CLASSICAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) is an ancient medical healing art with a 2,000-year history of clinical application. CCM is firmly committed to its ancient roots. The term Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is better known in today’s terminology, it differs from Classical Chinese medicine with its method of thinking—why and when and how does one choose to apply a therapeutic treatment. CCM follows theory that has been established in Classical Chinese medical texts.

Chinese culture is greatly influenced by holism rather than reductionism and holds the view that human beings are a part within the universe, not an entity separate from it. Accordingly, everything is interdependent and mutually interactive. This philosophy approaches health and disease by empowering the body to function correctly. The doctor calls attention to the connection and communication between mind, body and spirit. Symptoms such as pain, insomnia, intestinal disorders, and headache are seen as warning signs of potential complications of disease. The skilled doctor gathers information about the patient through history, tongue, and pulse diagnosis, with the goal of identifying any patterns of disharmony. Treatment is aimed at restoring balance on all levels and ensuring that the organ systems are communicating effectively. Classical Chinese Medicine offers an effective approach to complicated health issues. The tools of a Classical Chinese Medicine physician include acupuncture, herbal therapy, moxibustion, cupping, diet and lifestyle modifications, as well as some physical movement exercises or qi gong (chee gung).

CCM does not believe that the use of acupuncture and herbs alone defines a practitioner of the traditional art of Chinese medicine. Instead, CCM embraces the classical spirit of using time-honored modes of holistic thought in an ever-changing space-time environment. This theory is a perfect combination with Naturopathic medicine, whose fabric is so deeply connected to nature, how it moves, changes and reacts.