out, we are observing the appearance of the tongue in three distinct areas.
The first area is the tongue proper. We may evaluate the size of the tongue compared to the opening of the mouth or observe any teeth marks on the sides. This may indicate oedema or swelling in your body. We may search for any ulcerations or lacerations of the tongue. It may indicate a body that is prone or having some form of inflammation.
The colour of tongue can give us ideas of the strength of one’s health. The normal tongue is pinkish red with a certain shine. When the tongue appears pale, it may be a sign of anaemia or weakened body. When it is red, it may be exhibiting hyperactivity in different systems of the body. When the tongue colour has a tinge of purple, this might be an indication of pain, congestion and blockages in the body.
The second area is the tongue coating. A normal tongue should have a very thin clear coating. When the coat becomes thick, it is frequently a sign of imbalance in the digestive system. When the coat turns thick and cruddy, it is frequently a sign of decreased immune system with Candida (yeast infection) presentation. When the coat peels, it is frequently a sign of damage or weakening to a certain systems of the body. When the coat turns yellow, it is frequently a sign of infection or inflammation in the body.
The third area is regional analysis. Different areas of the tongue are represented by the functioning state of different regions of the body. For example, the back part of the tongue is represented by the urogenital systems as well as the intestines. Peeling in this region can mean adrenal weakness or chronic low back pains. Thickening of yellow coating in this region can mean either constipation or urinary tract infections. Other changes in this area can indicate problems in the urinary, reproductive and elimination systems.
How does a Traditional Chinese Doctor Prescribes Herbal Formulas?
Herb Formulas are developed to use each herb to its greatest advantage. By combining different herbs together, we will not only adjust and increase the treatment results, but also reduce or release the side-effects from the other herbs. It also makes it possible to treat complicated diseases at the same time. That’s why few Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors prescribe only a single herb to treat patients.
A formula is made from typically 10-15 herbs together with appropriate dosage depending on the patient’s condition and the treatment principle. There is a saying, “Prescribe medicine just like a commander in the army.” Usually, a formula includes four parts: emperor, prime minister, minister and envoy. Emperor is the herb(s) which plays the most important role in the formula.
This herb works directly with the etiology and pathology. Prime minister is the herb which helps to enhance the result of the emperor herb. Minister is the herb which treats the secondary symptoms and minimize emperor and prime minister’s side effect. Envoy is the herb which can be used to adjust the formula’s taste and moderate the properties of other herbs.
In a clinic setting, it is not always appropriate to use the same formula to treat one condition. The doctor usually changes the formula to follow with the change of the patient’s condition, general health and age. First of all, the number of the herbs in the formula can be changed. If the patient’s main complaint doesn’t change, but the secondary complaint changes, the doctor will add some herbs to treat the new complaint and take out the herbs that were used to treat the primary complaint, which is non-existent now. In addition, the dosage of each herb in the formula can be changed to follow the changes of the disease. Increase or decrease in one herb’s dosage may change the treatment principle.
Is Chinese herbal medicine safe?
Chinese herbal medicine has been practiced Clinically on the human body for thousands of years. Through thousands of years of clinically practice, Chinese herbal medicine has successfully treated millions of patients. This number is much larger than any experimental clinical trials required.
Is Chinese Herbal Medicine effective?
Chinese herbal medicine efficacy has been proved through thousands of years of spreading of CHM practices from China to Asia, from Asia to Europe. This growing popularity among patients around the world is the best testimonials for its efficacy.
Why do most of Chinese doctors always use classic formula?
In thousands of years of experience in Chinese medicine, generation by generation, there are hundreds of excellent classic formulas to be used to treat different diseases. They have proven to be very effective in treating all kinds of conditions.
Often, we prescribe a formula based on the classic formula, and add or deduct some herbs, adjusting the dosage depending on the patient’s condition.
Do we use any endangered species in herbal products?
We have always condemned the illegal trade in endangered plant and animal species and are subject to strict rules which prohibit the use of any such material.