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Chinese medicine

Chinese medicine (sometimes known as "TCM," "Traditional Chinese Medicine,"
or "Traditional Oriental Medicine") is based on the belief that the body
will fight off and recover from illnesses when the body is in balance in
terms of Yin Yang and the Qi. Despite a long history of practices, Chinese
doctors in each generation guarded their knowledge as family secrets. Little
of the knowledge was shared in public for peer reviews until the government
of the Peoples Republic of China established modern research and education
systems for the discipline. Many westerners considered Chinese medicine
unscientific and some even equated it with Voodoo magic. However, recent
academic researches in China may help to add some scientific insights on why
some treatments are effective. Some doctors are investigating ways to
combine Chinese medicine with Western medicine, such as using Chinese
medicine to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy when treating cancer
patients.

Herbs are used heavily in Chinese medicine. Each prescription is a cocktail
of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. The herbs are simmered in
water over several hours to reduce to a cup of concentrated herbal tea. The
doctor usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that
target the illness. And then the doctor adds many other ingredients to
adjust the formula to the patient's Yin Yang conditions. Sometimes,
ingredients are needed to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main
ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or
else the brew will be ineffective. The latter steps require great experience
and knowledge, and make the difference between a good Chinese herbal doctor
and an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of
all the ingredients are more important than the effect of individual
ingredients.

Due to the emphasis on achieving an equilibrium of Yin Yang in the patient's
body for it to heal itself, Chinese medicine is believed to be more suitable
for treating chronic illnesses than medical emergency.

Many Chinese people trust Chinese medicine more than the western
counterpart, especially in the following specialty areas:

   * Herbal treatment
   * Food therapy
   * Acupuncture
   * Die2Da3 (?? lit. fall & strike) - They are specialists in healing bone
     fractures and cuts, sports injury, bruises etc. Strictly speaking the
     wound treatment is not a branch of Chinese medicine but a spin-off from
     a long history of Chinese martial arts. However, these specialists also
     use regular Chinese medicine heavily if internal injury is involved.

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