Eastern Medicine or Alternate Medicine approaches are based on the principle that one’s body has the influence to heal itself. Healing engages numerous techniques involving the mind, body, and spirit. The medical experts recommend an individualized treatment approach for patients with medically unexplained symptoms. This is based on careful assessment of patients’ specific medical presentation.
The Eastern Medicine Systems include comprehensive techniques of theory and practice that have developed independently from conventional or allopathic medicine. Main Eastern medicine systems include:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM
- Kampo Medicine – Japanese
- Ayurvedic Medicine – Indian
- Homeopathy – Indian
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Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM healing system, a part of Eastern Medicine, dates back to 200 B.C. It then also evolved in, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In TCM, the body is a gentle balance of two opposing and inseparable forces of Yin (cold, slow, or passive) and Yang (hot, excited, or active). The TCM approach assumes that upholding the body in a “balanced state” realizes health while an interior imbalance of Yin and Yang causes the disease. The belief is that the imbalance creates obstruction in the flow of “chi” or vital energy along passageways. TCM specialists characteristically use acupuncture, massage, and herbs in order to clear “chi” in patients to get the body back into balance and well-being.
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Kampo
Kampo, a part of Eastern Medicine, is a method from the “Han Period” (206 BC-220 AD) of ancient China. Through the “Edo Period” from 1600 forwards, the explicit Japanese features of Kampo acquired form. Unlike TCA, which utilizes philosophy of Yin and Yang, Japanese Kampo supports diagnostic means that openly communicate the symptoms to the treatment, avoiding speculative views. Now the Kampo approach utilizes Japanese traditional herbal medicines with the availability of about 150 different herbal extracts formulations.
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Ayurvedic Medicine
Two Sanskrit words, Ayur meaning life and Veda meaning knowledge or science, derive Ayurveda. That also means “the knowledge or science of life.” Ayurvedic Medicine is a natural healing method advanced in India. It is an all-inclusive system of medicine that places equivalent importance on the body, mind, and spirit. This attempts to reestablish the intrinsic harmony of the person. The principal Ayurvedic managements include diet, herbs, exposure to sunlight, exercise, meditation, controlled breathing, and massage. In India, Ayurvedic treatments have been developed for the diseases of diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and neurological disorders. However, the quality of the published clinical trials in consideration with criteria for randomization, sample size, and adequate controls, has been of low quality.
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Homeopathy
Medical theory and practice of Homeopathy, a part of Eastern Medicine, was founded by a German physician Hahnemann (1755-1843). He postulated a ‘principle of similars,’ that one can select treatments on the foundation of how closely indications produced by a therapy equal the indications of the patient’s illness. Hahnemann gave repetitive doses of many common mixtures to healthy individuals and noted the symptoms they formed, which were the “human pathogenic trials.” Based on these experiences, he developed the therapies for ill patients by matching the indications produced by a medicine to indications in ill patients.
However, clinical trial results using Homeopathy are contradictory. As the systematic reviews have not found it to be a conclusively proven management for any medical disorder.
In conclusion, Eastern Medicine or Alternate Medicine methods perform by person’s body healing itself. A powerful approach that brings the mind, body, and spirit together!