Chinese Medicine

1
Chinese Medicine

• Candy Furger
  
  Natalie Steinbrecher

2
History

• Chinese medicine is a system of medicine which
  originated over 4000 years ago

3
History

• It is a complete health care system capable of
  delivering both primary and specialized care
• Fundamental belief in traditional Chinese
  medicine is treating the person as a whole and
  searching for patterns of disharmony to put back
  into balance

4
History

• The first systematic compendium on acupuncture
  was the Huang Ti Nei Ching or the yellow
  emperors classic of internal medicine, written
  about 400BC
• Practitioners today still look to this for
  guidance and instruction

5
Western Medicine Vs Chinese Medicine

• Western medicine has its roots strongly
  entrenched in the works of early Greek
  philosophers. They view the body and the
  individual as a whole.
• Chinese medicine on the other hand has the
  approach to health as the rebalancing of the
  individual as a whole, with all internal and
  external forces that affected the individual.

6
Western Medicine Vs Chinese Medicine

• Western medicine is more effective for treating
  acute medical problems and emergencies.
• Traditional oriental medicine is used for
  treating common ailments such as, aches,
  emotional balance, skin ailments and rehabilitory
  assistance.

7
Western Medicine Vs Chinese Medicine

• The west sees illness as something that has
  invaded your body and must be removed.
• Chinese medicine sees it as an impermanent
  disharmony within an individual that needs to be
  rebalanced.

8
President Nixons Encounter With Chinese Medicine

• During a highly publicized trip to china, in the
  early 1970s, a member of president Nixons party
  got appendicitis.
• His surgery was performed with acupuncture
  instead of traditional western anesthesia.

9
President Nixons Encounter With Chinese Medicine

• When returning home, they told everyone of their
  experience, creating some publicity for Chinese
  medicine.
• This helped to open many doors for the now
  commonly accepted use of acupuncture in the U.S.

10
Acupuncture

• It is a technique of inserting hair-like, fine
  needles into known acupuncture points along
  meridians.
• There is a minimal sensation due to extreme
  fineness of needles.

11
Acupuncture

• Needles block pain impulse as it moves through
  central nervous system and prevents it from
  reaching the brain.
• The needles also stimulate the release of
  endorphins, our bodies own natural pain killers.

12
Risks of Acupuncture

• Improperly performed acupuncture can cause
  fainting, punctured lungs, convulsions, local
  infections, hepatitis B and nerve damage.
• The herbs used are not regulated for safety,
  potency or effectiveness.

13
Risks

• Dirty needles- to ensure safety many states
  require certification by the National Commission
  for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental
  Medicine. However, not all acupuncturists observe
  Clean Needle Technique, it is not required in all
  parts of the world so it is important to make
  sure they are using safe needles.

14
Claims

• The conditions claimed to respond to acupuncture
  include chronic pain, acute injury-related pain,
  gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular, muscle
  and nerve conditions, and behavioral problems.

15
Claims

• However, the evidence supporting this is by
  practitioners observations and poorly designed
  studies.

16
Fake Needle Experiment

• Two scientists at the university of Heidelberg
  developed a fake needle that may enable
  acupuncture research to have more controlled
  studies.

17
Fake Needle Experiment

• This device is a needle with a blunt tip that
  moves freely within a copper handle,when it
  touches the skin the patient feels the sensation
  of a needle without it actually going inside the
  skin.
• When tested on volunteers, none had suspected the
  fake needle.

18
Cultural Barriers

• Language the language spoken in the east is very
  different of that in the U.S., In both the spoken
  and written sense.
• Many of the words do not translate into English,
  especially some of the main concepts such as yin,
  yang, and Qi.

19
Cultural Barriers

• Racism when the Chinese were immigrating into
  America many saw them as barbaric,their beliefs
  were also seen that way.
• Usually,one does not see a doctor unless they are
  sick, this is another barrier because it is
  something that must be implemented every day to
  have the full effect.

20
Cultural Barriers

• Insurance companies and HMOs are reluctant to
  cover these practices because Chinese medicine is
  not seen as a scientific practice in America.
• Culture will always have an enormous impact if
  not the most prominent effect on health and its
  evolution.

21
Facts

• In the united states thirty-eight states have
  scope of practice for NCCAOM- National Commission
  of the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental
  Medicine.
• Research on oriental medicine has been continual
  in china since the early 1950s, although, it has
  a set of foundation principles, it is not
  uniform.

22
National Council Against Health Fraud

• This council concludes Acupuncture is an
  unproved modality of treatment.
• Its theory and practice are based on primitive
  and fanciful concepts of health and disease that
  bear no relationship to present scientific
  knowledge.

23
National Council Against Health Fraud

• Research during the past twenty years has not
  demonstrated that acupuncture is effective
  against any disease.
• Consumers who wish to try acupuncture should
  discuss their situation with a knowledgeable
  physician who has no commercial interest.

24
Bibliography

• www.crossroadsinstitute.org/chinmed.html
• www.kidamazing.com/jrole_of_traditional_chinese_me
  di.htm
• www.chinesemedicinesampler.com
• www.mic.ki.se/China.html