We all familiar with the specialized fields into which western medicine has divided itself in recent decades. It is common now to have different doctors, cures, prescriptions and therapies for every last individual body part and system.
For every health issue we experience, we are advised to consult a different specialist and are frequently prescribed drugs and medications that when combined create adverse and unhelpful reactions between each other. In historical terms, this approach has evolved from the West’s 17th and 18th Century concept of the body as a machine from which single components could be removed, analysed, repaired and reinstalled to ensure the good functioning of the whole system.
In our Toronto Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, on the other hand, we start from an alternative philosophy that there is no other way to restore health except by treating the body as a whole entity. This intimate and mutually dependent interaction between all body parts is crucial to understanding why TCM works and why it is so different from western medicine.
TCM also takes a different approach to the treatment of pain. Many modern medicines simply block off the pain and so offer a temporary reprieve from discomfort. However, modern medicines do not always address the root cause of the pain which consequently may remain untreated in the body.
In TCM philosophy, pain is seen as a clear indication of a blockage of energy (in other words, an impediment to the natural flow of our body energy), and treats it directly. In TCM terms, ignoring the pain, or simply numbing it, wouldn’t produce any real benefit. TCM herbalist therapies and holistic treatments aim to heal the whole person, not just the pain, disease or a single aspect of it. TCM’s focus is on prevention rather than letting problems arise and then having to find a cure.
A health assessment in Traditional Chinese Medical can detect subtle imbalances in the body before they develop into diseases, and much earlier than regular Western medical tests can detect any abnormalities.
Click Here to see a list of symptoms and conditions that acupuncture can treat, and give us a call or contact us online to make your appointment at our Toronto clinic.
