This article is meant to act as a guide for the very fundamentals — an intro to help you navigate and dive deeper into the world of Chinese medicine and what it has to offer.
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Key Concept: Good circulation is the key to health. Chinese medicine optimizes the flow of circulation in the body to help you make the most out of your internal resources.
Chinese Medicine is a long-standing medical practice that has been around for more than 2000+ years. It developed completely separate from (and much earlier than) Western medicine.
If we look beyond the cultural and theoretical differences, the one concept that remains a fundamental truth in both Chinese medicine and Western medicine is the concept of circulation. In both medical practices, circulation is understood as the means of transport for nutrients and metabolic wastes. It is the highway of life that supports life. Without circulation, there is no way for cells to receive the resources they need to function and keep the organism alive.
Photo by Jason Corey on Unsplash
Circulation is the highway of life that supports life. - Both Chinese and Western medicine know this.
Again, think of circulation as a highway for transporting goods to different parts of the body. Every part needs to be distributed food and water. Every part needs its waste taken away to be excreted out of the body. It is a wonderfully functioning system until...
1) Circulation is blocked and/or
2) A shortage of transporting vehicles/vessels (in this case blood and blood cells) develops
These circulation disturbances can be caused by trauma, poor lifestyle habits, and emotion. Basically any internally or externally caused damage. Long-term or acute.
A commonplace saying in Chinese about pain and the importance of circulation...
“痛則不通，通則不痛” “Pain happens when there is blockage in the flow of circulation. Good circulation helps your body stay pain free.”
How Do We Determine Poor Circulation?
Now that we understand that good circulation is important, how does Chinese medicine figure out what areas of the body are lacking good circulation and in turn causing problems?
If you’ve ever had a Chinese medicine consultation or treatment, you will know that we spend a lot of time during the first appointment asking you what we call the “10 Questions” (ranging from energy levels to the quality of your poop) in detail. It is then followed by looking at your tongue, taking your pulse, and palpating areas of discomfort.
We piece together all the small signs and symptoms into an individualized health picture. That helps us figure out what areas are weaker and where the root cause of where the problems stem from.
In essence, Chinese medicine translates all the subtle signs and symptoms to determine what areas need better circulation.
What Are Examples Of Poor Circulation That Chinese Medicine Can Help With?
These are just a few examples.
How Does Chinese Medicine Help With Sustaining Good Circulation?
Because Chinese Medicine is able to translate the entire body’s small signs and symptoms into an individual health picture, each individual will have their own unique diagnosis. That diagnosis will help determine where to promote circulation to the specific areas in need.
Chinese medicine does not have a one-pill fits all approach. That is the beauty of it. For example, two people being treated for insomnia may have completely different diagnoses. One might have insomnia from overthinking at night and the other due to eating too late at night. The overall health picture is important for understanding the root cause.
Chinese medicine helps you use those resources you already have in your body, better.
Acupuncture, moxa, herbs, cupping, guasha, tui-na (Chinese orthopedic massage) are all tools that Chinese medicine has to help sustain good circulation.
They each have specific ways to help stimulate and boost circulation. Each tool has its own focus and best uses. To understand how each tool within the grand Chinese medicine toolbox helps to boost circulation, please check out other posts on this blog.
So what are you waiting for?! Feel free to ask me any other questions you may have!
* Originally co-authored material with Dr. Connie Ly L.Ac.
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