Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest healing systems in the world. The large variety of the modalities that it includes makes it versatile, and the method of establishing diagnoses and deciding on treatments makes it flexible. Acupuncture is probably the most widely known TCM modality, but TCM also includes herbs, cupping, manual therapy, nutritional modifications, moxibustion, meditation, qi gong, tai chi, and gua sha (scraping therapy). At the core of the diagnostic approach is the balance among the Zang-Fu organs, and the goal of treatment is to restore that balance, using the TCM modalities. From the traditional viewpoint, traditional Chinese medicine can achieve a greater and longer-lasting outcome when it is used preventatively. While this approach may seem logical, it is considered to be prescientific, making it somewhat surprising that numerous research studies conducted during the last several decades demonstrated not only that TCM can be effective but also that TCM can work well when combined with other, scientific methods and approaches. At Advanced Holistic Center, in Miami Beach Chinese medicine and Downtown Miami Chinese medicine branches, we do our best to help our patients to take full advantage of the classical methods as well as the latest discoveries.
What Does Chinese Medical Clinic Look Like?
Because traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) includes many different treatment options, Chinese medical clinics can look differently, depending on what an individual practitioner specializes in. The very basic Chinese medical clinic can be nothing more than a massage chair and a TCM practitioner. After all, at least in theory, it is possible to improve patients’ conditions by pressing certain combinations of acupuncture points. At the Advanced Holistic Center, in our Downtown Miami Chinese medicine and Miami Beach Chinese medicine branches, however, we want to increase the quality of treatment for our patients as much as possible, and our facilities include comfortable massage tables, various acupuncture needles, infrared heat lamps, electrical stimulators, cupping, moxibustion, and gua sha tools, as well as a wide range of single herbs and commonly used herbal formulas. On the one hand, such a wide range of tools and equipment may appear excessive, but on the other hand, stress slows down or even precludes the healing process, and TCM practitioners, who are usually referred to simply as “acupuncturists,” want to make their patients as comfortable as may be possible during their visits, and the only element that may still cause patients slight stress is the white lab coat or the scrubs, which many acupuncturists wear at work.
What Are Chinese Medicine’s Practices and Tools?
The first things that come to mind when thinking about Chinese medical tools and practices are acupuncture needles and their insertion. Modern acupuncture needles, however, are not hollow like medical needles, vary greatly in length and thickness, and typically are much thinner, and while someone with a sharp lower back pain might not mind having a couple long thick acupuncture needles inserted in his or her lower back for faster pain relief, someone who suffers from insomnia would benefit more from several thin needles placed strategically in the points on the hands and feet and the forehead. Moxibustion, which typically involves warming of acupuncture of needles after they are inserted and/or the insertion site, is often combined with acupuncture for several reasons, but primarily because their combination creates a more relaxing effect. Electrostimulation is, too, often included in acupuncture treatments, mostly because it is often used in research studies, and using specific waves, frequencies, and intensities often increase the success rate as well as the speed of recovery. Many acupuncturists and their patients like gua sha, which is a set of scraping techniques using specially designed plates and/or spoons. A large selection of herbs often occupies a Chinese medical clinic. Herbs can be used as a separate treatment or in conjunction with other modalities. This is by no means an exhaustive list of modern Chinese medical tools and practices and at the Advanced Holistic Center in our Downtown Miami Chinese medicine and Miami Beach Chinese medicine branches, we try making coming in for a treatment an interesting adventure.
Something Else
Advanced Holistic Center is a NYC based acupuncture and holistic healthcare clinic. Advanced Holistic Center has more locations and longer open hours than almost any complementary and alternative healthcare facility in all of NYC. With four offices manned by our fully licensed and board certified acupuncturists and herbalists, a team of highly-qualified: assistants, meditation teachers.
Is Chinese Medicine Effective?
A large number of research studies conducted during the last several decades have demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine is, indeed, effective. At the same time, the majority of studies focused on acupuncture and Chinese herbs, neglecting many other TCM modalities. After the Olympic Games a few years ago, cupping therapy has suddenly gained popularity, because a number of athletes use it, and more researchers have become interested in investigating the effects of cupping. As research continues, interesting trends and potentials of acupuncture have become apparent. For example, combining acupuncture with other modalities, particularly the modalities from western medicine such as pharmacological, surgical, or physical therapies, has shown greater success rates in many conditions than using one single modality. Also, the electric stimulation of acupuncture needles during treatments allowed researchers to collect more specific data on the intensity and frequency of specific stimulations in different conditions. Research studies have also demonstrated that acupuncture can be a valuable method for the treatment of addictions, and TCM’s potential for future research appears promising as well as exciting. At the Advanced Holistic Center, in our Downtown Miami Chinese medicine and Miami Beach Chinese medicine branches, we do our best to offer our patients the latest and most effective methods.
Does it hurt?
Advanced Holistic Center is a NYC based acupuncture and holistic healthcare clinic. Advanced Holistic Center has more locations and longer open hours than almost any complementary and alternative healthcare facility in all of NYC. With four offices manned by our fully licensed and board certified acupuncturists and herbalists, a team of highly-qualified: assistants, meditation teachers.