Chinese Medicine in Broward County
More people have been treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine than in any other medical practice in the world. Traditional Chinese medicine employs many different protocols and techniques. It is rooted in the ancient philosophy of Taoism which dates back more than 5,000 years. The theories at the very core of TCM took shape approximately 2,000 years ago into the practice we understand it to be today. With hundreds of years of application, contemporary TCM has grown into an all-encompassing database for overcoming both old and new medical difficulties, such as:
Chinese medicine has advanced and becomes so well known that it has begun to be used in conjunction with western medicine.
Although it's become much more modern it is still considered alternative medicine.
The theory of TCM is based on the fact that our body’s organs all support each other. “The whole equals the sum of its parts.”
If one organ is deficient or imbalanced it is affecting not the organ alone but its paired organ and even the body as a whole.
What is Chinese Medicine?
TCM is based on a set of interventions designed to restore balance to human beings. It not only teaches you to balance, but wellness, and harmony as well. A diagnosis derived from TCM consists of tracing and rectifying symptoms of the underlying imbalance, predominantly by palpating the pulse, inspecting the tongue, and performing a physical exam. These three methods help your practitioner identify the imbalances and qi blockages happening within the body. It is very important to be aware that if a TCM practitioner finds an organ to be deficient or imbalanced it does not mean that the organ is diseased. All the treatments applied in TCM are aiming to balance the Yin and Yang in one’s body thereby, allowing the body to naturally heal itself. Yin and yang are opposing but complementary energies that are involved in every aspect of life.
The four key principles in TCM
“Your body is integrated as a whole.” – TCM doesn’t only work with the physical body and symptoms, but with the mind, spirit, lifeforce, and energy creating an overall balance all throughout.
“You are completely connected to nature.” – Like the seasons change so do our bodies with it. Our bodies and symptoms tend to reflect the season we’re in, where we are in the world, even the time of day.
“You were born with a natural self-healing ability.” – Though we sometimes lose the ability to realize this we are all born with a regenerative ability. For example, when we get a cut, it bleeds, clots, scabs, and new skin is created over it - in most cases making it just a memory. Our systems as a whole have this exact ability. We are a, “microcosm that reflects the macrocosm.”
“Prevention is the best cure.” – Traditional Chinese medicine brings back the awareness in your body. It helps you detect a symptom before it becomes something more serious. By bringing back balance into the body we’re able to interpret what it is telling us.
When learning about TCM and meridians it is important to know that there is a cyclical flow that happens in our body. This means that not only do we base our moments on time but so do our internal organs. The elements are also involved in the sense that every organ belongs to one of the five elements. By asking questions such as, what time do you go to sleep? Do you find yourself waking up at a different time every night? What time do you find yourself becoming sluggish during the day? Gives your physician an idea of what organs are involved and therefore which element they are working with. During each of the specific organs times that organ is at its maximum energy.
What is the Cyclical Flow in our Bodies?
Lung – 3 am to 5am – Metal – This is the time where your body is being replenished with oxygen. If you wake up during this time it’s a good idea to do some deep breathing exercises to keep your lungs nice and open.
Large Intestine – 5am to 7am – Metal – This is the perfect time to have your first bowel movement of the day and release the toxins built up from the day before.
Stomach – 7am to 9am – Earth - They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and they are not wrong. By eating in this time period, it optimizes your digestion and absorption for the day ahead.
Spleen – 9am to 11am – Earth – Your spleen time is for digestion and transporting your energy for the day. It’s the perfect time to get your daily exercise in.
Heart – 11am to 1pm – Fire – As you could imagine the heart pumps our blood, not only that but it’s also pumping the nutrients throughout our body the give us more energy.
Small intestine – 1pm to 3pm – Fire – Similar to the spleen – this is the time that the body continues and completes the digestion and absorption of your food eaten earlier.
Urinary bladder – 3pm to 5pm – Water – This is when your metabolic waste from the day moves into your filtration system. If you like brain busters this is the perfect time to study and get academics done.
Kidney – 5pm to 7pm – Water – Our blood is being filtered at this time – this is to maintain the chemical balance throughout our bodies.
Pericardium – 7pm to 9pm – Fire – This is the time of circulation in our bodies. All of the nutrients that have built up over the day are moved to our cells.
Triple warmer – 9pm to 11pm – Fire – This primarily focuses on our endocrine system. Our homeostasis is adjusted and the enzymes in our bodies are nice and replenished.
Gallbladder – 11pm to 1 am – Wood - Not only is this a time of rest but when our yin energy is switched to our yang energy. You could think of this as night and day.
Liver – 1 am to 3am – Wood – This is when our fresh blood and our toxins are released. This is why it is so important to be asleep during this time so that the process isn’t hindered.
*Knowing the times that our body and organs are functioning at maximum capacity not only helps the TCM physician but also helps you determine the best way to spend your day*
TCM Treatments Near Fort Lauderdale
Acupuncture – “The practice of penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles which are activated through specific movements of a practitioner’s hands or with electrical stimulation.” The needles are placed in points along the 12 channels that run throughout your body. The channels are made up of specific organs. These organs are the lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, urinary bladder, kidney, pericardium, triple warmer, gallbladder, and liver. There are other types of modalities involved in acupuncture such as the use of lasers, magnets, ear seeds, and even acupressure, which is the use of finger pressure on the channels.
Moxibustion – A variation of herbs, mostly mugwort leaves, burned near the skin using different techniques to stimulate the flow of energy and blood in the body. Moxibustion or moxa is also great for releasing cold trapped in the body and breaking up any stagnation of blood and energy..
Cupping – Cups are placed on the skin using either fire or a device to suck the air out in order for it to grasp the skin. The cups are used either as moving or stationary to break up the stagnation in the area or channel and bring blood to the surface to promote healing.
Tuina – A type of manual therapy or bodywork that uses the energetic meridians and acupuncture points to balance the body by activating the stimulation of qi and blood using pressure, compressions, and myofascial release.
Herbal Medicine – A very big part of TCM is herbal medicine. All the herbs used to create formulas are mainly plant-based, but animal products and minerals are also incorporated. It isn’t just powdered-based formulas used in herbal treatment, but lotions, pastes, and tablets are also used depending on the specific herb and its intended use.
Movement and concentrated exercises – A big part of movement and exercise in TCM is incorporating things like Tai Chi or Qigong. What this is, is slow, rhythmic, and meditative body movements that are designed to enhance your inner calm and peace, as well as relaxation. One of the forms of Tai Chi and Qi Gong is moving the hands along your acupuncture meridians to let your own energy move the blood more smoothly throughout your channels. Meditation is a big part of these modalities and is considered to be not only stationary meditation but moving meditation as well. Postures and movements chosen are based on what stage of illness or disease a person is in.
Food Therapy – Nutrition in TCM dates back to one of the earliest herbal books ever created in Chinese medicine. This book included foods that practitioners at the time thought were important to maintaining balance and health. Thousands of years later we’ve only advanced our learnings and teachings. By incorporating and eliminating certain foods in our diet we’re able to not only reduce symptoms but prevent diseases. TCM practitioners use a combination of Eastern and Western nutrition in order to give each patient exactly what they need for their bodies and genetic makeup.
Call us today to book your complimentary Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) consultation at our Plantation or Wilton Manors, Florida clinic with one of our Board Certified Physicians.
