The major disadvantage of Western medicine is that it has the potential to cause a great deal of harm.
Acupuncture, on the other hand, is most unlikely to cause any serious damage as it is a particularly safe form of therapy; this is undoubtedly one of its main advantages.
Oriental medicine is the fastest growing form of health care in the United Kingdom, moving from decades of relative obscurity to its current position beside Western medical practice.
Although many people think Chinese medicine is limited to acupuncture, it is actually a complete medical system that also includes herbal remedies, diet, exercise and massage
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Chinese medicine, a 3000+ year-old medicine, is practiced in more countries than any other medical system in the world. It is a complete medicine (as is western medicine), meaning that it can stand alone in diagnosing disease and prescribing treatment for a vast amount of health problems. Because it is a complete medical system, it can be used in place of western medicine.
In fact, many people have chosen Oriental medicine as their primary health care system. It can also be used as a complementary medical system to western medicine because it is better at diagnosing and/or treating certain types of conditions and diseases, particularly, chronic diseases, gynaecological problems, fertility issues and diseases that go undiagnosed by western medicine.
Western medicine, on the other hand, would be the better choice for life threatening situations and major acute conditions. It would be wise to consider Chinese medicine and Western Medicine as mutually beneficial rather than mutually exclusive.
CHINESE MEDICINE PHILOSOPHY
Yin and YangWithin Chinese Cosmology, all of creation is born from yin and yang. These are polar opposites such as winter and summer, night and day, cold and hot, wet and dry, inner and outer. Harmony of yin and yang brings health, good weather, and good fortune, while disharmony leads to disease, disaster, and bad luck. The strategy of Chinese medicine is to restore harmony.
Each human is seen as a microcosm of the world in which the doctor and patient together strive to cultivate health. Each person has a unique terrain to be maintained. The doctor uses acupuncture, herbs and food to recover and sustain health in the person.
Body Constituents (Qi, Moisture, Blood, Spirit, Essence)
The human body is comprised of qi, (pronounced chee), moisture, and blood. Qi is the force that gives us our capacity to move, think, feel, and work. Moisture is the liquid medium that protects and lubricates tissue. Blood is the material foundation of bones, nerves, skin, muscles, and organs.
Human beings also have a psyche and soma, Spirit (Shen) and Essence (Jing). Shen is the immaterial expression of the individual; and Essence represents the body's reproductive and regenerative substance.
Organ Networks
(Liver and Gallbladder, Heart and Small Intestine, Spleen and Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine, Kidney and Urinary Bladder).
The body is divided into five functional systems known as Organ Networks. These Networks govern particular tissues, mental faculties, and physical activities. Many of the physical functions of these Networks (identified thousands of years ago by the Chinese) are similar to those identified by the West today.
Body Climates
(Wind, Dampness, Dryness, Heat, Cold) In nature we have extreme climactic conditions that wreak havoc in the world. These same forces – extreme wind, dampness, dryness, heat, and cold – can damage the balance within the human body, weakening or obstructing the movement of qi in the organs.