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What is Chinese medicine?
Naturopathic therapies have become increasingly important in recent years. What they have in common is their holistic approach and their wealth of experience, which has grown over many centuries. They include Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has been developing for more than 2,000 years. But what exactly is behind it? The most important questions answered Christian Schmincke, chief physician of the clinic on the Steigerwald. He treats patients inpatient with Chinese medicine and celebrates his 20-year anniversary with his clinic in 2016.
How does TCM differ from Western medicine??
For Chinese medicine, the key to therapy is disease development, not the suppression of symptoms. In addition, it is based on a holistic approach. What sets TCM apart from other naturopathic treatments, however, is its own great theories. Terms like "yin" and "yang" or "qi" seem strange to many at first. They stand for traditional models of thinking, which illustrate the interaction of the forces of the external environment with the human body.
Image: Marilyn Barbone - fotolia What does Qi stand for??
Qi is usually translated as "life energy". Below that you imagine something like a fluidum. According to Chinese acupuncture theory, it circulates through certain body lanes, the so-called meridians. If this flow is interrupted by blockages, it disturbs the balance and diseases develop. Acupuncture can resolve these disorders again.
Where does the theory of qi and meridians come from??
The Chinese sketch meridians as a network of lines stretching over the entire body. Nobody really knows how they got the idea with the meridians, because structurally they are not visible. It is believed that in ancient China, a meditative self-awareness was trained that made this inner flow accessible. In the course of the practice, tracks became more concrete, which today find particular application in acupuncture.
But Chinese medicine is more than acupuncture, or?
Right, because the needling of certain points makes up only a small part. Up to 80 percent of the alternative medicine is based on the Chinese drug therapy. In addition, Qi Gong, Tuina massages and nutritional science play a crucial role in the success of therapy.
And what is the foundation of Chinese drug therapy??
The history of Chinese herbal medicine probably dates back to the beginnings of human culture. In animals, they are known to prefer certain plants that are beneficial to them in the event of illness. Because of these abilities, herbal medicine has developed in all early human cultures. Chinese herbal medicine is based on theories of nature as well as on models of nature.
What can the drug therapy in modern diseases afford?
The remedy may change the overall mental and physical behavior of the patient, e.g. Sleep, well-being, excretory behavior, efficiency. Herbal ingredients such as roots, barks or tubers have a high potential for action. They awaken and control self-healing powers. Depending on the clinical picture, Chinese medicines help to clear away inflammation or metabolic toxins, regulate the immune system or strengthen the body's natural clarifying functions.
And in which diseases TCM is particularly successful?
For pain disorders of any kind. We try to understand what is behind the pain. There are also chronic inflammations - such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, asthma, allergies, joint inflammation and immunological diseases such as fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome -, neurological inflammations such as polyneuropathy and psychosomatic disorders. These include, for example, panic attacks, depressive states, burnout.
How to recognize a good doctor for Chinese medicine?
A well-trained TCM doctor is at home in both medical worlds and reviews all diagnostic and therapeutic decisions based on conventional medical and Chinese criteria. In addition: Not the doctor is the best, who sets the most needles, but the one who looks individually at the patient and takes his time. Good TCM experts spend a lot of time on diagnostics. For example, they detect the finest body signals based on pulse or tongue examinations. In the detailed conversation, they also enter into emotional states. Equally important is the correct assessment of vegetative signs that, taken alone, have no pathological value. These include, for example, cold feet, sweating, restlessness and digestive disorders. (Pm)