Yu's Acupuncture & Herb Center in Bellevue, WA

WELCOME TO YU'S ACUPUNCTURE & HERB CENTER

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q: What is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (中医 Zhong Yi)?

A: TCM originated in China more than 5,000 years ago. It is a vital holistic system of health and healing based on the concepts of harmony and balance with nature and within the human body. Its emphasis is on wellness through moderation and disease prevention. Its unique theories of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention are believed to have first been published about 2,500 years ago in a book called Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng (Classic of Internal Medicine).

Most of TCM’s theory and practices are based on the Yi Jing (I Ching, Book of Changes) and the principles of Qi (sometimes written Chi), Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements. Treatment methods include acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage), and exercise (Qi Gong, Tai Ji). TCM’s focus is on stimulating the body's natural curative powers (Qi) to achieve optimal health (balanced Yin and Yang).

Q: What is Yin Yang (阴阳)?

A: Yin-Yang is the Chinese philosophy of polarities – the opposing qualities inherent in all phenomena. Yin and Yang are neither substances nor forces – they are complementary and inseparable qualities. They are always in dynamic equilibrium – as one aspect declines, the other increases to an equal degree.

In TCM, a balanced relationship between these two opposing but complementary aspects is believed to be necessary for a healthy being. The goal of TCM treatment is, therefore, to modify and maintain the relative balance between Yin and Yang.

Q: What is Five Elements (Five-Phase, 五行 Wu Xing)?

A: The theory of the Five Elements holds that all the objects and phenomena in the Universe are composed of five basic substances: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In TCM, the attributes and interactions of these Five Elements explain the physiology and pathology of the tissue and organs within the human body and the their relationship to the natural environment and are used to guide diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Q: What is Qi (Chi, Vital Life Source, Energy, Life Force, 气)?

A: Qi translates roughly into "life force" or "energy". Its literal translation is closer to "air" or "breath". It is considered to be the basis for the existence of all things in the Universe. That is, it is through the movements and mutations of Qi that all things manifest. According to TCM, Qi is always abundant and flows freely and well-regulated in a healthy person but the flow is weakened, disrupted, or blocked when a person is ill. Balancing and regulating Qi through TCM practices such as acupuncture and Chinese herbs helps a person achieve a Yin-Yang balance and reach optimal health.

Q: How does the practice of TCM differ from Western medical practices?

A: In the theory and practice, TCM is very different from Western medicine, both in terms of its approach to how the human body functions and how diseases occur and should be treated.

TCM	Western Medicine
Holistic approach	Systems approach
Focus on disease prevention	Focus on disease intervention
Goal is to restore harmony and balance	Goal is to cure disease/abate symptoms
TCM practitioner is an advisor	Western MD is an authority figure
Practice is noninvasive and dependent on natural pharmaceuticals	Interventionist and dependent on synthetic pharmaceuticals
Disease as the result of unbalanced or disharmonious Yin-Yang	Disease is a result of pathogens (germs, viruses, bacteria, etc.)
Diagnoses and treatments based on Yin-Yang and Five Elements theories	Diagnoses and treatments based on results of scientific experimentation
Diagnosis based on personal observations and interaction: Questions Observations (e.g., of complexion, eyes, and tongue) Auscultation & Olfaction (e.g., smelling the breath, listening to the voice or cough) Palpation: (e.g., pulse taking at six positions, three levels on the wrists, palpate the points and abdomen)	Diagnosis based on more mechanical/technological assessments: Lab tests (e.g., blood and urine) Technological assessments (e.g., X-rays, CAT scans, EKGs, and MRIs)
Treatment is of the patient	Treatment is of disease or symptoms
Patients with similar complaints or diseases may be treated differently based on their constitutions and life styles or situations Different complaints or diseases may be treated using the same principle or method if their etiology and pathologies are similar	Patients with similar complaints or diseases usually receive virtually the same treatment Different complaints or diseases are usually treated using different methods or treatments
Best for achieving wellness, rehabilitation, and disease prevention	Best for emergency crisis intervention due to physical traumas

Q: What are common techniques used in a TCM prescription?

The typical TCM techniques or therapies fall into four main categories:

1. Acupuncture – based on the idea that the body's vital energy force, Qi and Blood, travels through channels or "meridians". Tiny, thin sterile needles are inserted at selected points on the body to adjust, unblock, or correct the flow of energy (Qi and Blood) and to balance Yin-Yang in the body. Needles are usually left in place for 15–20 minutes. The procedure is virtually painless. In China acupuncture is always done in conjunction with moxibustion*.

2. Diet – is considered essential to good health. TCM’s dietary recommendations are sometimes called “kitchen medicine”.

3. Herbal medicine – usually consists of a complex combination of herbal and mineral ingredients. Chinese herbal remedies are intended to assist and restore the body's own systems so that eventually patients can stop taking them (i.e., never become dependent on them). Herbal formulas are usually administered as teas.

4. Exercise (Qi Gong) and massage – the exact and flowing movements of Taiji, and the breathing techniques of Qi Gong are considered essential to relieving stress and promoting the smooth flow of Qi. Chinese massage (Tuina) and the deep finger pressure technique known as acupressure are also used to promote the proper flow of Qi.

*Moxibustion (Jiu) involves applying heat to selected acupoints by slowly burning the special herb, Moxa wool, to warm and unblock the meridians and harmonize Qi and Blood.