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With the increase in technology as part of our everyday lives, humans are gaining access to more information than ever before. Being able to access a variety of information with the click of a button has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of accessing information. However, such a drastic change compared with our lifestyles, from even just decades ago, has put pressure on our brains to process such a large amount of information daily. As the primary format for which we gain our knowledge and understanding has changed, there are many implications for our health, and sleeping patterns.
Pain is a natural part of life and a common experience for many people. It often serves as a signal from your body, indicating that something needs attention. This signal may come in various forms—changes in temperature , blood pressure , breathing patterns , or physical discomfort. While pain can be unpleasant, it can also be useful in helping you understand your body better and take proactive steps toward healing. These changes within your body that can be observed through the feeling of pain, can help you to become aware of what is happening with your body, so that you have the opportunity to take notice of your symptoms, and seek help. This means that pain can assist you in making you feel more open and connected in understanding how your body and mind are feeling and changing over time. This is the philosophical level to explaining pain, which can hopefully provide you with a grounding feeling, and less of a hopeless feeling, as you can understand that your body is presenting these symptoms for a reason.
Moxibustion, or Moxa, is one of the traditional therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This therapy has existed even longer than acupuncture, as the needle for acupuncture needed to be developed . Moxa works by applying a specific herbal remedy with heat to target certain points in the body for different therapeutic functions. It is not just the heat itself that makes this treatment effective, but rather it is how Yin and Yang and the energy force are worked through selected points, encouraging the qi to further circulate in the body, relieving tension, and removing specific symptoms of illness or discomfort. This treatment is also beneficial as the warming sensation is essential for comforting and improving cold, weak, or chronic conditions, as well as enhancing qi or yang deficiency patterns in patients by moving the energy through the body’s 12 meridians . This therapy also focuses on the prevention of diseases and the maintenance of overall health and well-being.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a combination of good foods and Chinese herbs is essential for overall health and wellbeing. A small amount of traditional herbs can be eaten daily alongside a healthy diet, for additional nutritional support and for maintaining balance, and good health. This is known as food therapy and medical diet therapy in TCM, and this helps to balance the Yin and Yang through a combination of nutrition and exercise. Traditional Chinese herbs are an edible type of medicine that have been used in TCM for many years. The herbs are used for healing, and for providing many health benefits. Herbs often have a bitter taste, putting off some people from trying this simple way to improve your lifestyle. A core feature of TCM is the belief that a combination of the five flavours in our diet supports our vital organs and overall health, which are Sweet, Salty, Spicy/Pungent, Bitter, and Sour . So, herbs can often be eaten in combination with special fruits, nuts, and seeds to make for a more pleasant, and slightly sweet taste. This can also help you to gain additional nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This combination of food and traditional Chinese herbs is a remedy that can support your immune system and vital functions. These small portions of combined seeds, fruit, and Chinese herbs, can be eaten daily and through a variety of methods. It is common for these to be eaten in bread, porridge, or through forms of steaming.
Reflexology is one of the most popular treatment methods for natural healing within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Before your reflexology appointment, a health evaluation and consultation will be carried out to identify your health needs and concerns for treatment. It is very common for clients to be treated with a foot massage. However, although this treatment option can be effective, it can also be limited. The reflexology approach that is often used for the foot massage can also be applied to the rest of the body. The basic theory behind the treatment is the Hologram theory , which treats the body as an interconnected system. The treatment approach to reflexology that works best for you will be determined by your health consultation. Practitioners use different techniques and areas of the body for reflexology to balance chronic physical, emotional and mental concerns. Although foot reflexology has become popularised, the ear, face, head, spinal column, back, abdominal area, hands, and feet all have reflecting points to massage and stimulate, and thus can be treated with this approach. Reflexology is a concept based on energy flow. Different units of the body are connected to different pressure points. When these points are targeted and massaged, they can assist in helping the balance of qi within that area. Through reflexology, blockages in qi can be targeted and prevented, and this can help in relieving stress or discomfort.
Tai Chi and Qi Gong are traditional forms of exercise in Chinese culture. They are related exercises that are offered at the Woden clinic, and can contribute to the holistic healing of clients as these exercises can improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. Many of our clients turn to natural healing methods including TCM when they're ready to take an active role in their health journey. This style of practice requires clients to review their lifestyle, and fitness and activity for their long term health. TCM supports this mindset.
Cupping therapy is a form of treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which is popular within the wider community. This practice has been observed for nearly 1,000 years. However, more recently this therapy has become popular amongst athletes. Athletes can often find they have overused their body after training or when performing, and muscle tension may be apparent. Cupping can be beneficial for improving upon the “perceptions of pain and disability [and for an] increased range of motion” . TCM cupping can be used to assist in the recovery process from exercise and injury, and can be used for a variety of applications in many health balancing ways. As we've explored in previous blog posts, the body consists of multiple layers, from the skin down to the bone, each contributing to a complex, interconnected system. Practitioners of TCM view the body not as isolated parts, but as regions within this holistic network. Understanding these regions is crucial for tailoring therapies like cupping. By identifying the specific areas that require treatment, practitioners can select the appropriate type of cupping and adjust the size of the cups accordingly, ensuring that the therapy effectively addresses the body's needs.
With acupuncture, there are many theories which can be used by practitioners. Aside from the standard meridian theory of acupuncture treatment, there are other health professionals that use alternative needle insertion therapies, such as dry needling. These treatment types have similar intrusive techniques to acupuncture, and they have many different names throughout the different regions of the world. The Hologram Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Acupuncture In the TCM inclusive form of muscular based acupuncture, the needling technique is used to reduce tension, tightness, and to relieve certain conditions which have blocked energy. With the TCM holistic holographic concept (or hologram theory), practitioners gain a broader understanding of the body as a whole. This is applied by viewing the extremities or units of the body as individual microecosystems. Acupuncturists can then use this information to visualise a complex image of how the body’s systems function independently, and then how they can affect and interact with each other. Acupuncture can penetrate and treat many independent units of the body such as the head, forearms, neck, hands, knees, abdomen, and feet. This theory provides practitioners with the convenience, efficiency, and comfort necessary to consider the personalised treatment of clients. Acupuncturists when using this approach can easily take into consideration the preferences of clients. For example, some clients don’t want acupuncture in certain areas due to skin issues, pregnancy, fears, or discomfort. The holographic theory of acupuncture can provide different patterns for the treatment of clients in these situations, which is why this theory is broadly used in acupuncture treatment.
In the treatment of acupuncture, posture and movements are beneficial for the healing process, when used collaboratively. In a healing environment, this combination is very important for clients in different age groups, and with health conditions, as these techniques can make clients more comfortable and ready for the healing benefits of acupuncture. Clients in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are recommended to adopt specific breathing techniques, postures, and healing mindsets when receiving acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, cupping etc. This is because these techniques can work on influencing the meridian energy flow, improving the effectiveness of specific treatments. When you are receiving acupuncture, different postures will be suggested by your practitioner depending on which meridians need to be focused on for the treatment, and what health conditions or considerations need to be made. For example, when a client is having a very stressful day mentally and emotionally, they have often gained a lot of tension in the front and face partition due to experiencing a lot of conflict, or stress front on. This can influence where the acupuncture is focused on in the appointment. In the work context, people hold a lot of tension in the front of the body such as in their face, chest, abdomen, and top of feet. Tension in the face can result in headaches, jaw tightness, sleeping and snoring issues. Therefore any issues in the front of the body and face require a ‘face-up’ position or posture for acupuncture. In TCM, it is believed that the back is young and has a young meridian, which keeps people stronger and recharged. The young meridians and the functioning of the qi in these places can be targeted with acupuncture to help relieve pain, and to energise and revitalise clients. For this effective treatment, the face down, or ‘back-up’ position is implemented. Thus, a focus on posture in TCM can result in different results for specific concerns.
We have already discussed how the treatment plan for individual clients is discussed and implemented through the process of a consultation and initial review, and how this impacts working towards the individual health journeys of clients. There are many different aspects that affect the healing process, such as the discussions you have about your health, your individual reflection of your health, and your surrounding environment. In acupuncture, breathing is also very important for the effectiveness of the treatment, and for the benefit of the health process. Acupuncturists communicate to clients and encourage them to adopt certain breathing techniques which can support them throughout the treatment. The classic technique is that when the needles are being put into the body, you breathe in, and when the needles are being taken out of the body, you breathe out. Breathing techniques can either work to help make you stronger, or can focus on helping you relax and relieve tension. Clients can also breathe stronger to maintain the qi energy inside of them. The breathing technique which requires you to breathe in when the needles are being put in, and to breathe out when they are being taken out of the body, has a more calming effect on the body, whereby tensions and stress are alleviated. There are also breathing techniques for when the needles are already in the body. For example, clients can use more time breathing in and then quickly out which will have a different effect as the quick release of breath makes the client feel stronger, whilst a longer release of breath is aligned with a calming effect. The breathing technique recommended to you by your practitioner may not only focus on the timing of when you breathe in and out. For example, some clients may be sensitive to the needles, feel pain, or have fear surrounding acupuncture. In this case, clients are advised to hold their breath for a short amount of time, and then when the needle penetrates their skin, they breathe out. This can help a lot with the stress surrounding acupuncture. Therefore, in this holistic healing world, there are many factors that your acupuncturist will consider when conducting your treatment, which can contribute to the overall benefit of the therapy. Regarding breathing techniques specifically, practitioners will advise you about an appropriate technique to best suit you in your treatment.
