It may be quite the leap when you find yourself investigating and seeking out what has been commonly termed "Alternative Medicine". An excellent place to start in learning about new ways to approach healing and health can be found in the many unique views and concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Some of these concepts may be a bit confusing to start with. With very little time you will see that these concepts can often be understood on an internal, heartfelt level. You will see that these concepts we inherently known to us as human beings innately connected to the earth and each other.
Despite Chinese Medicine's completely unique approach to healing by its advanced and complex view of your body…its foundation is built upon a natural and sensible foundation. It is a complete healing method focusing on both the physical and emotional aspects of life aiding in the opportunity for any individual to be free to heal naturally, and progress in all aspects of your life. The ancient Chinese physicians made the connection between your emotional and physical state of being; understanding how the two interchangeably affect one another.
Thousands of years ago Chinese medical practitioners paralleled the human body and its functions with the elements and environmental changes that make up our planet and the universe. Your body and its functions were equated to a garden or farm. How your body was balanced by ways of elemental factors would either cause you to be robust and healthy…or not. For instance, if you, being the garden, was over or under watered you would eventually have different types of imbalances affecting your health. Another simple example of this natural view can be compared to a rash [eczema type for instance] occurring on your skin. The element of heat needed to create the rash would not be viewed, or treated for that matter, as a localized problem with an external medication. Changing the internal environment of your body [as paralleled to moving a plant to a cooler area of your house changing its internal, elemental environment] would be a typical course of treatment by similarly removing the heat and allowing your skin to return back to its natural, health state. Please remember that this is a simple example of how Chinese Medicine interprets a diseases process, yet giving an accurate depiction in conveying its approach to healing.
Take for instance a heavy rainstorm representing the elements of cold and damp. These external forces of nature could possibly breach your immune response, or protective life force (Wei Qi), especially if it is already in a weakened state. Your weakened immune levels could have possibly come from a poor diet, harboring negative emotions, an unbalanced life style, excessive stress and or congenital [genetic] factors. This could result in a common cold either being driven out by your healthy immune response, or moving its way inward and becoming a much worse internal problem possibly attacking your Lung or Digestive Organ System.
This is an important clue in understanding why you may fall ill to so many diseases whiles others, simply, don’t. A Chinese medical practitioner views each person as a unique individual the same way each garden or farm requires a different approach to creating a healthy harvest. When working with a patient with a low immune level the Chinese Herbalist would use different ways to strengthen and tonify your body, from the inside out, so as to increase the immune system and ward off the a pathogenic attack. A recipe of Chinese Herbs, sometime several different recipes, would be cooked into a decoction and taken internally for weeks, months or even years to correct patterns and disharmonies such as a low immune level response. It is most important to understand that these concoctions have flavors that are very strong in their taste to the palate. When brewing these remedies at home the entire house will smell strong and pungent. This means that the herbs are powerful and this is very good.
