Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is one of the oldest holistic healing systems that dates back 5,000 years. Actual written proof of treatment using TCM can be traced back 2,500 years ago in the Shang Dynasty (14th–11th centuries BCE). It is deeply respected for its focus on healing the body as a whole and addressing the root cause rather than only the symptoms. TCM combines a broad spectrum of natural treatment modalities that include medicinal herbal remedies, cupping, tuina (massage), acupuncture, acupressure, and qigong. 

The core concept of TCM is that prevention is the best cure.  TCM draws on a system of scientific and practical knowledge, which is rooted in the ancient belief systems about the constitution of the human body, and its close relationship with the environment it exists in. 

The Magnificence of Ying and Yang

References to Yin and Yang date back as far as 700 B.C.E. to the I Ching (The Book of Changes, a text Universal in its understanding and representation of the dynamic balance of opposites and the processes of unfolding events and change). The theory of Yin and Yang is fundamental to the practice of TCM in terms of understanding, diagnosing, and treating health issues. At the most fundamental level, TCM treatment seeks to balance Yin and Yang in each person. One ancient TCM text expressed the power and importance of Yin and Yang this way: “If you can understand Yin and Yang you can hold the universe in your hands.”

In Balance and Harmony

Everything contains Yin and Yang. They are two opposite yet complementary Qi (energies). They are interdependent and interchangeable. Yin and Yang cannot exist without the other; they are never separate. For example, night and day form a Yin-Yang pair. (Night is Yin and day is Yang.) Night looks and is very different than day, yet it is impossible to have one without the other. In addition, daytime will become nighttime and vice versa. Both create a totality, a complete harmonic whole.

The miracle of Qi  

Everything is energy. Within the practice of TCM, all matter is believed to have Qi (life energy) in either Yin (cooling) or Yang (warming) properties within them.  With thousands of years of direct observation and deep experiential knowledge of Qi, this holistic healing system has a complete understanding of energy and how it moves and functions in the body and throughout nature. TCM’s deep insight and expertise on energy are what make it a profoundly accurate and effective healing system.

One's vitality and longevity are based on the balance, harmony, and circulation of Qi. Providing guidelines on ideal daily and seasonal routines, diet, behavior and the proper use of our senses, TCM remind us that beauty and health are rooted in the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind, and spirit.