Stevens Naturopathic Center

   Chinese medicine is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, with recorded instances dating as far back as two thousand years before the birth of Christ. This is in sharp contrast to the American or Western forms of health care, which have been in existence for a much shorter time span (the American Medical Association was formed in 1847, some 3,800 years after the first mention of traditional Chinese medicine).

Chinese medicine is quite complex and can be difficult for some people to comprehend. This is because it is based, at least in part, on the belief that we live in a universe in which everything is interconnected. What happens to one part of the body affects every other part of the body. The mind and body are not viewed separately, but as part of an energetic system. Similarly, organs and organ systems are viewed as interconnected structures that work together to keep the body functioning.

Many of the concepts emphasized in traditional Chinese medicine have no true counterpart in Western medicine. One of these concepts is qi (pronounced "chi"), which is considered the vital force or energy responsible for controlling the workings of the human mind and body. Qi flows through the body via channels, or pathways, which are called meridians. There are a total of 20 meridians: 12 primary meridians, which correspond to specific organs, organ systems or functions, and eight secondary meridians. Imbalances in the flow of qi cause illness; correction of this flow restores the body to balance. Other concepts (such as the Yin/Yang and Five Element Theories) are equally important in order to have a true grasp of traditional Chinese medicine.

Many people often equate the practice of acupuncture with the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. This is not entirely true. While acupuncture is the most often practiced component of traditional Chinese medicine, it is simply that – a component, an important piece of a much larger puzzle. Chinese medicine encompasses several methods designed to help patients achieve and maintain health. Along with acupuncture, we incorporate moxibustion, cupping, acupressure massage techniques, herbal medicine, diet and lifestyle changes and qi gong energy work.

How Does Classical Chinese Medicine Differ from TCMl

Classical Chinese Medicine invites you to explore the essence of Oriental medicine from a perspective that goes far beyond the institutionalized phenomenon presently known as “TCM” (traditional Chinese medicine). Since the 1970s, the TCM process of packaging the multi-faceted roots of Chinese medicine into the sterile confines of a highly standardized model has been eagerly absorbed by educational institutions in Europe and America, and is rapidly becoming the dominant face of Oriental medicine today.

While TCM represents the recent marriage between local Chinese resources with the methodology of scientific materialism, classical Chinese medicine (CCM) remains firmly committed to its ancient roots. CCM is a science in its own right, embedded in the mytho-poetic mode of observing and describing nature, which linked the spheres of macro- and microcosm in ancient China and became preserved in a set of works honored as “the classics.” The primary distinguishing feature of CCM is thus its way of thinking—why and when and how does one chose to apply a therapeutic modality, rather than insisting that the use of acupuncture and herbs alone defines a practitioner of the traditional art of Chinese medicine. CCM does not advocate a blind adherence to things past, but embraces the classical spirit of utilizing time-honored modes of holistic thought in an ever changing space-time environment.

For more information please follow this link to the website created by Heiner Freuhauf, Ph.D, LAc, the founder of the classical Chinese medicine program at NCNM.

http://www.classicalchinesemedicine.org/ccm/index.htm



Nature Cure

Vis medicatrix naturae – the healing power of nature – is the core tenet of a system of medicine known as Nature Cure. This power describes the healing ability inherent to the body that is governed by the laws of nature. Nature – being both the sum total of the energetic forces at work throughout the Universe and the elements of the natural world, such as mountains, rivers, plants and animals – is ordered and intelligent.

The human body has a natural state, and when it is thrown into disequilibrium the body experiences “dis-ease”. Human biology is self-regulating; it naturally corrects and adjusts to reach a homeostatic equilibrium. Inherent to the theory of Nature Cure is the definition of health as an adherence to the basic laws and energy patterns of Nature.

The origin of disease is viewed as noncompliance with Nature’s laws. Nature cure practitioners acknowledge that the nature of human biology, as the nature of the Universe, is to maintain equilibrium. It is my belief that a healer’s primary role is to identify and remove obstacles to equilibrium and to facilitate and augment the natural healing ability both within the individual and also within the larger community.

When the behavior of a human being, or of a community of human beings, diverges from these laws, the natural harmony of the macrocosm (Universe) is disturbed. As a result, the vibrational state of the human body is similarly altered. When one lives out of harmony with the laws of nature, one gets sick. Historically, the role of the healer in both naturopathic and classical Chinese medicine was to first recognize the imbalances manifesting in the human being as disease symptoms and then to look towards identifying the root of this imbalance with the relationship between human beings and everything else that is not human: the more-than-human world.