Traditional Chinese Medicine


Traditional Chinese Medicine - What is it?

Traditional Chinese Medicine originated in ancient China 2,500 years ago and has been used since then as a health care system.

Asian cultures tend to have a holistic view of life, they believe that everything is interconnected. Traditional Chinese Medicine, one of the most popular Oriental medicines, is no exception and sees the body as an organic whole which all its parts are interconnected and interactive. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses different physiological and disease models than modern or Western Medicine.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective the human body should also exist in harmony with the universe and should cultivate internal harmony. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that disharmony leads to illness and disease.

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Manchester

Our typical Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment in Manchester starts with the analysis of the entire system, the human body; afterwards we focus on the correction of illness or disease by readjusting the functions of organs involved in the condition being treated.

Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that organ systems rather than isolated organs are responsible of body functions (such as digestion or sexual) which means that several organs might affect the same function. Once again, these organ systems are interrelated.

For this reason a Chinese practitioner can usually work on several organs to treat a same condition and why two Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners can have different subjective diagnosis.

Traditional techniques or therapies used to treat weakened or over-excited organ systems are acupuncture, cupping, Chinese massage, herbal medicines, moxibustion among others.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theories

Fundamental theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine are:

Body’s vital energy, Qi

Body's vital energy called ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chi’) flows around the body through a network of channels (known as meridians) and blood vessels; this way it reaches the organs.

Ying Yang

They are two opposite yet complimentary energies that can be found everywhere. They are different in their nature and qualities but they are interlinked and can't be separated.

Yin energy actually contains some Yang energy. In fact it can transform into Yang. The same applies with Yang. There is balance between these energies because there is a constant flow balancing and revalancing them; what is more there is harmony between Yin and Yang.

In terms of health, when you feel well your mind, body, spirit and emotions adapt and re-adapt to changing circumstances in life effortlessly. To achieve that well-being Chinese Medicine encourages to look at what is bringing imbalance in your life (emotions, lifestyle, etc.).

They are two opposite yet complementary energies.

They are two opposite yet complementary energies.

Five Elements

The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The lack of or excess of each elements can be found in a specific part of the body, it will bring clear moods (sadness, fer, joy...) and it will affect specific organ/s.


Traditional Chinese Medicine treats Zang and Fu organs (TCM differentiates between ‘solid’ organs and ‘hollow’ organs) as the core of human body. These organs and tissue are connected through the meridians and blood vessels.

Qi carries information of the state of the organs; this way any imbalance within the organs will be reflected externally on the body (for example on the skin) and any condition in the tissue might affect the organs.

The Four Diagnostic Methods

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses inspection, auscultation and olfactory, inquiry as well as pulse-taking and palpation to diagnose a disease or condition.

Syndrome differentiation systems

When evaluating a syndrome the Chinese practitioner includes its cause, mechanism, location nature of the disease and the confrontation between the pathogenic factor and body resistance.

The treatment is not based only on the symptoms, but also on the differentiation of syndromes. Therefore, those with an identical disease may be treated in different ways, and on the other hand, different diseases may result in the same syndrome and are treated in similar ways.