An Introduction to Chinese Medicine

More than half of Americans have used an alternative therapy instead of -- or in addition to -- Western medical treatment for their conditions. Among these therapies are acupuncture and other Chinese-medicine practices that have been used for more than 3,000 years.

"Traditional Chinese medicine is based on prevention," says Jason Elias, M.A., L.Ac., co-founder of Integral Health Associates in New Paltz, N.Y., and author of "Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity." "Chinese physicians believed they were paid to keep their patients healthy. If you got sick, the treatment was free."

Ancient Chinese healers envisioned the body as a garden in which the vital energy force, called wei chi, acts as a natural immune system to keep everything in healthy harmony. They described the wei chi as a corps of trillions of tiny groundskeepers who knew exactly how to protect healthy growth and repel harmful intruders.

Chi energy flows through the body in specific and well-defined channels called meridians. As it does its healthful work, wei chi is supported by other kinds of energies that enter the body from various sources and flow through it in different ways.

Wei chi depends on the body for the few elements it needs: nutritious foods, pure water, clean air and freedom to move. It also requires a person to believe in and support the body's healthful power.

Restoring balance

For the body to be healthy, chi energy must be able to flow freely through the meridians. Disease results when internal or external causes attack, weaken or impede the chi's natural flow.

For example:

• Five devils. Exposure to excessive wind, heat, dampness, dryness and cold can affect the vitality of the wei chi, especially if neglect or an unhealthful lifestyle has weakened it.

• Five destructive emotions. Anger, joy, worry, grief and fear all have their place, but overindulgence creates imbalances in the body's system.

When disease occurs, a Chinese-medicine practitioner will examine the patient for signs of physical or emotional imbalance, then seek to restore health by restoring the strength and the flow of vital energy.

Common therapies, which may be used separately or together, include:

• Acupuncture. Acupuncture helps energies flow freely through the meridians by removing blockages. The practitioner inserts needles or applies pressure at body points that correlate to specific conditions and symptoms.

• Herbal therapies. Chinese herbs help restore healthful balance by directing energies through channels in ways that relieve underlying deficiencies, overactivity or other problems. Though Western herbal therapies usually target specific symptoms, Chinese herbs treat the overall system.

• Exercise. Chinese practitioners believe that exercise keeps the energy moving and is essential for good health. Too much sitting can injure the kidney. The liver also needs movement to maintain health.

• Diet. "The Chinese approach to nutrition makes good sense for Western diets, as well," says Mr. Elias.

Mainstays of the traditional Chinese diet include rice, vegetables and lean meat, chicken and fish lightly cooked to preserve vitamins. Instead of high-fat, low-nutrition, highly processed foods, "we need whole foods for healthy chi," says Mr. Elias.

Today, more than one-fourth of Asia's population uses medical systems based on traditional Oriental principles. Popularity of acupuncture and other Chinese techniques continues to grow in the West, as well. So, will Chinese medicine ever replace Western-style treatments?

"Both have their places," says Mr. Elias. "Western medicine is the best in the world at certain things, such as acute care and emergency treatment. But for preventing disease and caring for chronic conditions such as asthma, allergies and arthritis, Chinese medicine has a great deal it can teach us."