Moxibustion Treatment
An Introduction to Oriental Medicine
Major Theories of
Oriental Medicine
What is the Life Energy (The Mysterious
Life Force)?
Is
oriental medicine effective for allergies and asthma?
Role of Oriental
Medicine in Sports Medicine and Accidents including Car Accidents
Can oriental medicine
help me stop smoking?
Can oriental
medicine help me control my weight?
How many acupuncture treatments does
the patient need for ailments or injury?
What
is an O.M.D. (Oriental Medical Doctor)?
What else can oriental medical doctors
treat?
An Introduction to Oriental Medicine
The term "Oriental medicine" signifies a
peculiar medical field of study developed and practiced by
Orientals, which is in sharp contrast to the Western medicine
practiced in many Eastern parts of the world. It may be thus
contrasted with the term "Occidental medicine" which
has been developed in the Western world.
Oriental medicine holds that phenomena that mark between
health and sickness are related on the whole to the universe.
Thus, health and disease are due to the balance or imbalance of
the living forces which make up the universe. The theories of
Oriental medicine are based upon Oriental Eum and Yang,
or negativeness and positiveness. Oriental medicine derives
from a synthetic theory characterized by the harmony of macrocosm
(sky), Earth, and microcosm (human being). These factors can be
called the "Trinity Theory." That is, Oriental medicine
belongs to the sphere of metaphysics, and only through
metaphysical approach could the vital phenomena of that
particular medicine be studied.
Diseases stem from how we manipulate our physical environment,
and how we react to an altered environment ¾ a view embodied in
the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism developed during the
century before the birth of Christ.
Hwang-Jae ( ~ ~~ ; Yellow Emporor) was an emporer of China more
than 4,006 years ago. He discoursed with his minister, Gi-Baeg (~
1~ ), upon topics of such as extensive range of medical knowledge
as physiology, pathology, diagnostics, acupuncture and
moxibustion (acupuncture meridians), herb as well as basic common
principles of Oriental medicine. This discourse was duly recorded
in Nae-Gyeong, a book written by scholars of the Han
Dynasty about 25 centuries later. Hwang-Jae was beyond doubt a
pioneer in the field of Chinese medical science.
Oriental medicine maintains that health depends on the proper
balance among various influences origination from different
organs of the human body, while, if this normal equilibrium is
disturbed, illness results. According to the Hwang-Jae Nae-Gyeong
(Yellow Emporor's Classic of Internal Medicine), disease
results when man is out of balance with his environment. His
recovery depends upon adjustment of the ration between Eum, or
the negative cosmic force, and Yang, or the positive.
Major Theories of
Oriental Medicine
Western orthodoxial medicine, which belongs to natural
science, looks into and explains the structural and functional
phenomena of the human body by means of a materialistic and
analytical approach, while Oriental medicine strives to do the
same thing through a psycho-metaphysical, integral approach. This
psycho- metaphysical approach could eventually be systematically
advanced into psycho-physical science by future researchers.
The important theory of Oriental medicine is the primary five-
element doctrine of the Eum and Yang. These five
elements represent water ( ~ ), fire ( * ), wood ( .$::. ), metal
( ~ ), and earth ( ..1:- ). They are, when viewed from the
standpoint of Oriental medical science, the symbolizing
representation of "life energy" of nature in the
process of evolution, formation, and individualization of all
creatures. The human body can be observed as microcosm, when
compared with macrocosm; that is, a spot in the nature. And the
above-mentioned five elements are thought to represent essential
"life energy" for the activities of the human body. In
other words, they each represent one of the five viscera (parenchyma):
water corresponds to kidney; fire the heart; wood to liver; metal
or gold to lung; earth to spleen. At the same time, these five
primary elements correspond to the functional systems of the
human body (respiratory, digestive, circulatory, negetative
nervous system, etc.).
Since the physiological functions of these five viscera
respectively correspond to each of the life forces represented by
the universal primary elements and relative to the Eum and
Yang, the Taoist concept of universal opposites existing
throughout nature, diseases are treated and cured by means of
appropriate adjustment of the imbalanced state of the Eum and
Yang. When such a treatment is applied, the five elements
are automatically adjusted in accordance with the "antagonism
law ( J:S f!l.. ;~ :i'j ) , which instantly regulates life forces
mechanism. However, in normal conditions of the body, these five
elements are kept adjusted according to the "synergetism law"
(4.8 .t. ;:t.i1 ), which help to maintain the normalcy of the
elements. The "synergetism law" refers to the mutual
cooperation of the various organs and functional system of the
human body. An explanation of the antagonism and synergetism laws
is also possible in modern physiological terms.
The major characteristics between the medical fields (Oriental
and Western) may be enumerated as follows:
Oriental
Medicine |
Western
Medicine |
|
1 |
Based
on metaphysics of Oriental natural philosophy |
Based
on natural science |
2 |
Intuitive
observation |
Experimental
observation |
3 |
Functional
observation |
Materialistic
observation |
4 |
Supporting
natural healing force in the human body |
Artificial
treatment |
5 |
General
treatment |
Local
treatment |
6 |
Synthetic
approach |
Analytic
approach |
7 |
Metaphysical
and phenomenological viewpoint |
Anatomical
and histological viewpoint |
8 |
Internal
medicine treatment |
Surgical
treatment |
9 |
Etiological
treatment |
Allopathic
treatment |
10 |
Emphasis
on symptomology |
Division
of diseases |
What is
acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a healing art used by Chinese, Korean, Japanese,
and other Asian people dating back about 4,000 years. They found
they could control and regulate the flow and balance of Energy in
the body to cure, relieve, or palliate any ailment or disease of
the mind or body, or any wound, bodily injury or deformity, by
the insertion of needles into the human body, piercing the skin
of the body to stimulate a point on the body. This caused a
release of chemicals that either excited or suppressed the
affected areas to bring about a natural healing within the body.
Acupuncture is used in most countries of the Far East and
Southeast Asia. It has also been used in some European countries,
including England, France, Germany, and Russia. In the early 1970's,
physicians in the U.S. began to study acupuncture in an effort to
learn the reason for its effects. Acupuncture is currently
becoming accepted in Western countries including the U.S., as a
valid form of therapy.
What is
moxibustion?
Moxibustion is a method whereby moxa punk {or other
herbs} is burned on or above the skin at acupuncture points. The
heat warms the Qi and Blood in the channels and is therefore
useful in the treatment of disease or injury and maintenance of
health. Sometimes moxibustion is more effective than acupuncture,
whereas at other times the two have a synergistic effect.
Moxibustion Treatment
How does
acupuncture work?
The Oriental people found that the body has 14 main
meridian channels. A meridian is the pathway which connects
different parts of the body surface and certain organs. Life
energy {biological energy} is endlessly flowing through the
meridian channels. If the life energy is interrupted and
misdirected {imbalance of energy}, this will lead to disease or
discomfort in the body.
A meridian channel has a series of meridian points which are
activated by needling. The doctor who is trained in acupuncture
decides which meridians are imbalanced by using several
diagnostic methods such as the color or texture of the tongue,
pulse, palpation, inquiry, hearing, or more modern methods of
electric stimulation of Ryodoraku. After completion of the
diagnosis, the doctor selects the meridian points to control the
imbalance of the energy , using his particular technique.
More than 1000 acupuncture points over the entire body have been
found at this time. The modernized Oriental medicine is accepting
the modern Western medicinal diagnostic methods including x-ray
and laboratory testing in order to clarify the name of the
disease and to prove the progress or the result after the
doctor's services.
Meridian Channels
Does acupuncture
hurt?
There are several methods or forms used for acupuncture. The
finger, thumb, small steel balls, laser beam, heat, electric
impulse, or acupuncture needles can be used to stimulate the
acupuncture points. There is minimal to no pain involved, as long
as the patient is willing and remains relaxed. The acupuncture
needles are as fine as a strand of hair. Don't be afraid of
needles as long as you go to a well-educated-trained-licensed
doctor, such as an Oriental Medical Doctor (O.M.D.)!
Conception of Yin
and Yang
The principle of Yin and Yang is the basic principle of
everything in creation. It is the root and source of life and
death. Yin means the dark element, while Yang means the light
element.
Through their interactions and their function, Yin and Yang
are the causes of diseases which befall those who are not in
harmony with these two natural forces. Only when these two
natural forces within the body are in equilibrium with each other
will the body remain in a healthy state.
Satisfactory definitions of Yin and Yang are lacking, but one
may classify Yin and Yang as two different types of energy. Yin
is associated with preservation and storage of internal energy;
Yang is associated with the utilization of energy. A "Yin
condition" is deficiency disease or chronic disorder with
insidious development.
Weakness, muscle wasting, pallor, and depression are the most
common symptoms. A "Yang condition" is a disease with
acute onset and obvious development. The most common symptoms are
fever and restlessness.
Different combinations of acupuncture points are chosen for
treating patients with the same ailment but different Yin and
Yang symptoms.
In the United States, most people treated by acupuncture are
considered to have Yin conditions.
The following table shows some examples of Yin and Yang as
applying to diseases:
| Yin |
Internal |
Cold |
Void |
Weak |
Negative |
Hypo |
Chronic |
| Yang |
External |
Heat |
Full |
Strong |
Positive |
Hyper |
Acute |
What is the Life Energy
(The Mysterious Life Force)?
The concept of life energy is quite foreign to and little
understood by Western medical thought.
What is the meridian
system?
A meridian is the pathway which connects different parts
of the body surface and certain internal organs. The meridian
links up all the viscera and different parts of the body surface,
making the human body an integrated whole. Modern physiology has
also verified that different parts of the body are interconnected.
However, physiologists maintain that connections are mainly
affected through the nerves. The Chinese consider that the
meridian includes not only the nerves and blood vessels, but may
include certain other connecting pathways and activities inside
the human body. The laws governing them are still unknown.
Neurology defines a nerve as consisting of
nerve fibers, together with their blood vessels and lymphatic
vessels and fiber coverings. Comparison make it clear both these
two systems possess the properties of irritability (the ability
to respond to a stimulus), conductivity (the ability to conduct
nerve impulses), and integration (the ability to organize and
regulate impulses).
Another
indication of the close similarity of the meridian system is the
close location of some three hundred acupuncture points to nerve
fibers. Half of them lie directly above nerve fibers and the
other half are no further than Y2 centimeter away from nerve
fibers.
However,
there are some theories which can be explained by the meridians
which cannot be explained in terms of neuroanatomy and
neurophysiology. For instance, according to the meridian theory,
the Kuangming point in the lower part of the leg is the main
point for treating eye diseases. Good results have been obtained
by needling this point to induce analgesia for eye operations.
But how does needling this point affect the eyes and how are
these two parts connected? It is very difficult to explain these
facts with our present knowledge of neurology. When pain is
produced with thermal stimulation to certain parts of the limbs,
sensitivity to pain appears in the corresponding areas of the
ears. This shows that points on the ears have certain specific
connections with other parts of the body.
Each
of the 12 meridians runs in pairs, one to each side of the body.
If one side is stimulated, the other side is also affected.
Explaining these connections with our present knowledge of
neurology is also difficult. One explanation is that the study of
neurology has been limited and incomplete, and the functions of
the various systems in the human body are very complex and
delicate. Therefore, the original pattern of the meridian system
may be in a scientific sense the nervous system as it was
originally described. The only way we can find out is by further
investigation.
What
is herbal medicine?
Oriental herbal medicine has been used for treatment of
disease or injury for about 3,000 years. Some of the current
allopathic medications are made from these herbal medicines—morphine,
ephedrine, etc.
In
Oriental countries including China and Korea, herbal medicine is
prescribed and dispensed only by Oriental Medical Doctors.
Because it can contain enough pharmacological components to
affect the human body and sometimes toxic material, it must be
controlled by a doctor's prescription.
A
lot of patients today want to be treated only by natural
medicines. Compared to allopathic synthetic medication, herbal
medicine has few side effects. Oriental herbal medicine is used
differently from allopathic medication. An Oriental Medical
Doctor diagnoses the patient's case through Oriental medicinal
diagnostic methods and prescribes herbal medicine according to
the principle of pharmacological combination. Oriental Medical
Doctors frequently prescribe herbal medicine with acupuncture
treatment.
Recently,
the F .D.A. authorized the sale of herbal medicinal tea as a
treatment for specific ailments. Like acupuncture, herbal
medicine is becoming accepted in the United States.
Herbal
Medicine (Fritillaria Roylei)
Herbal
Medicine (Gleditschia Chinensis)
Allergy
Treatment including Sinusitis, Asthma, and Skin Allergies in
Oriental Medicine
In terms of Western medicine, an allergy is a
hypersensitivity to an agent (antigen) such as pollen, metal, or
penicillin. When an antigen is introduced to the body, an immune
process is evoked which damages the host's tissues, causing a
hypersensitivity to the antigen. There is a loss of ability to
distinguish between self and non-self, so a tissue or substance
belonging to the host is perceived by the lymphocytes as an
antigen, and is subsequently attacked.
In
Oriental medicine, we have the theory that exogenous factors get
into the body and evoke allergic symptoms or diseases when the
human body is in a state of weakness, with no defense power to
protect the body from such factors. First, we purify the body of
such factors, expelling the factors and removing the remains
through secretion. Second, we fortify the body's defense power
holistically. If the body is strong enough, it protects itself
from such factors, and we never fall into such diseases. After
completion of treatment, there is no worry about reoccurrence. As
long as there is a strong immune power, no further treatment is
needed.
Role of Oriental
Medicine in Sports Medicine and Accidents including Car Accidents
Western medicine is excellent in the area of surgery,
which is used to treat many problems. Oriental medicine tries to
work out the problems as much as possible without using surgery.
Except in cases of severe bleeding, rupture of an organ, or
broken bones which need emergency surgery, most problems caused
by sports or car accidents can be treated successfully with
Oriental medicine.
A
lot of patients treated by Western medical doctors based on x-
rays or lab tests complain that they still have pain or problems.
In such cases, it is very difficult to find the cause of pain if
they have soft tissue injuries or nerve damage. Oriental medicine
plays a big role in the treatment of these types of injuries,
especially in cases of sprains, back pain, joint problems,
headaches, and nerve damage.
The principle is to manipulate the problem area through Oriental orthopedic method, together with treatments of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion which remove the clogs including blood clotting and waste induced from impact that interfere with the flow of energy so the body is returned to the normal state in a short time.
Stop
Smoking
Today, most people understand the health hazards of smoking.
Although nicotine is highly toxic, the amount inhaled while
smoking tobacco is too small to cause death. The nicotine in
tobacco can, however, cause indigestion, increase blood pressure,
and dull the appetite. It also acts as a vasoconstrictor. Medical
authorities link smoking with heart disease, lung cancer, and
other diseases.
A
lot of smokers want to stop smoking and try to do it by various
ways including medication, habit control, and hypnosis. Some
smokers achieve success by such methods but there are a lot who
fail. Acupuncture treatment is especially recommended to help
those people who fail.
Acupuncture
is used along with special respiratory exercises to treat smokers.
In most cases, there is a reduced desire to smoke and smoking
quantity is reduced by half after the first treatment. The
treatment principle is to return the body to the pre-smoking
condition by shrinking the desire to smoke, cleaning the lungs,
and expelling the remains of nicotine.
Weight
Control
Inserting acupuncture needles superficially into various parts of
the body can facilitate weight loss by giving the person a
feeling of well-being which can suppress the desire for excessive
food. Acupuncture can also stimulate metabolism and thereby
enable the body to utilize food efficiently instead of storing it
as fat.
The
specific points used for each patient at each treatment depend on
many individual factors. The physician who examines the patient
before treatment determines which points should be used with
regard to the patient's fat distribution, emotional status,
eating habits, and other factors.
The
use of staples in the ear for weight control is an American
innovation which is often ineffective and dangerous. Staples left
in place for many days promote infection. The cartilage of the
ear does not replace itself after injury and has little
resistance to infection. We do not recommend the use of ear
staples for weight reduction. But one or two day's use of staples
in the ear can be recommended.
Diet
and exercise are helpful in any program of weight reduction. Each
patient should discuss his diet and exercise habits with the
doctor who examines him.
Most
people who come for acupuncture treatments, however, have been
given diets and exercise regimens before. They may have good
knowledge of what they should and shouldn't eat, but they feel
depressed or irritable when they try to stay on a diet.
Acupuncture
should relieve such problems and improve will power.
The weight loss to be expected is about two to four pounds a week. Six to ten acupuncture treatments are usually sufficient, and these can be given twice a week.
About
Back Pain
Back pain usually occurs in the lower back, but there is
an increasing number of incidents involving upper back pain. The
pain is often dull and continuous, but sometimes sharp and
throbbing. Backache or Lumbago is one of the most common ailments
and can be caused by a wide variety of disorders, some serious
and some not. Occasionally backache is a symptom of spinal
arthritis, peptic ulcer, enlargement of the pancreas, sciatica,
disease of the kidney, or other serious disorders, but usually
backache is caused simply by straining of the back in such a way
that bones, ligaments, nerves or muscles of the spine are
compressed or stretched. A sudden action, using muscles that are
already fatigued or out of condition, is particularly likely to
cause acute strain. A very sharp and persistent pain following
the use of unusual force against something—for example, when
trying to open a jammed window—could indicate a slipped
"disc" or sacroiliac strain.
Treatment
usually consists of bed rest, a bed board under the mattress,
muscle relaxant medication, analgesics, pelvic or cervical
traction, or injection of steroids. Surgical treatment is usually
a last resort for back pain.
Oriental
medicine can be used to treat the patient who has stubborn
backache in spite of various other treatments. Such agonizing
cases are usually cured by acupuncture, herbal medicine, and
Oriental medical orthopedic manipulation. We advise patients who
are recommended for back surgery to try Oriental medicine before
undergoing surgery. Continuous backache is easier to treat before
surgery than it is after surgery has been performed.
In
Oriental medicine, the backache is improved by eliminating the
clogs over the meridian channels and collaterals of the problem
area and activating energy circulation to recover from the
abnormal state.
Sometimes
acupuncture is regarded as merely an anesthesia. If that were
true, the pain would return after treatment had ended. But as
long as there is not another injury or impact to the affected
area, the pain will not return when treatment is completed. This
means that acupuncture works not only as an anesthesia action for
surgery, but also as a cure action for most diseases, ailments,
or injuries.
About
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss or impairment of motor function in a part
due to a lesion of the neural or muscular mechanism, with a wide
variety of physical and emotional disorders, rather than a
disease in itself. Paralysis results from damage to parts of the
nervous system. The kind of paralysis resulting, and the degree,
depend on whether the damage is to the central nervous system or
peripheral nervous system. If the central nervous system is
damaged, paralysis frequently affects the movement of a limb as a
whole, not the individual muscles. The more common forms of
paralysis are hemiplegia, in which the whole of one side of the
body, including the face, arm, and leg is affected, and
paraplegia, in which both legs and possibly the trunk are
affected. In central paralysis, the tone of the muscle is
increased (spasticity).
If
the peripheral nervous system is damaged, individual muscles or
groups of muscles in a particular part of the body, rather than
the whole limb, are more likely to be affected. The muscles are
flaccid, and there is often impairment of sensation.
Western
medicine relies mainly on rehabilitative treatment in cases of
paralysis. In Oriental medicine, the cause of paralysis is
believed to be stagnation of meridian channel systems and
collateral systems for energy circulation that are distributed
over the problem area. The passage is opened up by eliminating
the clogs and activating the energy system in order to restore
the area to a normal state. This is done by acupuncture
treatment, moxibustion, and herbal medicine treatment.
How
many acupuncture treatments does the patient need for ailments or
injury?
In Oriental medicine, the theory of acupuncture treatment
relies on the balance of Yang and Yin inside the body. If the
human body has problems with the balance of Yang and Yin energy
in certain organs, the diseases related to the organ will be
presented. By stimulating the meridian point related to the
organ, acupuncture conveys the stimulus to the imbalanced organs
and improves the balance.
Acupuncture
is not a pain-killer. When the balance is improved, the pain and
inflammation are gone. Acupuncture is a treatment art using Life
Energy in order to harmonize Yang and Yin energy of the organs.
Acupuncture treatments must be given until there is improvement
in the imbalance of organs -daily, every other day, two times a
week, or once a week, according to the patient's condition and
constitution. When the balance is improved, treatment is no
longer needed and the patient is cured.
Cupping Suction Treatment
What is an O.M.D. (Oriental Medical
Doctor)?
Oriental Medical Doctors existed hundreds of years before
Christ. Formal medical schools may have existed as early as the l0th
century. Western medicine was introduced to Oriental countries
about 150 years ago.
Oriental
countries used Western medicine with good results for decades,
but as time went by Oriental people realized that Western
medicine was not perfect. They found that Oriental medicine
worked a lot better in certain health problems than Western
medicine. They began to modernize the ancient Oriental medicine
by combining it with the new Western medicine.
A
modern Oriental Medical Doctor (O.M.D.) receives the same level
and number of years schooling through a government - accredited
Oriental Medical School as a regular doctor. O.M.D.'s are
educated in both Oriental and Western medicine. They are trained
in Oriental Medical Hospitals, where patients can request
Oriental or Western medical care, or a combination of techniques
from both practices.
The
Oriental Medical School was founded with an educational objective
to produce not only able, intelligent, well-trained medical
specialists, but also pioneers devoted to the development of
public health and social welfare. Its major purpose is to develop
cooperation in the field of Oriental and Western medicine, thus
contributing to health and social welfare through a synthetic
approach.
Most
American people do not know the difference between an O.M.D. and
an acupuncturist. O.M.D.'s are educated as a physician, just like
Western M.D.'s. An O.M.D. takes care of the patient's health
problem through general Oriental medicinal practice including
acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, Oriental surgery,
Oriental orthopedic manipulation, Oriental physical therapy, (cupping
suction, acupressure, massage, exercise, hydro-therapy, electro-stimulation,
light illumination, fasting, natural food diet), etc. A Doctor of
Acupuncture (or Acupuncturist), Doctor of Herbal Medicine (or
Herbologist), etc., practices only a particular branch of
oriental medicine.
The
State of Nevada is distinguishing Oriental Medical Doctor (O.M.D.)
from Dr. of Acupuncture and Dr. of Herbal Medicine in licensing.
The State of Nevada has strict requirements for O.M.D.'s. They
must be graduated from an accredited Oriental medical school,
must have six years of experience, and must pass an examination
by the State Board. With these strict requirements, Nevada has a
number of highly qualified O.M.D.'s dedicated to serving Nevadans
and society through their profession.
Oriental Medicine including
Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, etc., Can Help For…
Allergy |
Diarrhea |
Impotence |
Sciatica |
Arthritis |
Digestion |
Infertility |
Shingles |
Acne |
Enuresis |
Insomnia |
Sinusitis |
Auto Injury |
Facial Pain |
Intestinal Pain |
Skin Disease |
Back Pain |
Female Problems |
Knee & Foot Problems |
Sports Injury |
Bursitis |
Headaches |
Neck & Shoulder Pain |
Sprain |
Cough |
Hemorrhoids |
Nervousness |
Stop Smoking |
Cramps |
Hypoglycemia |
Numbness |
Stroke (Paralysis) |
Depression |
Hypertension |
Personal Injury |
Tinnitus |
And
many other problems!
FAQ's about
Traditional Oriental Medicine | Seung
Bai Park, O.M.D. | | Location
and Contact Information