Sawadee ka!

This week we visited the Chinese traditional medicine hospital. First we got a little over view of what types of services they provided and then a tour along with some demonstrations.

Just a little background …
Traditional Chinese medicine dates back a few thousand years and focuses on the human body as a unified system rather then seeing  separate organ systems. Everything is categorized as Yin known as vital essence and Yang known as vital energy. They can only exist together and in equal forms. Certain parts of our body represent yin or yang. For example, heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys are yin when stomach, gallbladder, intestines, and bladder are yang. It is believed that an imbalanced yin/yang will lead to illness.

Acupuncture…
The meridian system is what connects the interior and exterior of our body. Its what’s used when looking at acupoints. There are a total of 361 total acupuncture points but 150 of them are used commonly. Each point is associated with treating certain things. I had the opportunity to participate. AJ was my doctor and as you can see below she pressed a practically non existent acupuncture needle at the Hegu acupoint. The particular point helps treat facial aliment, relieves headaches, and relieves fevers.

My thoughts…
In my opinion this form of medicine is beneficial when used with modern medicine. I also think that patients that choose this in placement or use with modern medicine truly need to believe in it. It’s a commitment and requires patience. It’s not like taking a 7 day course of antibiotics or a daily blood pressure drug.

Purvi