About Ancient Chinese Medicine
Ancient Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system that has been quietly thriving for thousands of years under the notion that “the subtle rules the dense,” meaning that subtle shifts can influence more ingrained physical, emotional, and mental blockages. Its core texts have been preserved throughout history, making it one of the few ancient indigenous medical systems with a continuous, documented lineage.
Unlike approaches that view the body as a collection of isolated parts, Chinese Medicine sees the body as a living, dynamic whole, constantly responding to its internal landscape and the world around it.
Classical Chinese Medicine emphasizes interdependent relationships between organ systems, emotions, the environment, and lived experiences. As a dynamic and personalized medicine, it remains deeply relevant today, offering nuanced support for both acute conditions and long-standing imbalances. Its holistic framework allows it to address unique or complex conditions that might challenge reductionist approaches that perceive the body as purely mechanical.
Many modalities are used within Chinese Medicine to support the body’s innate healing capacity, including herbal formulations, acupuncture, moxibustion, bodywork, qigong, food recommendations, and more. The ultimate goal is to foster cohesive communication and systemic congruency within the body, which naturally extends into how we move through and engage with the world around us. When all facets of one’s being are functioning harmoniously, no dis-ease can thrive, and the body’s inherent wisdom can nourish, protect, and heal from within.
Acupuncture
From an Ancient Chinese Medical perspective, the acupuncture meridians are like rivers of communication that flow between different organ networks. Acupuncture or any form of therapy that works with the meridian system helps to open and free these lines of communication. This ultimately supports cohesive vitality and the overall ease of systemic functioning, while simultaneously helping the immune system defend itself against external pathogens rather than get bogged down by them.
From a Biomedical perspective, acupuncture stimulates the vagus nerve, opens neural pathways, regulates hormones, circulates blood flow and activates the communication between the nervous system and the endocrine system to return the body to an optimal state of function.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine works by sending precise gestures to the body’s organ networks, helping restore the natural flow of qi between multiple systems. Each herb carries a unique directional expression, such as rising, descending, dispersing, or consolidating, which guides the body to respond. Herbal formulas combine multiple herbs to create a strategic, synergistic impulse, allowing the body to correct imbalances at the root without forcing an incompatible cure.
By applying these carefully chosen gestures, herbal medicine supports the body’s innate intelligence, guiding its mechanisms back to a state of coherent, harmonious functioning. This highly sophisticated system can been used to support a wide range of conditions, from autoimmune disorders to insomnia, hypothyroidism, and more.