Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Discussion on pain Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is probably one of the oldest complementary therapies and continuously practised systems of medicine in the world. Developed through empirical observation by the Chinese over thousands of years, this unique medical system is used to treat a wide range of diseases, and is of especial use in treating […]

Historical development of the pain concept (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture)

It is widely known throughout the world that both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be used to treat pain. According to popular legend, about two thousand years ago an outstanding doctor named Hua Tuo had already started to use herbs and acupuncture to different kinds of pain (Hua Tuo c. ad 180). For instance, […]

Aetiology and pathology of pain (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) Part 1

Aetiology of pain Exogenous factors WIND Wind is one of six exogenous factors, which is predominant in the spring but may also occur in any of the four seasons. When attacking the body, Wind is likely to combine with another of the pathogenic factors, such as Cold, Damp or Heat, etc., leading to retardation of […]

Aetiology and pathology of pain (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) Part 2

OVEREATING OF FATTY AND FIERY FOOD AS WELL AS DRINKING HEATING BEVERAGES In the West, many people have a tendency to be too Yang, probably because of the following factors: •    constitutional Yang excess or Yin deficiency from the parents •    depletion of Liver-Yin and Kidney-Yin due to too much sex, overworking, too much excitement […]

Occurrence of Pain (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture)

According to TCM, pain occurs when there is stagnation of Qi and Blood, or deficiency of Qi and Blood, resulting from the various kinds of causative factors discussed earlier in the topic. However, its occurrence also reflects the fight between the body’s Wei Qi, or Defense Qi, and the pathogenic Qi. When pain occurs and […]

Differentiation of pain (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) Part 1

Differentiation of the location of pain Pain generally occurs at only certain locations, and it is very important to find out where these are in order to determine which Zang-Fu organs or channels are involved, as this may help greatly in determining treatment accurately. The Zang-Fu organs The locations of the Zang-Fu organs are as […]

Differentiation of pain (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) Part 2

Wind, Cold, Damp and Heat Where the pain is caused by Wind, Cold, Damp or Heat due to either Exogenous invasion or Internal disorders, there is often seen to be a predominance of one or two of these pathogenic factors. The differentiation of Wind, Cold, Damp and Heat is the way to distinguish whether treatment […]

Treatment differentiation (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture)

General concepts of treatment This topic deals with the basic principles of making a decision about which treatment methods and prescriptions to use. This decision is reached by following the guidance of the TCM holistic concepts about differentiation of the syndromes. The principle of treatment differs from the method of the treatment, as the former […]

Selection and combination of acupuncture points (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture)

Selection of acupuncture points Acupuncture treatment consists of the application of a few points at specific places on the body. Thus, the selection and combination of points in an acupuncture treatment is most important. Since selection of points along the channels is guided by the theory of Zang-Fu organs and channels, it is essential for […]

Pain in the entire body (Treatment of Pain with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) Part 1

This topic deals with the occurrence of pain affecting the entire body, including joints, tendons and muscles, which may be accompanied by an aversion to cold, fever, sweating or lack of sweating, fatigue or even dysfunction of the limbs. Pain throughout the body can, according to TCM, be caused by disorders in the Internal organs […]