Modalities
Traditionally, a professional Chinese medical
practice may have incorporated several different modalities, each an extension
of the underlying medical theory and therapeutic intent. With a given diagnosis,
one could employ acupuncture or an herbal formula. For the same diagnosis, one
could recommend specific foods and teach specific exercises.
Some illnesses, and some patients, are better suited
for certain types of therapy, and some therapies work better when combined with
others. Additionaly, some modalities or techniques are more appropriate for
actively combating illness, while others express their power when practiced
daily for health maintenance and disease prevention (eg. diet therapy,
meditation, and qi gong).
I practice according to these classic principles and
incorporate several different types of therapy depending on the unique clincial
situation. The following lists the individual modalities:
- Acupuncture (including moxabustion and Chinese massage)
- Chinese Herbal Medicine
- Qi Gong (aka 'Chi Kung')
- Yoga
- Diet Therapy
- Meditation
- Chinese Medical Counseling
Now, also offering Essential Oil Therapy, in conjunction with Mally Shaw, L.Ac., M.S.TCM, Dipl. OM.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the insertion and skilled manipulation of sterile, small gauge needles into specific areas of the body, called acupuncture points, regulating the systems associated with those points.
Please see the section covering acupuncture
for a detailed discussion.
Moxabustion is the therapeutic application of heat
from burning the herb ai ye. This herb is burned on or near specific
acupuncture points. It can be used clinically for treatment of acute or chronic
illnesses, and can be applied by the patient at home, as well.
Acupuncture points and the acupuncture channels can
also be effected through massage. Often times, a massage technique will be
applied as adjuncitve therapy to acupuncture.
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Chinese Herbal Medicine
Professional Chinese herbal medicine has the patient drink a tea made from Chinese herbs.
The herbal teas are tailored specifically for each patient and their unique situation.
Such 'personalized' care greatly increases efficacy while virtually eliminating negative side effects.
Please see the article "What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?" for a detailed discussion.
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Qi Gong (aka 'Chi Kung')
Qi gong (pronounced 'chee gong') is the practice of
therapeutic exercise and breathing techniques. These exercises can be as simple
as standing with the arms extended to the front, as if holding a ball, to the
complex practice of Tai Chi Chuan. Exercsises can be practiced daily for health
maintenance and disease prevention, or as part of more comprehensive treatment
for specific disorders.
The regular practice of qi gong can be an essential
foundation of good health. (see "Foundations of Health".)
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Yoga
Yoga is a comprehensive system of philosophy, meditation and breathing practices, the well-known postures, plus much more. (Please see About Yoga and Introduction to Yoga for more information.)
The practices can be 'prescribed' by a teacher for the unique circumstances and goals of an individual student.
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Diet Therapy
Diet therapy maximizes the
healing potential of food by
A) Adjusting eating habits to match the design and function of the human body,
and
B) Using food as medicine.
Diet is a necessary foundation for good health (please see the article his topic). As such, inclusion of at least basic diet therapy is necessary for any effective treatment strategy.
"Therapy", in this sense, simply means paying
increased attention to and making adjustments where unhealthy habits have taken
hold. Making simple changes, such as drinking less fluids with meals and obeying
appetite, assist the healing process no matter the nature of the illness and
are essential for good health in the long run.
Some conditions require greater focus on diet.
Additionally, many people simply wish to use food as medicine to maintain
health. In these cases we use foods similarly to herbs. Foods have individual
therapeutic properties that can be matched to an illness or constitutional
weakness. Food is relatively weak compared to herbs, but because your are
effectively dosing three times a day (three meals), every day, the
net effect of food as medicine is enormous.
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Meditation
As discussed in
the article titled "Meditation"
, the daily practice of sitting emptiness is as important for growth and
development as diet and exercise. An argument could be made that meditation is
the basic requirement for mental and spiritual health. The physical body can survive without regular meditation,
but the mind and spirit suffer tremendously. You may be alive, but without
meditation you may not truly be living.
We tend, as a culture, to strongly emphasize action and doing. There is
an unspoken assumption that the purpose of life is 'to do'. If you are not doing
something, you are 'wasting' time or, perhaps, even your life. This reflects the
youth of our country. In cultures where age and wisdom have sunk deeper into the
daily lives of the people, non-action is treated more as
an equal.
As meditation is so essential to right living and
good health, I offer instruction and guidance to my patients.
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Chinese Medical Counseling
In modern times the clinical practice of talk therapy
has become a stand alone area of practice, reflecting the basic philosophical
division of mind and body in the West. Classically, in Oriental medical theory
and practice, the state of the physical body was as much a reflection of the
'mind' as any purely material organ. The physical and mental were understood as
various manifestations of the same underlying reality, much as two sides of a coin
are not truly separate, but merely different relative aspects of the same coin.
With this understanding, clinical practice naturally involved effecting the body
via the mind and mood, and vice versa.
In my private pratice, I employ basic counseling as a
modality for guiding the patient's awareness and assisting in personal
discovery. I also use discussion to share the wealth of wisdom that Chinese
medicine has to offer in how to lead a healthy, happy life.
(Please note, I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist. I employ counseling as a
classic Chinese medical modality within the diagnostic and treatment paradigm of
Chinese medicine.)
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Essential Oil Therapy
The use of professional grade, full spectrum essential oils, in accordance with traditional Chinese medical
diagnostic and treatment paradigms, can greatly assist the overall treatment effect.
Specific oil blends are created according to the individualized Chinese medical diagnosis and
can be applied topically or inhaled. Oils can be used for specific complaints or on a daily basis for
health maintenance and disease prevention.
For specific information on setting up an appointment, please visit my private practice page or simply contact me.
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