Typical TCM therapies include acupuncture and herbal medicine. Qigong related physical, breathing, and meditation exercises are also often recommended to patients.

With acupuncture, treatment is accomplished by stimulating certain areas of the external body. Herbal medicine acts on organs internally, from improving blood circulation and immunity to addressing the root cause of serious ailments.

Qigong on the other hand, tries to restore the orderly "flow" inside the network through the regulation of "qi". These therapies appear very different in approach, yet they all share the same underlying sets of assumptions and insights in the nature of the human body and its place in the universe.

TCM requires considerable diagnostic skill. Following formal education in recognised TCM colleges/universities, a training period of years or decades is said to be necessary for TCM practitioners to understand the full complexity of symptoms and dynamic balances. Modern practitioners often use a traditional system in combination with Western methods.

The following methods are considered to be part of TCM:

1. Acupuncture: from the Latin word acus, "needle", and pungere, meaning "prick", this is a technique in which the practitioner inserts fine needles into specific points on the patient's body. Usually about a dozen acupoints are needled in one session, although the number of needles used may range anywhere from just one or two to 20 or more. The intended effect is to increase circulation and balance energy (qi) within the body.

2. Chinese food therapy: dietary recommendations are usually made according to the patient's individual condition in relation to TCM theory. The "five flavours" indicate what function various types of food play in the body. A balanced diet, which leads to health, is when the five functional flavours are in balance. When one is diseased (and therefore unbalanced), certain foods and herbs are prescribed to restore balance to the body.

3. Chinese herbal medicine: of the approximately 500 Chinese herbs that are in use today, 250 or so are very commonly used. Rather than being prescribed individually, single herbs are combined into formulas that are designed to adapt to the specific needs of individual patients.

An herbal formula can contain anywhere from three to 25 herbs. As with diet therapy, each herb has one or more of the five flavours/functions and one of five "temperatures" ("qi") (hot, warm, neutral, cool, cold). After the herbalist determines the energetic temperature and functional state of the patient's body, a mixture of herbs tailored to balance disharmony is prescribed.

For example, the herbs Carthami flos and Leonuri herba are commonly prescribed to improve blood circulation and clear clotted blood, and are well known medicated herbs for women.

4. Cupping: A type of Chinese massage, cupping consists of placing several glass "cups" (open spheres) on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. As the air in the cup is heated, it expands, and after placing on the skin, cools down, creating a lower pressure inside the cup that allows the cup to stick to the skin via suction.

When combined with massage oil, the cups can be slid around the back, offering what some practitioners think of as a reverse-pressure massage.

5. Gu Shang Ke or Chinese Medicinal Orthopedic: this is usually practised by martial artists who know aspects of Chinese medicine that apply to the treatment of trauma and injuries such as bone fractures, sprains, and bruises. Some of these specialists may also use or recommend other disciplines of Chinese medical therapies if serious injury is involved.

6. Tui na: a form of massage akin to acupressure from which the Japanese massage technique of Shiatsu evolved. Oriental massage is typically administered with the patient fully clothed, without the application of grease or oils. Choreography often involves thumb presses, rubbing, percussion, and stretches.

This article is courtesy of Yomeishu. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.